‘Rs 750 is vital for us’: Pensioners come to Delhi from Rajasthan in hope of getting heard

Justice Madan Lokur and advocator Prashant Bhushan joined the lawsuit via video. “This is not lone a societal justness contented but besides a substance of equality, democracy, and the close to life. When the government’s strategy excludes its citizens, it is successful usurpation of these cardinal rights,” said Justice Lokur.

MKSS laminitis Nikhil Dey presented cases from crossed Rajasthan, and said lakhs of pensioners, including the elderly, disabled, and widows, person been deprived of pension owed to assorted administrative and method hurdles.

The organisations besides claimed that successful the past 7 months, “no caller beneficiary has been capable to use for disablement pensions”.

“The authorities has efficaciously made Aadhaar compulsory contempt claiming it wouldn’t beryllium mandatory, starring to systemic failures that alienate those astir successful request of support,” Dey said. “Over 1 crore pension beneficiaries look challenges, with astir 13 lakh pensions being cancelled annually, often owed to delays oregon information mismatches.”

In the evening, members of the delegation met with officials from Ministry of Rural Development and the Ministry of Social Justice with a database of demands.

Many reasons, aforesaid ordeal

Among pensioners contiguous astatine the lawsuit was 74-year-old Pani Deva. “My pension was stopped 2 years ago,” she said.

Deva, who utilized to get `1,000 nether Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme until December 2022, learned astatine an e-Mitra centre that her relationship had been suspended arsenic she was marked “out of state”.

“But successful reality, contiguous is the archetypal clip she has stepped retired of her district,” said Leela Devi (48), a societal idiosyncratic associated with MKSS, who has been assisting Deva for the past six months. The aged pistillate comes from Shahpura colony successful Beawar territory of Rajasthan, wherever she utilized to enactment arsenic a labourer until a fewer years agone earlier she fell and damaged her knees.

“Due to the deficiency of fiscal aid, she couldn’t question aesculapian assistance,” Leena said. “The `1,000 pension was important for her regular expenses, including nutrient and aesculapian care.”

MKSS said that Deva visited the Jawaja Panchayat Samiti to corroborate her beingness and petition that her pension beryllium restarted, but contempt assurances from officials, thing was done thorough 2023 and 2024.

Leela said that Deva’s hubby died successful 2003 and her 3 sons don’t look aft her. Her girl and husband, some regular wagers, bash immoderate small they tin to help.

Like her, 72-year-old Ghisi Devi has besides been officially declared “out of state”, with her pension stopped since February 2022. Plus, her fingerprints are nary longer readable, which has made updating her Aadhaar difficult.

Alongside them was 22-year-old Gudiya, who sat connected a wheelchair. She has 40% locomotor disablement and can’t spell a fewer steps without the assistance of her parent Poonam Singh, but has been marked “out of state”, causing her disablement pension to halt since May 2023.

“Her Aadhaar verification attempts were unsuccessful owed to her disability. Frequent verification attempts led to her Aadhaar card being deactivated successful mid-2024, and consequent appeals revealed that her Aadhaar had been cancelled. She was advised to sojourn Aadhaar offices successful Delhi oregon Jaipur,” Ranjeet, an MKSS member, said.

Poonam said her daughter’s pension of `750 “is captious for family”. Gudiya’s begetter died 11 years ago, and Poonam makes ends conscionable by doing mehendi work.

Ranjeet besides cited the illustration of Keli Devi from Biyakheda colony successful Beawar, who died waiting for her pension to resume. Even much absurd is the lawsuit of Kanchan Devi, 41, who was marked dormant successful authoritative records. “Jeete jee bhoot banke ghoom rahi hoon,” she said. Her pension of `1,150 nether the Chief Minister’s Widow Pension Scheme has been suspended since April 2022.

Kamla’s hubby died 14 years ago, and she works arsenic a regular wage labourer. Her lad Dipu, 20, helps her carnivore regular expenses by moving arsenic a helper astatine a beverage stall.

When contacted, Rajasthan authorities officials said, “On the ground of incorrect information, the pension of immoderate persons has been stopped by the sanctioning officers by declaring them dormant oregon owed to their moving retired of the authorities oregon owed to immoderate different reason. A gathering was held connected September 2 and 12… and a missive was sent to each District Collectors to analyse and restart each pensions cancelled successful the past 2 years connected the ground of incorrect information… ”