An elderly woman who was denied widow’s pension and 5kg of rice per month under a government scheme for three months died after consuming poison in Odisha’s Ganjam district.
The woman, identified as Savitri Dora, took the extreme step on Sunday after multiple visits to the panchayat office failed to yield any result.
Her death coincided with the first day of the Raja festival, which celebrates the spirit of womanhood.
Savitri was entitled to a pension of ₹1,000 and 5kg of rice per month under government schemes.
Sources said she had approached panchayat officials several times over the last three months to get her due, but encountered problems related to Aadhaar authentication.
She decided to end her life after facing significant trauma, financial hardships and mental distress, Savitri’s neighbour at Chhadeyapada village said.
“During Raja, every household prepares peetha (rice cakes) and distributes them in the neighbourhood. But she didn’t even have enough rice in her home to sustain herself. She laced her food with poison and consumed it,” the villager said.
Locals said she was seen lying unconscious on the road and was immediately rushed to the hospital. But she died on the way and was cremated by villagers.
Savitri’s three daughters are all married and settled elsewhere.
G. Chandadora, one of her daughters, told reporters: “Our father passed away 20 years ago. My mother used to live alone. We are very poor and not in a position to help her. She depended on the free rice and the widow’s pension provided by the government. She even fought with panchayat officials and the sarpanch when she was denied her due.”
Following Savitri’s death, the local sarpanch handed over ₹3,000 to Chandadora and promised to provide the held-up rice.
Sunil Samanta, block development officer of Beguniapada under which Chhadeyapada village falls, told The Telegraph: “We have ordered a probe into the incident. I will be able to comment on the issue after I receive the report.”
The Odisha government recently launched a scheme to provide an additional 5kg of rice per person per month, doubling the total free rice entitlement to 10kg per person under the food security scheme.