Idukki: Two women, both aged 85, were seen begging in the Adimaly Town on Wednesday. One of them, Mariyakutty, held an earthen pan seeking alms while Annamma Ouseph held a handwritten placard that stated their case: “Disburse the widow pension dues. Show justice to the poor. Don't pilfer from the poor's pot. I have no means to pay the electricity bill.”
Mariyakutty of Ponooduthupara near Koobanpara Kavala and Annamma of Polijnapalam Thanikuzhi at 200 Acre in Idukki's Adimaly, are among the underprivileged members of the public that rely on the government's social security and widow pension schemes for sustenance. As the state government’s welfare pensions have not been disbursed for four months, the two elderly women, who earned a living by making bamboo products, chose to protest.
The two are eligible for a monthly pension of Rs 1,600, which they used to get through the Bamboo Workers Welfare Board. In the case of Annamma, a technical issue over mustering is cited as another reason for the delay in the disbursal of the pension. The widow pension is issued through local bodies once the government releases funds.
“Without the welfare pension we are not able to buy medicines, pay our electricity bills or buy food,” Mariyakutty and Annamma said. “Our husbands are dead and we live alone in our houses. Since Tuesday, we have been holding the pot that was given to us free of cost by a person. We seek money from shopkeepers, autorickshaw drivers and government employees. On Tuesday, we got Rs 1,200 from those who were kind enough to help us. That will be enough to pay our electricity bills and buy necessary medicines,” they said.
Jincy Mathew, the ward member of 200 Acre, talked about the plight of the women: “They reside in my ward. This delay in the disbursal of welfare pensions has really taken a toll on their lives. Their children live separately and visit them occasionally. There are such people around us who rely on these pensions and wages earned through the government's job guarantee schemes.”
Meanwhile, Chandy P Alexander, chairman of the Bamboo Workers Welfare Fund Board said he was instrumental in helping the two women enroll into the welfare schemes. But “unlike other boards, we do not have enough funds to give away the welfare pension. The government will soon announce the disbursal of at least two months of the pending welfare pension and as soon as we get the funds, their dues will be paid,” said Alexander.
He said Annamma failed to do the mustering, which was made compulsory in 2020. “I have to check what her pension dues are. We will clear off all her dues,” he added.
