Visually impaired Chaobi languishes without pension benefits

From A Correspondent

THOUBAL| Aug 22

 Mainam Ningol Chaobi Devi (87), who is blind ever since birth, has been living without getting any pension benefits under government scheme. She hails from Thoubal district which is the assembly constituency O. Ibobi, the former chief minister who held the post for 15 long years.

Chaobi who lives at Wangmataba College Road, Thoubal can still hold conversations well even in her age. However, the family members have expressed disappointments regarding the matter towards the departments concerned.

Representative of social welfare department had visited her residence before and took her photographs, but nothing came from it. Choabi holds her disability certificate; however she has received not a single benefit from any of the departments concerned.

After it was being circulated in the social media regarding her conditions, this reporter went to her residence for an interview.  Brojendro, son of (L) Mainam Kunjo who was the younger brother of Chaobi, expressed that his parents told him that her aunt had lost her eyesight when she reached around four months after birth.

She has turned 87 years of age, and all her siblings have passed away. To make their Aunt’s life a little comfortable, they had been trying and pushing hard to deliver some benefits from social welfare department for the last 15 years, but unfortunately to no avail. 

Brojendro further said that they started requesting for her old age pension 15 years before, during the time when Leitanthem Tomba was the MLA of Thoubal district.  But nothing has been provided so far.

A former chairperson of Thoubal municipal council has also assured help. In this regard they had submitted all the required documents to departments concerned but no results had come out it so far.

Brojen said, “It is not that we are craving for the meagre pension provided by the government. But we wish to see her happy to receive her pensions as she has been left out from the rest.”

He further appealed to the departments concerned of the new government to look into the matter.