No widow pension for poor woman who killed self in Odisha

Condition of the victim's two children is stable and the district administration in Odisha has decided to take both of them into its care.
Sita Madkami's house
Sita Madkami's house

MALKANGIRI: Sita Madkami who committed suicide after poisoning her two children in a remote village of Malkangiri district got no benefit from the government after her husband’s death two months back except for Rs 2,000 under the Harishchandra Yojana.

The 35-year-old woman was staying alone with her 4-year-old son Debendra and 5-year-old daughter Dharitri at Goudaguda village under Malkangiri police limits after the death of her husband Muka Madkami in April. 

Neither did she get the widow pension of Rs 500 under Madhu Babu Pension Yojana nor the one-time assistance of Rs 20,000 under National Family Benefit Scheme (NFBS) following the death of Muka Madkami, the only bread earner in the family.

A daily labourer, he had succumbed to tuberculosis.

Block Development Officer Gunanidhi Nayak said her NFBS and widow pension applications were under process as she could not immediately submit the death certificate of her husband. 

Sita had a ration card. There were two bags of paddy and more than 10kg  of rice in her house when officials visited her house on Monday.

“There was poverty in the family but not to the extent of starvation,” the BDO said.

While her parents-in-law who are also extremely poor were staying separately, a Pradhan  Mantri Awas Yojana house was sanctioned in the name of her mother-in-law Budri  Madkami.

They had constructed a separate room for Muka and Sita but owing to personal reasons, she was staying separately in a thatched house, the BDO informed.

Meanwhile, condition of Debendra and Dharitri is stable as they are undergoing treatment at the District Headquarters Hospital (DHH). 

The District Child Protection Office and district administration would take care of them after they are discharged from the DHH. Besides, the district administration will take care of their education, Nayak said. 

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