What happened in Odisha
Activists in Odisha have demanded a stronger protection mechanism for vulnerable people after a 67-year-old widow in Ganjam district allegedly died by suicide following stoppage of her government pension. A fact-finding team visited Chadiapada village and examined the case of B. Sabitri Dora, who had not received her pension for three months.
The Odisha Right to Food Campaign said social security pensions were stopped for beneficiaries from April to June, affecting about 20 lakh pensioners. The state government blamed technical glitches and software issues.
Dora lived alone and depended on a monthly widow pension of ₹1,000 and subsidised foodgrain from the public distribution system. Activists said her grievance was not resolved in time and argued that the case showed a larger systemic failure because no contingency mechanism had been created despite known technical problems.
Activists said the pending pensions were released only after the death drew widespread attention.
Why the case matters for UPSC
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