Bureaucratic blunder strips 70‑year‑old Savitri Devi of pension, forcing her to plead for proof of life
Auraiya, August 2: A grave error in government records has left 70‑year‑old Savitri Devi struggling for survival, as her old‑age pension has been stopped for three years after the Social Welfare Department wrongly listed her as dead, forcing her to repeatedly visit offices to prove she is alive.
Savitri Devi alleged that she was shown as dead in the Social Welfare Department’s records, which subsequently stopped her old-age pension.
She stated that over the past three years, she has submitted numerous applications to various officials, including the District Magistrate’s office, Tehsil Ajitmal, and the Sampoorna Samadhan Diwas, but the records have not been corrected, nor has her pension been restored.
The victim said that her old-age pension was her main source of livelihood. The suspension of her pension has left her facing financial hardship. Even in her advanced age, frequent visits to government offices are proving extremely difficult.
Locals told that if the department had verified the records in a timely manner and corrected the error, an elderly woman would not have had to struggle for years to prove her existence.
The sub divisional magistrate (SDM) Ajitmal Nikhil Rajput stated that the matter is under his notice and a report has been requested from the concerned department. If the woman has been shown as deceased due to an error in the records, the records will be immediately amended and her old-age pension will be restored as per the rules. The officers and employees responsible for the negligence will also be investigated and necessary action will be taken.
