Bhubaneswar, June 14: To claim pension under the Jan Dhan account scheme, a woman in Odisha's Nuapada district dragged her 100-year-old mother on a charpoy to the bank. The incident was reported in Bargaon village, where 60-year-old Punjimati Dei was reportedly forced to take her severely ill mother to the bank branch after the manager allegedly insisted on physical verification. Odisha: Migrant Labourer Forced to Stay in Jungle After Being Denied Entry to Quarantine Centre And His Village at Behrampur.

Reports on Sunday narrated the plight of Dei, after taking cognisance of the videos which were circulated on social media of her dragging the 100-year-old woman on a cot to the bank. The villagers, while speaking to reporters, said the manager's refusal to visit her home for verification forced Dei to take her mother to the bank branch.

The Utkal Grameen Bank, which is located in the village, had to pay Rs 1,500 to Dei which was pension for her ailing mother. Since the imposition of COVID-19 lockdown, the Centre has been disbursing Rs 500 per month to women who hold Jan Dhan bank accounts.

Dei went to the bank earlier this week to collect the April-June dues of her mother. The manager - Ajit Pradhan - allegedly asked for the physical verification.

Nuapada district collector Madhusmita Sahoo, however, refuted the claim that the manager forced her to bring her mother. She told reporters that the manager had only said that he would visit her house the next day as there was a staff crunch on the day when Dei had approached the bank.

 

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 14, 2020 06:46 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).