Hatadihi: The tragic tale of Basanti Mandal here once more throws light on the plight of a poverty-stricken woman in Odisha.
Basanti (55) is a daily laborer and stays at Kanpur village in Sosha panchayat under this block of Keonjhar district. Sans her husband who passed away last year, Basanti needs financial help. She has appealed to the State government financial help to cover her medical expenses and add her into the pension scheme for old women. She has also applied for a pucca house under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojna (PMAY).
To add to Basanti’s woes, she has recently been diagnosed with Thalassemia. The disease has impeded her in earning money as a daily wager. Basanti does get five kilograms of BPL rice every month under the government scheme. However, that is not sufficient for her to survive.
Staying in a ramshackle hut, Basanti is also unable to cough up the money required for her treatment. Hence she has appealed to the government for help. She has urged the administration to at least induct her name into the ‘Widows Pension Scheme’.
PNN