Gop: A 65-year-old widow of Bijipur village under Bantali gram panchayat here has reportedly been deprived of her old-age pension for the last 23 months.
The widow, Sashimani Sahu, has been running from pillar to post to get her pension arrears of 23 months, without any result so far. Officials of the panchayat and the block office here have allegedly turned a blind eye towards her plight. Consequently, the widow, who is also suffering from various old-age related ailments, is forced to lead a miserable life.
Sources said the woman had narrated her grievances before the district collector during a public hearing at the block office in December last year. The collector had directed the gram panchayat officials and block officials to inquire as to why she was denied the pension. However, the concerned officials are yet to act in this regard.
The woman had applied for pension in 2014 following which she was included under Madhubabu pension scheme in January 2015. However, she has not received a single penny as pension so far. As she is supposed to get `300 as pension per month, the administration now owes her `69,000 for 23 months in this regard.
When contacted, Gop block development officer Khirod Chandra Pradhan expressed ignorance about the matter. “I did not have any information in this regard. After getting the complaint of the woman, I have directed the officials concerned to immediately probe the matter and submit a report.” PNN
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