AN infirm 80-year-old woman had to crawl 2km to the local village council office just to collect her pension, Makkal Osai reported.
Pathuri Dehury, who lives in a village in India’s eastern state of Odisha, is unable to walk properly due to her frail state.
According to her, an officer from the village council had asked her to come to the office to collect the money despite government orders that such assistance was to be delivered to the homes of the elderly or the disabled.Pathuri, who depends on the government allowances for day-to-day needs, said she had no other option than to make the arduous journey.
Videos posted on social media showed her crawling along muddy paths to reach the office.
The octogenarian’s plight went viral online and led to much criticism of the council staff.
Subsequently, the district officer ordered them to deliver the woman’s allowances to her home starting next month.
It is not clear if any action was taken against the officer who forced the woman to make the journey herself.
