70-year-old woman walk barefoot in scorching heat to collect pension; Sitharaman hauls up SBI

In a disturbing incident, a 70-year-old woman was seen walking barefoot with the support of a broken chair for several kilometres only to collect her pension from a bank in Odisha's Jharigaon. The video of the incident has gone viral on various social media platforms.

The woman is identified as Surya Harija. She stays with her younger son who grazes other people's cattle. With no land to plough and living in a hut, the elderly woman depends on her pension for survival.

#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 Odishas Jharigaon

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

— ANI (@ANI) April 20, 2023

After the video was shared by news agency ANI, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman hauled up State Bank of India (SBI) for the plight of the woman.

Taking to micro-blogging Twitter, Sitharaman wrote,''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

According to reports, the woman went to the bank to get the pension, but she was told that her thumb is not matching the records, and she was forced to return home.

The SBI responded to Sitharaman's tweet and said her pension will be delivered at her doorstep from the next month. The public lender added the woman will also be given a wheelchair.

The branch manager of SBI Jharigaon was quoted as saying by news agency ANI,''Her fingers are broken, so she is facing trouble withdrawing money. She has been given Rs 3,000 manually from the bank. We will resolve the problem soon.''

(With agency inputs)