Woman, 65, who crawled 2km for pension to receive it at home: Official

A 65-year-old woman from Odisha’s Keonjhar district, who had to crawl at least 2km to collect her pension, will now receive her pension at home along with a tricycle so that she can move around, officials said on Tuesday.

The video of Pathuri Dehury from Raisuan gram panchayat in Keonjhar district crawling to a local panchayat office for her pension four days ago, had gone viral on social media.

Dehury, who lost her husband to an ailment a few years ago, and since then enrolled under the state-run Madhu Babu Pension Yojana (MBPY), was asked to come to the panchayat office to collect her monthly pension.

The MBPY is a social welfare scheme in Odisha that provides financial assistance to people in need.

“When no one came home to disburse the pension, I had no other option than to crawl 2km to reach the panchayat office,” she said.

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Reacting to the developments, Raisuan sarpanch Bagun Champia said that he asked the panchayat extension officer and supply assistants to provide the pension as well as rations at her house.

“After we heard about the news, we have ensured that she gets the pension at her home. We have also given her a tricycle so that she can move around,” said Champia over phone.

Champia said that there are around 680 people in the panchayat who are receiving various pensions and orders have been given to provide the pension at doorstep if the beneficiaries can’t go to the panchayat office on their own.