Restore pension for divorcee Muslim women, AAP tells Odisha govt

Reported by Santosh Jagdev

Bhubaneswar, Aug 5:

The Odisha unit of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) today demanded immediate resumption of monthly pension to divorcee Muslim women in the state.

Photo: Biswaranjan Mishra
Photo: Biswaranjan Mishra

Addressing a press conference here, Nishikanta Mohapatra, Convener, AAP, Odisha said; “It’s a matter of great concern that 606 Muslim women, who were receiving monthly pension since 2007 as per court order, are now suffering due to the denial of the same without any valid reason. The Wakf Board has stopped the pension to the divorcee women since February, 2014 without the Law Department’s sanction and without bothering to send any communication to the beneficiaries in this regard.”

The State Government, which was pleased to add another 546 divorcee women into the beneficiary list and even made provision for payment of allowance to them in the budget for the year 2011-12, is yet to provide relief to these women. The divorcee women listed for pension are not not the only ones facing the problem. The group of 786 women who have submitted their respective judgements in the Wakf Board and are waiting for sanction to their pension application are also apprehensive for their future, the AAP leader said.

“The Government apathy and indifference to the plight of the divorcee Muslim women in Odisha is causing a lot of difficulty and resentment among the sufferers. So the party demands that the Government should resolve the issue and provide relief to the divorcee women at the earliest,” Mohapatra said.

“If the Government fails to take any appropriate action and provide relief to the sufferers, the party will be forced to launch an agitation along with the affected women in the coming days,” he warned.

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