Nirmala Sitharaman pulls up SBI after elderly woman forced to walk barefoot to collect pension

An elderly woman in Odisha was compelled to walk for kilometres to reach a bank to collect her pension. In a video posted by news agency ANI, Surya Harijan could be seen walking barefoot with the support of a broken chair to reach the bank in Jharigaon.

#WATCH | A senior citizen, Surya Harijan walks many kilometers barefoot with the support of a broken chair to reach a bank to collect her pension in Odisha's Jharigaon

SBI manager Jharigaon branch says, "Her fingers are broken, so she is facing trouble withdrawing money. We'll… pic.twitter.com/Hf9exSd0F0

— ANI (@ANI) April 20, 2023

The heart-wrenching incident caught the attention of Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. She pulled up the State Bank of India (SBI) over the plight of the septuagenarian woman.

This incident reportedly took place on 17 April in Odisha’s Nabrangpur district.

Sharing the video on Twitter, Sitharaman said, “Can see the manager of the State Bank of India (SBI) responding but yet wish Department of Financial Services (DFS) and the SBI to take cognisance of this and act humanely. Are they no bank Mitra?”

Can see the manager of the @TheOfficialSBI responding but yet wish @DFS_India and @TheOfficialSBI take cognisance of this and act humanely. Are they no bank Mitra? @FinMinIndia https://t.co/a9MdVizHim

— Nirmala Sitharaman (@nsitharaman) April 20, 2023

SBI soon responded to Sitharaman’s tweet and mentioned that she will receive her pension at home, right from the next month onwards. The bank further added that the senior citizen will be given a wheelchair.

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Madam, we are equally pained to see this video. Smt Surya Harijan in the video used to withdraw her old age pension from the CSP point situated in her village every month. Due to old age, her finger prints were not matching at the CSP point.

— State Bank of India (@TheOfficialSBI) April 20, 2023

The incident came to light after the elderly woman was told that her thumb impression was not matching with the bank records and that she had to return home without pension. Noting the incident, Jharigaon branch manager clarified and said that this happened because of her ‘broken fingers’. “Her fingers are broken, so she is facing trouble withdrawing money. We’ll resolve the problem soon,” he said.

Media reports suggest that Harijan stays in a hut with her younger son who grazes other people’s cattle. Her elder son works as a migrant labourer in another state.

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