An 80-year-old woman who is unable to walk was forced to crawl almost 2 kilometres in order to collect her pension in Keonjhar, Odisha.

Pathuri Dehury, from Panchayat, cannot walk properly due her old age and illness. She was told that an official would deliver her pension to her home but when no one turned up she decided to crawl to her nearest office.

"When no one came home to disburse the pension, I had no other option than to crawl 2km to reach panchayat office," Dehury said.

An 80-year-old woman was forced to crawl nearly 2km to panchayat office in Telkoi block of Odisha's Keonjhar to collect her old-age pension Saturday, despite a govt directive to deliver the allowances to homes of elderly and disabled beneficiaries.

Pathuri Dehury, of Raisuan gram panchayat, cannot walk properly due to old age and illness. "We meet our daily expenses from the pension money. Panchayat extension officer (PEO) asked me to visit the office to collect the pension money. When no one came home to disburse the pension, I had no other option than to crawl 2km to reach panchayat office," the octogenarian said.
Raisuan sarpanch Bagun Champia said after learning about Pathuri's case, PEO and supply assistants were instructed to provide allowances and rations to her house from next month. "We have directed PEOs to disburse allowances to beneficiaries who are unable to reach GP offices," Telkoi BDO Geeta Murmu said.