BHUBANESWAR: Odisha needs to establish a simple and accessible grievance-redress mechanism in case of pension non-payment at the panchayat level, create a list of beneficiaries solely dependent on pension and mandate immediate manual distribution system to such beneficiaries in the event of DBT channel failure, a joint fact-finding report by three rights organisations has recommended to the state government.
The suggestions have been made to prevent recurrence of incidents similar to that of B Sabitri Dora, a 66-year-old widow from Ganjam’s Beguniapada block, who allegedly died by suicide in June this year after not receiving her social security pension for three months.
The report was released by the Right to Food Campaign, Civil Society Forum for Human Rights and Campaign for Survival and Dignity. It stated that the death of Dora was not an isolated case but the outcome of a statewide disruption of social security pension disbursement from April to June, 2026 that affected nearly 18 lakh pension holders.
In Odisha, nearly 55 lakh elderly persons, widows, persons with disabilities and few other categories of people are covered under social security pension schemes of the state and the Centre. The disbursement was reportedly disrupted across the state for three consecutive months from April to June this year.
The report pointed out that in absence of a manual disbursal system, an ordinary technical fault escalated into a life-and-death crisis for the most vulnerable. The organisations suggested preparation of a list of “solely dependent” beneficiaries - elderly single women, widows, persons with disabilities and destitute persons with no other income - and protect them first during any disruption. The government should establish a simple, accessible grievance-redress mechanism in case of pension non-payment at both panchayat and block levels, with a time-bound response and a helpline.
They also urged the government to reinstate a manual/cash and doorstep-delivery option, on the lines of the previous ‘Jan Seva Diwas’ initiative for all the pension beneficiaries.
