Bhubaneswar: Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday took note of the plight of a septuagenarian woman of Jharigaon in Odisha’s Nabarangpur district struggling to reach the local bank to avail her old age pension and directed the authorities of the SBI, Jharigaon branch, to extend all help to her.
Earlier, the lady used to draw her pension from the Customer Service Point (CSP) in her village, but as her fingertips became wrinkled due to old age and failed to match the machine at the CSP she had to go to the SBI Jharigaon branch.
A few days ago, a video showing Surya Harijan of Jharigaon struggling to reach her bank barefoot with the support of a broken plastic chair became viral on social media. The video attracted the notice of Finance Minister Sitharaman who immediately directed the SBI to provide her with all help. Following the condemnation of Sitharaman, the SBI authorities scurried to provide all help to the old lady.
The bank promised to debit her pension amount and deliver it to her home every month. In addition, the bank also said that it would provide Surya Harijan with a wheelchair to facilitate her movement.
