layman's space

Thursday, 28 November 2019 | AJIT PANDA | NUAPADA Tulsi Majhi of Pendrawan village in Komna block is one of 1.36 lakh pensioners in Nuapada district, who has been receiving her pension regularly for years at the local panchayat office on 15th of every month. However, she is now worried as to whether she would be able to visit the nearest bank located 10 km from his house to collect her pension, when the (direct benefit transfer) DBT is effective. "I never faced any problem in getting my pension, but I am sure the proposed system would put me in trouble in terms of travelling a long distance, expenses for the travel and waiting in long queues in front of bank. I am also not sure whether my health would permit me for that long travel," she said. Tulsi is not alone in the district to complain against the proposed system; there are thousands others, who apprehend that the top-down move to Aadhaar-based bank transfers would disrupt the smooth functioning of the well-teste...

Saturday, 27 July 2019   |   AJIT PANDA   | NUAPADA Call it administrative apathy or lack of facility to get Aadhar, UDID, tribal children in the remote hinterlands of Nuapada district have to finally bear the brunt. Manas Adbong (7) is a disabled child of Michhapali village of Komna block. His father Laxman acquired a disability certificate for Manas, a few months ago, and made an application in Komna block office for disability pension, but it was yet to be approved even after a lapse of four months. Ratna Majhi of Soseng village located in the Sunabeda plateau ran from pillar to post for several months with the 70 per cent disability certificate of his 7- year- old son Keshaba, requesting the officials for including his son in the disability pension scheme. He finally met the district Collector of Nuapada in a meeting held at Soseng two years ago and gave the original certificate to the Collector with the hope that the district head would forward the cert...