Papadahandi An elderly man, Balaram Gouda, residing in Goud Sahi of Hatibari village under Majhiguda Panchayat in Papadahandi block of Nabarangpur district, had not been receiving an old-age pension despite his advanced age. Following a report titled “Helpless Elderly Man Deprived of Pension” published in Pragatibadi on the 15th of this month, the district administration acted promptly.
District Social Security Officer Sudhanshu Patra personally visited the village and handed over two months’ pension to Balaram. Present at the time were Sarpanch Rambati Majhi, PEO Debashis Majhi, Data Entry Operator Tar Iswar, and BJS Banambar, among other concerned officials.
According to reports, Balaram lives alone and has no family of his own. His wife had passed away many years ago. During his younger years, he survived by working odd jobs. Lately, he had been begging in the village for food. However, due to his frail condition, he is now confined to his home and is being fed by sympathetic neighbors.
Despite his old age, he had not been included in the pension scheme and was reportedly surviving on minimal food, often going hungry due to lack of money. A few years ago, he was included in a housing scheme by the administration, but the contractor abandoned the house construction midway, leaving it incomplete.
Although he receives 5 kg of rice per month from the government, he has to walk 7 to 8 kilometers to the panchayat office to collect it. Following media attention, the administration immediately enrolled Balaram in the pension scheme and has started disbursing his benefits.
