Tarbod: The hands that once used to carry guns to save motherland from enemies are now carrying spades and crowbar to feed family members.
The man in question is 55-year-old Chanduram Majhi, a retired jawan living in Paraskhol village of Godphula panchayat under sadar block in Nuapada district. He is presently working as a daily labourer to keep the pot boiling at home and feed four stomachs.
Asked why a retired jawan has to live such a life, Majhi retorts back the same answer that he has to many others before. “It has been seven years since my retirement, but I am yet to get pension and my GPF money,” is all that Majhi has to say.
Majhi’s family comprises him and his four daughters- Kshetri (22), Shivani (18), Manika (15) and Vaishnabi (10). His wife has been dead for nine years now.
Majhi is now visiting from door to door, asking if they have any job for him. If a situation arises, all his four daughters also have to do some menial work at neighbours’ houses to sustain themselves. Due to the abject poverty, his daughters who ideally should be attending schools and colleges have since long stopped attending classes.
Not getting any work means this five-member family has to sleep with half-fed or empty stomachs.
During a conversation with our correspondent, Majhi opened his heart out.
“I joined Indian Army as a constable in 1988. I fought with the enemies and terrorists at Rajasthan, Jammu and Kashmir border and Chandigarh borders. I was feeling proud for being a soldier. I very clearly remember the day in 2011 when I was discharging my duty when the news of my wife’s death reached me. I availed leave and came to my village to perform the rites,” narrated Majhi all the while looking vacantly at his daughters sitting on the verandah of his mud-walled house.
Taking a pause for a while, Majhi resumed, “After performing my wife’s rites, I was supposed to join in my duty after expiry of my leave period. But due to some unavoidable circumstances, I had to stay back. I stayed back for 41 days without permission. I received a letter from the army department asking me to join in duty immediately. In response to the letter, I also wrote a letter to the department, mentioning my inability to join the duty immediately.”
Thereafter, the army department had provided Rs3, 00, 000 to him. Some days later, he joined in his duty and served a year before his retirement.
“Several communications have been made though, I am yet to get my pension and GPF money,” added Majhi in a voice suggesting his anguish.
As if this were not enough, this poor retired jawan is also not so lucky to get PDS rice or a pucca house under any government schemes.
When Nuapada district Collector Swadha Dev Singh was contacted, he said, “I was not aware of Majhi’s situation. I came to know about his condition for the first time from you. I will take immediate step as per the procedural yardsticks.”
PNN
