Elderly man ends life in Kerala likely due to welfare pension due

Thiruvananthapuram: A 77-year old differently-abled man, who was found hanging in his house in Kerala's Kozhikode, is suspected to have ended his life owing to stress over dues of social welfare pension.

A letter written by the deceased to the local panchayat authorities stating that he would be forced to take the extreme step owing to the financial stress caused by five months pension dues has come out.

His 47-year old daughter is also differently-abled and bed ridden. Her pension was also due. She was recently shifted to a care home after her mother's death.

Meanwhile, the local panchayat authorities maintained that the deceased was given all support under the MGNREGA.

The incident is a major embarrassment to the LDF government in the state. Earlier, two elderly women had gone on begging at Idukki in Kerala lamenting over the mounting welfare pension dues.

Over 60 lakh people in Kerala are entitled to social welfare pension of Rs 1600 per month. The government is delaying the pension payment citing financial crisis caused by cut in central allocations.