‘Rs 750 is vital for us’: Pensioners come to Delhi from Rajasthan in hope of getting heard

Justice Madan Lokur and advocate Prashant Bhushan joined the event via video. “This is not only a social justice issue but also a matter of equality, democracy, and the right to life. When the government’s system excludes its citizens, it is in violation of these fundamental rights,” said Justice Lokur.

MKSS founder Nikhil Dey presented cases from across Rajasthan, and said lakhs of pensioners, including the elderly, disabled, and widows, have been deprived of pension due to various administrative and technical hurdles.

The organisations also claimed that in the last seven months, “no new beneficiary has been able to apply for disability pensions”.

“The government has effectively made Aadhaar compulsory despite claiming it wouldn’t be mandatory, leading to systemic failures that alienate those most in need of support,” Dey said. “Over 1 crore pension beneficiaries face challenges, with around 13 lakh pensions being cancelled annually, often due to delays or data mismatches.”

In the evening, members of the delegation met with officials from Ministry of Rural Development and the Ministry of Social Justice with a list of demands.

Many reasons, same ordeal

Among pensioners present at the event was 74-year-old Pani Deva. “My pension was stopped two years ago,” she said.

Deva, who used to get `1,000 under Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme until December 2022, learned at an e-Mitra centre that her account had been suspended as she was marked “out of state”.

“But in reality, today is the first time she has stepped out of her district,” said Leela Devi (48), a social worker associated with MKSS, who has been assisting Deva for the last six months. The elderly woman comes from Shahpura village in Beawar district of Rajasthan, where she used to work as a labourer until a few years ago before she fell and damaged her knees.

“Due to the lack of financial aid, she couldn’t seek medical assistance,” Leena said. “The `1,000 pension was crucial for her daily expenses, including food and medical care.”

MKSS said that Deva visited the Jawaja Panchayat Samiti to confirm her presence and request that her pension be restarted, but despite assurances from officials, nothing was done thorough 2023 and 2024.

Leela said that Deva’s husband died in 2003 and her three sons don’t look after her. Her daughter and husband, both daily wagers, do whatever little they can to help.

Like her, 72-year-old Ghisi Devi has also been officially declared “out of state”, with her pension stopped since February 2022. Plus, her fingerprints are no longer readable, which has made updating her Aadhaar difficult.

Alongside them was 22-year-old Gudiya, who sat on a wheelchair. She has 40% locomotor disability and can’t go a few steps without the assistance of her mother Poonam Singh, but has been marked “out of state”, causing her disability pension to stop since May 2023.

“Her Aadhaar verification attempts were unsuccessful due to her disability. Frequent verification attempts led to her Aadhaar card being deactivated in mid-2024, and subsequent appeals revealed that her Aadhaar had been cancelled. She was advised to visit Aadhaar offices in Delhi or Jaipur,” Ranjeet, an MKSS member, said.

Poonam said her daughter’s pension of `750 “is vital for family”. Gudiya’s father died 11 years ago, and Poonam makes ends meet by doing mehendi work.

Ranjeet also cited the example of Keli Devi from Biyakheda village in Beawar, who died waiting for her pension to resume. Even more absurd is the case of Kanchan Devi, 41, who was marked dead in official records. “Jeete jee bhoot banke ghoom rahi hoon,” she said. Her pension of `1,150 under the Chief Minister’s Widow Pension Scheme has been suspended since April 2022.

Kamla’s husband died 14 years ago, and she works as a daily wage labourer. Her son Dipu, 20, helps her bear daily expenses by working as a helper at a tea stall.

When contacted, Rajasthan government officials said, “On the basis of wrong information, the pension of some persons has been stopped by the sanctioning officers by declaring them dead or due to their moving out of the state or due to any other reason. A meeting was held on September 2 and 12… and a letter was sent to all District Collectors to investigate and restart all pensions cancelled in the last two years on the basis of wrong information… ”