Disabled woman, 70, forced to walk to panchayat office for pension in Odisha

Pathuri Dehury, 70, is unable to walk properly due to her age and a disability sustained from a previous accident. Despite this, she was forced to crawl to the panchayat office as no one delivered the pension to her home. 

In Short

• Pathuri Dehury depends on pension for her livelihood
• She is unable to walk properly after an accident
• Village sarpanch promises home delivery of pension, wheelchair

A 70-year-old disabled woman in Odisha's Keonjhar district was forced to crawl nearly two kilometres to the local panchayat office to claim her old-age pension. The video of the woman painfully crawling went viral on social media, inviting criticism for the local administration.

The elderly woman, identified as Pathuri Dehury, depends on the pension for her livelihood and has no one to assist her. Due to her age and a disability sustained from a previous accident, Pathuri is unable to walk properly.

She crawled to Raisuan Panchayat under Telkoi block in Keonjhar to collect her pension, as no one delivered the pension to her home.

Notably, there are government directives ensuring that welfare pensions are disbursed at the doorsteps of beneficiaries.

Pathuri's strenuous journey caused severe blisters on her feet, knees, and hands.

"The Panchayat Executive Officer (PEO) asked me to come to the office to receive my pension. With no other option and no one to help me, I had to crawl for 2 km to reach the panchayat office. There is no one for me," Pathuri said.

When questioned, the Panchayat Executive Officer acknowledged the incident but seemed unaware of the woman’s condition.

"She used to collect her pension on her own earlier, walking to the office. But after an accident that damaged her leg, either her family or our office peon would deliver her pension to her home," the officer explained.

In response to the incident, the sarpanch of Raisuan Panchayat expressed regret, claiming they were unaware of the woman’s situation.

"We did not know that the elderly woman had to crawl to the office. She recently suffered an accident, which may have caused her difficulty in walking. We have already decided to deliver her pension and ration to her home by the 15th of every month,” the sarpanch said.

He also assured that, as per government provisions, Pathuri will be provided with a wheelchair soon.

"We are committed to ensuring that such incidents do not happen again, and we will make sure she receives all the assistance she needs from next month. We have addressed the matter within official channels," the sarpanch added.