IMPHAL, April 17: Condemning the death of an old-age pensioner while waiting her turn to collect her pension amount on April 14, the State BJP Mahila Morch is all set to ask the Prime Minister and other Union ministers to direct the State to take precautionary measures to avoid such unwanted situation.
Addressing a group of media persons on Friday at the Manipur Press Club, BJP national vice-president Mahila Morcha A Sharda Devi stated that the State social welfare minister AK Mirabai should take moral responsibility for the incident.
The pensioner had come with full expectations to collect her pension amount, she said adding that the scheme which is supposed to bring a smile has only hurt the elders.
Hinting that the distribution system needs to be changed at the earliest, she said it is not carried out in the right manner.
She further demanded why the concerned minister and her department had kept the pension amount pending since 2012 and what steps the department has taken up to safeguard the interest and welfare of the pensioners.
Sharda also questioned as to why the department is making the aged come to them and stand in queue in this unbearable heat just to collect the meagre pension amount.
The BJP, Mahila Morcha has already visited the victim`™s family and shares their grief, she said.
At the same time, what is making the incident all the more shocking is that Purnimashi was made to return the second day after she failed to get her pension amount on the first day, she said.
On the first day after standing in queue for a long time, the aged Purnimashi was told by the attending officials that her turn would come the next day, Sharda claimed.
Purnimashi`™s death is due to extreme physical exhaustion and weakness, she continued.
She continued that the pension could be directly transferred to the pensioner`™s bank account or through other means.
She also complained that the amount being paid is too meagre.
Former State Mahila president, Binapani opined that the department should introduce an alternative means to pension amount directly to pensioner.
She added, “Amendment is a law of nature” the department should amend their structure and the system of distributing pension.
The department could also consider home delivery of the pension amount, she added.
State vice-president BJP Mahila Morcha G GUnabati further questioned whether the department had made any arrangement regarding provision of first aid in case of any medical emergency during the process of pension distribution.
She also questioned as to why the department was adamant on distributing the pension by themselves, when they have been claiming of insufficient staff.