Bhubaneswar: Leader of Opposition Naveen Patnaik and Berhampur MP Pradeep Kumar Panigrahy have sought the chief minister’s urgent intervention in ensuring early release of pension, apparently delayed by software glitches, to lakhs of beneficiaries in Odisha.In separate communications, both of them flagged that pensions under key social security schemes — including Madhu Babu Pension Scheme and National Old Age Pension — have not been disbursed for nearly three months, affecting elderly citizens, widows and persons with disabilities.Responding to the concerns, Nityanand Gond, minister of social security and empowerment of persons with disabilities department, said the govt is aware of the issue and is working to resolve the glitches at the earliest. “Necessary steps are being taken to restore seamless pension disbursal,” the minister said.Patnaik, in his letter, expressed deep concern and anguish over the non-payment to nearly 18 lakh beneficiaries, warning that the disruption has pushed vulnerable sections into distress and deprivation. He pointed to reports of a woman in Ganjam district allegedly losing her life after being deprived of her pension.Echoing similar concerns, Panigrahy said that during his visits to rural areas in Berhampur constituency, thousands of beneficiaries complained of not receiving pensions. “Helpless people cannot be left hungry for months in the name of software issues,” he said, adding that local representatives have repeatedly urged immediate govt action.In a memorandum to the chief minister, the MP highlighted two serious incidents, including the death by suicide of a 66-year-old widow from Beguniapada block in Ganjam district after repeated failed attempts to access her pension. He also referred to the Supreme Court’s suo motu intervention in another case from Subarnapur district.Both Patnaik and Panigrahy criticised the over-reliance on technology for pension disbursal. Patnaik termed the delay reportedly caused by technical glitches a serious failure of governance ,” saying people’s rights cannot be left at the mercy of digital systems in any condition.Panigrahy placed a set of demands before the state govt, including immediate manual disbursal of pensions until the digital platform becomes fully functional and direct monitoring by district collectors to prevent further lapses. He also sought a high-level inquiry into the Ganjam incident and compensation to the bereaved family.
