A 75-year-old woman walked about 7 km from her village in Hosanagar taluk of Shivamogga district in Karnataka to enquire about her old-age pension. She fell unconscious after waiting for about three hours to meet the Village Accountant in his office.
Sadamma walked from Hebbige to Nittur to meet Village Accountant D.P. Manjappa on June 17 to enquire about her pension under the social security scheme, which she had not received.
She reached the office of the Village Accountant by 9.30 am., but the official was not available. Sadamma waited for about three hours before she collapsed. Local people took her to a nearby hospital.
Photos and videos of the incident have gone viral in the district.
Taking note of the incident, Hosanagar Tahsildar V.S. Rajeev has issued a show-cause notice to D.P. Manjappa, Village Accountant of Nagodi circle, asking why disciplinary action should not be recommended against him.
In his notice, Mr. Rajeev said, even after repeated warnings and notices, the VA had been irregular with his duties. His negligence forced an old woman to walk 7 km and wait three hours.
After reports of the incident were carried by media publications, Shivamogga Deputy Commissioner Selvamani R. instructed the tahsildar to visit Sadamma’s house and hand over a letter sanctioning her old-age pension. He told officers of the department not to delay sanctioning social security pension of eligible applicants.
On June 21, Hosanagar Tahsildar V.S. Rajeev visited Sadamma’s home in Hebbige village and handed over a letter sanctioning her old-age pension.
