Activists seek safeguards for vulnerable sections after elderly woman’s death in Odisha

Activists on Saturday demanded a robust mechanism to protect vulnerable sections after a 67-year-old widow allegedly died by suicide following the stoppage of her government pension in Odisha. Members of four organisations visited Chadiapada village in Odisha’s Ganjam district after concerns were raised over the death of B. Sabitri Dora, a resident of the village under Mardakote gram panchayat in Beguniapada block, whose pension had allegedly remained unpaid for three consecutive months. “From April to June, social security pension was stopped for the beneficiaries under the National Social Assistance Programme supported by the Centre. It affected approximately 20 lakh pension holders, primarily old age, widow and disability pension,” said Samit Panda, convener of the Odisha Right to Food Campaign. Mr. Panda said the State government had attributed the delay to technical glitches and software problems in the digital payment portal used to process Direct Benefit Transfer payments through the SNA-SPARSH (State nodal agency) platform. Report findings