Thumb marks not detected, elderly denied pension, ration
KOTA: Kosa Bai Sahariya (75) of Kherai village in Shahabad block of Rajasthan’s Baran district is not getting old-age pension and ration under the public distribution system.
Reason: Her thumb impression is not being detected by point-of-sale (PoS) machines because of her old age.
She is not alone. Zamanati Bai Sahariya (73), Kanhi Bai Sahariya (76), Maangi Bai Sahariya (75), Funsa Bai Sahariya (80) and many other women of Kherai village are also not getting old-age or widow pension and ration for the same reason.
Funsa Bai said, “Whenever I am going to the Atal Seva Kendra of Ganeshpura gram panchayat for taking my old-age pension, the bank business correspondent (BC) denies me pension as the PoS machine is not reading my thumb impression.”
She faces the same problem whenever she goes to ration dealers.
“Our thumb impressions have faded because we have become old and have been working as labourers for long in agricultural fields and National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS) projects,” she said, explaining why PoS machines are not reading their thumb impressions.
Bank business correspondent Inderlal Verma said PoS machines were not detecting thumb impressions of many elderly people.
Villager Bhogilal Sahariya said, “These elderly woman are helpless. First they take pains to reach Atal Seva Kendra and ration dealer shops; they are then denied pension and ration.”
Asked about the problem, Kota district civil supply officer Harlal Meena said, “If thumb impressions are not detected in PoS machines, they can get ration by providing their mobile numbers to the dealer.”
Coordinator of Hadauti Training Research Centre, Baran, Firoz Khan said, elderly men and women of many villages were facing that problem. “If the civil supply department has given direction to ration dealers, then why are such elderly women not getting ration?” he asked.
“Our organisation has given a memorandum to the district civil supply officer and development officer for distribution of ration and pension to such people whose thumb impressions are not detected in PoS machines.”