Freedom fighter's widow passes away sans pension, Covid care in Odisha

Meera Devi, spouse of late Gour Chandra Mohapatra, a renowned freedom fighter from Bhadrak district of Odisha, passed away on Tuesday morning.

She had been suffering from Covid-19 and was in ICU in AMRI Hospital in Bhubaneswar in Odisha.

Devi, an octogenarian, was denied the required freedom fighters family pension and deprived of appropriate Covid care in the state.

She had been facing a lot of difficulties including getting her deserving freedom fighters family pension and other appropriate and urgent Covid-19 medical need.

On Tuesday, acting on a petition filed by Supreme Court lawyer and noted human rights activist, Radhakanta Tripathy, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) sought Action Taken Reports (ATR) from the Home Secretary of India and Chief Secretary of Odisha over the denial and deprivation of bare human rights to Meera Devi.

Hailing from freedom fighters family, most of Devi's family members were jailed and tortured by the British.

Such shameless situation continues though the issue is known to the State and Central administration, Tripathy mentioned in his petition.

Her husband, the late Gour Chandra Mohapatra, a renowned freedom fighter, expired on 11 September 2018. Her father-in-law has authored the State Anthem Bande-Utkal-Janani.

During Covid, there is a high requirement of Extra Corporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) machine in the state. However, none of such machines is in operational mode as of now in the entire state causing frequent deaths, Tripathy said.

The failure of the State in ensuring functional ECMO machines results in frequent deaths and shifting of super-rich patients and top bureaucrats to other States for treatment causing thereby loss to exchequer, poor health care and migration of super-rich patients during the pandemic, Tripathy said.

( With inputs from ANI )

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