BARGARH: In a shocking case of administrative lapse, an 80-year-old woman of Lakhanpur Kushabari village under Ambabhona block has been wrongly declared dead in official records, leading to discontinuation of her old-age pension for the past three months.
The woman, Bedamati Naik, lives with her two sons, both daily wagers, and their families. After being marked dead in government documents, she has stopped receiving pension for three consecutive months, putting her family in financial distress.
Bedamati said, “I received my last pension three months back. I went to my maternal home for a few days. After coming back, I did not receive my pension for two months. This month, my grandson went to enquire about the pension and was informed that I had been marked as deceased. I want to appeal to the government that I am alive. Please do not remove my name from the list of beneficiaries. I am in need of both pension and ration.”
Bedamati’s grandson, Madhav Naik (24) said the incident has emotionally affected her. “She used to buy her medicines with the pension money and save the rest. Now, she is reluctant to ask us for help, even though we are doing our best to support her. We hope the block authorities rectify the error soon,” he said.
The matter came to light after a complaint was submitted to the Ambabhona block development officer (BDO) on Tuesday. The block authorities have ordered an inquiry into the incident.
Ambabhona BDO Lalit Bag said, “A ward member from Lakhanpur Kushabari village lodged a written complaint in this regard. I have ordered an inquiry into the matter. Based on the inquiry report, the problem will be resolved, and strict action will be taken against those found responsible for the error.”