"they would release the pension if I bring my mother"
An incident has come to light in which a 70-year-old woman had to drag her 100-year-old bedridden mother on a cot to the nearby bank to withdraw pension money.
The shocking matter took place in the Nuapada district of Odisha.
The woman was forced to take such extreme measures after a bank official denied the withdrawal and had asked for physical verification.
A video circulated on social media. Reportedly, Gunja Dei dragged 100-year-old Labhe Baghel on a cot.
Gunja said that she was forced to bring her mother to the bank to prove that she was alive.
Gunja had gone to the bank to withdraw her mother’s pension, which amounted to Rs. 1,500 (£15), however, the bank demanded physical verification of the account holder in order to transfer the money.
She explained: “I went to the bank several times in the last three months and requested the bank official to release the pension amount.
“However, the official informed that they would release the pension if I bring my mother to the branch.”
An elderly woman had to drag her 100-year-old mother on a cot to the Bank , at Nuapada District of Odisha, as officials refused access to her Jan Dhan Yojana account without physical verification.The incident took place three days back but videos viral on Saturday pic.twitter.com/gJ5MBPR8jQ
— kalpataru ojha (@Ojha_kalpataru) June 14, 2020
Bank official Ajit Pradhan allegedly asked Gunja to bring her bedridden mother. Labhe is an account holder under Jan Dhan Yojana of the Central Government.
The bank had announced Rs. 500 (£5) monthly assistance for female account holders from April to June amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
Ajit had planned to visit her home for verification but before he could do that, Gunja and her mother arrived at the bank.
As soon as Gunja reached the bank with her mother, the bank withdrew the money.
Raj Dholakia, MLA of Nuapada district said:
“We came to know about the incident through video in which woman was seen being dragged on a cot. She was taken to the bank for withdrawal of her pension money.
“I request the government to look into the matter and take strict action against defaulters.”
The bank was criticised for their actions, Adhiraj Panigrahi, MLA of Nuapada’s Khariar, said:
“Bank officials had been bothering the old lady for the last three months. The official flouted all laws and this act is against basic human rights.
“People should get their rights. I condemn this act and people responsible behind this should be removed from their post. These acts can be seen across various districts in Odisha.”
It was reported that the Chief Secretary of Odisha has written to regional managers of all government, private, scheduled banks and Railway Recruitment Control Boards, asking them to provide door-to-door services to elderly citizens.
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