A 75-year-old woman from Muzaffarpur, Bihar, has been deprived of her old-age pension for the past three months after being erroneously declared dead in official records. Pavitar Devi, a beneficiary of the Mukhyamantri Vriddhjan Pension Yojana, alleged that her pension was suspended without any prior notice. When she approached officials, she was informed that a verification exercise had recorded her as deceased, leading to the cessation of payments.
Woman Alleges Officials Declared Her Dead on Paper
Pavitar Devi expressed her distress, stating, "They killed me on paper. Government staff declared me dead, but I am alive. I have not received my pension for three months. Now the locals have started calling me 'bhoot' (ghost)." After repeated attempts to resolve the issue with authorities, she filed petitions before the National Human Rights Commission and the Bihar State Human Rights Commission on Monday.
Financial Struggles After Pension Suspension
Residing alone in the Brahmpura police station area after her husband's death, Pavitar said she had been receiving her pension in her bank account until February. Payments stopped from March after she was allegedly marked dead during an audit. She survives by doing household work in other people's homes. "The government pension was a major support. Now I am struggling to make ends meet," she added.
Advocate Terms It Administrative Negligence
Advocate S K Jha, representing her before the human rights bodies, termed the case a serious instance of administrative negligence. "Declaring a living woman dead in official records shows how carelessly the administrative system functions," he said. Jha stated that the woman has sought immediate restoration of her pension and action against those responsible.
District Magistrate Orders Inquiry
Muzaffarpur District Magistrate Subrat Kumar Sen said the matter would be verified, and the sub-divisional officer concerned had been directed to inquire into the complaint. "If any clerical mistake is found, then it will be corrected, and if any official is found guilty, then action will be initiated against him," the DM added.
