UP: Woman, 50, walks 30 km for Rs 500, returns home after learning she doesn’t have Jan Dhan account

Arvind Chauhan | TNN | Updated: May 4, 2020, 08:50 IST

UP: Woman walks 30 km to withdraw Rs 500, no Jan Dhan account, returns empty handed

Identified as Radha Devi, the woman originally hailed from Himmatpur village of Firozabad district, but had migrated to Shambu Nagar area in the neighbouring Agra for daily wage job some 20 years ago.

AGRA: A 50-year-old woman, who suffers from a bent spine, walked 30 km from Agra to neighbouring Firozabad, to withdraw Rs 500 after she learnt that the government was transferring the sum to bank accounts of the poor and underprivileged. However, she had to return home walking another 30 km empty-handed after she learned that her bank account was a zero-balance savings one instead of the one under the Jan Dhan scheme where the amount is being transferred. A video of the incident went viral after it turned up online. Identified as Radha Devi, wife of Harveer, the woman originally hailed from Himmatpur village of Firozabad district, but had migrated to Shambu Nagar area in the neighbouring Agra for daily wage job some 20 years ago.
When contacted, Radha told TOI, “An announcement was made in our slum that the poor will receive Rs 500 each in their bank account under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana. Therefore, I decided to visit the SBI branch in Pachokhara. Due to the lockdown, I walked along with my 15-year-old son
to my native place where I have a zero balance account.
When I reached there, I was told that the money is being transferred into Jan Dhan accounts, which I do not have.” Heartbroken, Radha had to walk another 30 km to her home in Agra, covering a total distance of 60 km in one day. She took a total of 15 hours to cover the distance while stopping at several places during the journey.
SBI’s Pachokhara branch manager Laxman Singh said, “I have seen the viral video. But Radha did not meet me. She visited our branch’s customer service point (kiosk), where she was attended by our bank mitra Shyam Pathak.”
Shyam Pathak told TOI, “The woman almost broke down after finding that her bank account is not eligible for Rs 500, being transferred into Jan dhan accounts. However, on humanitarian grounds, I gave her some money, after which she again walked back to her home in Agra.”
“If I knew about the Jan Dhan account, I could have saved the ordeal. I have been unwell for the last two months and had to stop working as a labourer. My husband and five children now earn for the family,” Radha said.
While the woman claimed she was not stopped by any policeman during her long walk to Firozabad and back, Tundla circle officer Ajay Singh Chauhan said, “Our district border is entirely sealed. No one is allowed to enter Firozabad. I do not know about any such case.”
In Video:UP: Woman walks 30 km to withdraw Rs 500, no Jan Dhan account, returns empty handed