The ailing woman identified as Pathuri Dehury, a resident of Raisuan gram panchayat, cannot walk.
Credit: X/@JournoSiddhant
Keonjhar (Odisha): A 70-year-old woman in Odisha's Keonjhar district was forced to crawl nearly two kilometres from her home to the panchayat office to collect her old-age pension.
The ailing woman identified as Pathuri Dehury, a resident of Raisuan gram panchayat, cannot walk.
A video of Dehury crawling on a village road has gone viral on social media.
The state government earlier issued a directive to officials to deliver the pension of elderly and disabled beneficiaries to their doorstep.
Dehury, however, said a panchayat official had asked her to visit the office to collect the monthly pension and she had to crawl to reach there on Saturday.
The gram panchayat concerned is under Telkoi block in Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi’s home district Keonjhar.
Telkoi block development officer (BDO) Geeta Murmu told PTI that the old-age pension was earlier sent to her bank account. However, as she became ill and expressed her inability to visit the bank, the local administration has started disbursing the pension by hand, she said.
Now, the panchayat extension officer was asked to disburse the old-age pension to Dehury at her home each month. A wheelchair has also been provided to her, the BDO said.
Raisuan sarpanch Bagun Champia said the civil supply assistant will provide rations to Dehury at her doorstep.