Agar (Madhya Pradesh): In a virtual re-run of the case of Akshay Kumar starrer Jolly LLB 2 where a person runs from pillar to post to prove that he is alive, Agar district of Madhya Pradesh witnessed a similar case where six senior citizens were declared "dead" in government records and are struggling to prove to officials that they are is indeed alive.
Dawarji, Durga Bai, Abida, Jinendra, Rukhma Bai and Kamla Bai all were declared dead in the government records after a survey was conducted by the municipality in 2021 at all 23 wards here in the town.
In these conditions, they have been denied the old-age pension for the last eight months.
One, Dawarji, a sexagenarian who is unable to walk or sit properly came to the municipality office with help of his relative narrating his plight before the officials in a shaky old voice said “Sahab mein zinda hoon, meri pension chalu karwa dijiye” (Sir I’m alive, start my pension).
Davarji used to get a monthly pension of Rs 600 from the municipality, but his pension has been stopped as he was declared dead on papers. Now Davarji does not even have money for medicines for his illness and is unable to understand how he could have been declared 'dead'. Davarji is now waiting for justice.
The same is the case with Durga Bai and four others who were declared dead by the municipality.
Even Durga Bai is unable to understand why her pension was stopped. Durga Bai who rushed to the municipality office with her son was informed by municipality officials that she was dead in government records.
Both Durga Bai and her son left shell-shocked after they saw papers in which the municipality mentioned Durga Bai as dead. Durga Bai is also pleading for justice.
According to information, in 2021, the municipality conducted physical verification under the social security scheme, in which physical verification of 2,372 people showed 200 people to have migrated and six as dead.
Later, when people came to know about this, the municipality re-added 132 people who had migrated but now six people who were said to be dead, are alive but their records cannot be corrected.
When contacted additional district magistrate Ravi Singh who is looking after the work of social welfare assured to take cognisance of the matter and will investigate how this happened and get their names added.
