Dhenkanal woman freedom fighter's pension stopped

DHENKANAL: She can be called the renaissance lady of Odisha for her contribution to the freedom struggle here. But Banabasini Bhanja, who is now 86 is running from pillar to post to get her freedom fighter's pension renewed.
Bhanja, wife of late Gatikrushna Bhanja, who was the joint secretary of Dhenkanal Prajamandal, spearheaded the prajamandal andolan from 1942 to 1947.Her husband left his teaching job to join the freedom movement along with her under the leadership of Mahesh Chandra Subahusingh.
"Netaji Subash Chandra Bose's slogan, 'Do or die' inspired me greatly. I was just 14 and married, when I decided to raise my voice to bring out Oriya women from behind the veil," she says. It was the call of Mahatma Gandhi, which propelled her to join the mainstream freedom struggle. After Independence, she devoted her life to social work.
The couple got the state freedom fighter pension in the Eighties for five years. Thereafter, the government discontinued the pension for reasons best known to them. Both of them were recommended for the Central Swatantra Sainik Samman (CSSS) but never got the honour.
They knocked on many doors for help but to no avail.
Banabasini feels she is being denied the benefits because she was not jailed during the freedom struggle. Is imprisonment a criteria for getting pension, she asked. Former minister for SC& ST development had informed her on October 16, 1985, that the finance department had recommended her application to the central government for the CSSS but to no avail.
There's more to their misery. The district administration gave health cards and free treatment facilities to all freedom fighters last year except Banabasini. The district information & public relations officer, Manas Ranjan Biswal, said former collector and district magistrate Girish S N recommended her name for the card and free treatment.