Nuapada old age pensioners worried lot
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-tested system of pension distribution, which may in turn also threaten their livelihood.
None of the beneficiaries in the district has complained so far about the existing distribution system which is going to be disrupted soon after the implementation of DBT.
Upon hearing that the pension would no longer be available in the panchayat office, some elderly people sitting in front of a house in Pendrawan village immediately reacted, "It is injustice. How can we walk so far to the bank to collect pension? The existing system is fine; we would not go to the bank."
"The present system has to continue; we have heard that the Panchayat has sent notice to submit Aadhaar for bank linking; we would not do that,” said Butu Sabar of the village.
The announcement of the move to bank payments instead of cash at the gram panchayat seems to have spread much concern among the pensioners. It is cruel to ask the elderly to cover run around a distance for Rs 500 pension each month, especially when they are by and large happy with the current arrangement, said Prof Riteeka Khera from IIT Ahmadabad, during her visit to the district last week to assess the possible impact of DBT.
Rajkishor Mishra, one of the leading members of right to food campaign said the DBT system would certainly create a lot of problems for the beneficiaries.
"We have distributed pamphlets in all the villages as instructed by the district authority, but we are not happy with the proposed system. We have only nine banks in our panchayat to cater to 32 villages with about a thousand of pension holders. Is it possible for the elderly to run to the banks every month?" said Pendrawan sarpanch Julu Pattnaik .
There are so many remote gram panchayats in Nuapada district, which do not have banking facilities. The people of Sunabeda, Soseng, Nangalbod and Ghatmal panchayats walk for 30 to 40 km to find access to banking facility. The pension holders of these panchayats will be the worst sufferers in case of DBT if it is made compulsory. The Department of Social Securities and Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities in the Government of Odisha vide it letter No. 9839 dated November 11, 2019 has, however, made the DBT optional.
"In case of the National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP), the Collectors may ensure that beneficiaries are given options so that cash can be continued to be received by those who opt for it in view of non-availability of banking infrastructure and the Madhubabu Pension Yojana will continue to be implemented in cash," stated the letter. The field functionaries in the district, however, are not revealing about the options.
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-tested system of pension distribution, which may in turn also threaten their livelihood.
None of the beneficiaries in the district has complained so far about the existing distribution system which is going to be disrupted soon after the implementation of DBT.
Upon hearing that the pension would no longer be available in the panchayat office, some elderly people sitting in front of a house in Pendrawan village immediately reacted, "It is injustice. How can we walk so far to the bank to collect pension? The existing system is fine; we would not go to the bank."
"The present system has to continue; we have heard that the Panchayat has sent notice to submit Aadhaar for bank linking; we would not do that,” said Butu Sabar of the village.
The announcement of the move to bank payments instead of cash at the gram panchayat seems to have spread much concern among the pensioners. It is cruel to ask the elderly to cover run around a distance for Rs 500 pension each month, especially when they are by and large happy with the current arrangement, said Prof Riteeka Khera from IIT Ahmadabad, during her visit to the district last week to assess the possible impact of DBT.
Rajkishor Mishra, one of the leading members of right to food campaign said the DBT system would certainly create a lot of problems for the beneficiaries.
"We have distributed pamphlets in all the villages as instructed by the district authority, but we are not happy with the proposed system. We have only nine banks in our panchayat to cater to 32 villages with about a thousand of pension holders. Is it possible for the elderly to run to the banks every month?" said Pendrawan sarpanch Julu Pattnaik .
There are so many remote gram panchayats in Nuapada district, which do not have banking facilities. The people of Sunabeda, Soseng, Nangalbod and Ghatmal panchayats walk for 30 to 40 km to find access to banking facility. The pension holders of these panchayats will be the worst sufferers in case of DBT if it is made compulsory. The Department of Social Securities and Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities in the Government of Odisha vide it letter No. 9839 dated November 11, 2019 has, however, made the DBT optional.
"In case of the National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP), the Collectors may ensure that beneficiaries are given options so that cash can be continued to be received by those who opt for it in view of non-availability of banking infrastructure and the Madhubabu Pension Yojana will continue to be implemented in cash," stated the letter. The field functionaries in the district, however, are not revealing about the options.
Comments
Post a Comment