102-year-old UP woman to get pension for first time after reaching out to DM

AGRA: A 102-year-old woman from Mathura is set to receive her old-age pension for the first time after she approached the district administration seeking help. Rambhuli Devi reached the district magistrate Chandra Prakash Singh's office with her 80-year-old son, a daily wage labourer, and said she had never received any pension despite her age, officials said on Thursday.After hearing her grievance, Singh directed the social welfare department to take immediate steps to ensure that the pension was started without delay. Officials subsequently completed her biometric verification and began the process of opening her pension account. According to the administration, the amount is expected to be credited to her bank account in the coming days.Rambhuli Devi had also brought her birth certificate, which showed that she was born in 1925. District social welfare officer Nagendra Pal Singh said the process first required updating her Aadhaar details, without which the application could not move forward. He said the update usually takes 24 to 48 hours, after which the remaining formalities would be completed.Sangeeta Devi, her granddaughter-in-law, said the family met the DM, who assured them that the pension would be approved soon. The administration said the case was processed on priority after the elderly woman personally appeared before officials.Recalling the meeting, Singh said, "Three days ago, during our public meeting and grievance hearing, a woman aged over 100 years from Inderpur Colony came here with her son. She had heard that govt helps poor people through various welfare schemes, but she did not know that an old-age pension could also be started quite easily."He added, "Her son is around 80 years old and works as a labourer. We called the officials of the concerned department, and within three days her old-age pension will be approved and ensured." He also said that when Rambhuli Devi recently celebrated her 102nd birthday, a local journalist had informed her about govt welfare schemes and advised her to come to the Collectorate.Using the occasion to appeal for wider awareness, Singh said several schemes were available for vulnerable groups, including old-age pension, destitute women's pension, disability pension and assistance under other welfare programmes. "Everyone should be aware of these schemes. Once people are informed, they may not even need to visit govt offices, as applications can also be submitted online," he said, adding that he wanted to thank the journalist who guided the elderly woman to the administration.