Across rural Madhya Pradesh, many elderly women lose access to pensions and benefit transfers which they rely heavily on. Sometimes, it is their only steady source of income. Often, it is due to small administrative errors or outdated records. Without this support, they struggle to buy food, pay for supplies, or cover basic needs for themselves or dependent family members. This story follows Badami Bai, whose pension stopped unexpectedly, and how Zenith’s team worked with her to restore not just her pension, but also her hope to live with dignity.

It was July 2024 and the weather was unpredictable. At times, a fresh drizzle alternated with scorching heat that made even stepping outside feel like a challenge. Nonetheless, I (narrator) set off from our office for a field visit to Singhwari village, Malanpur. During this visit, I saw an elderly lady sitting on the doorstep of her house. She was muttering something while leaning on her walking stick and gazing at the sky. When I approached her and introduced myself, and Zenith’s work, she fell silent for a moment, then began speaking in a soft, emotional voice:

“Beti (daughter), my pension has stopped. Please help me get it restarted. I am very troubled.”

As she said this, tears rolled down in her eyes. I comforted her and asked her to share her story.

She told me her name is Badami Bai Sisodiya, and that she is around 60 years old. She used to live happily with her husband, son, daughter-in-law, and her grandchildren. Her only son handled the household responsibilities diligently and worked hard. The family was small but self-reliant and she recalled them being content.

Badami Bai and her family members

One day, her son shot himself. There was no known reason, no suicide note, and no clue as to why he did it. This tragedy cast a deep darkness over the family, but the bad times didn’t end there. Within a few months of son’s death, her husband also passed away, perhaps unable to bear the grief of losing a son, leaving the family in a pitiable state. Badami Bai was left with her daughter-in-law and three young grandchildren. The responsibility of the household and the children now fell on Badami Bai and her daughter-in-law.

They had two small houses, so they lived in one and rented out the other. The meagre income from rent was barely enough to run the house. But expenses were rising as the children grew up. Therefore, her old-age pension was no less than a lifeline. However, that too had stopped for the past three months. She had gone to the panchayat and to the bank on multiple occasions, but without any avail. The bank said, “KYC is incomplete.” The panchayat said, “You’ve been removed from the system.” But they did not give her a reason for removal from the system. Badami Bai was left to fend for herself.

Gradually, the ration started running out at home, and even buying milk for the children became difficult. Her eldest granddaughter, who went to a government school, couldn’t buy notebooks anymore as there was no money left. Their financial situation had become dire.

After listening to her concerns, I empathised and assured her that Zenith’s team would help restart her pension. Hearing those words, a small yet visible smile appeared on her face. Her documents such as her Samagra ID, Aadhaar, and bank passbook were checked and the very next day, she was accompanied to the Malanpur Municipal Council’s office. There, Zenith’s team introduced her to the concerned officials, who told us that there were two bank accounts in Badami Bai’s name, one was closed and the other is active. But her pension was linked to the old closed account, which had caused the pension to stop.

Zenith’s team accompanied Badami Bai to the bank, helped update and activate her Direct Benefit Transfers (DBT) in the active account, and permanently closed the old one. A fresh application was submitted to link the active account with the pension system at the municipal office. The team had to stand in line for hours on multiple occasions as someday the officer was on leave, another day the bank server was down, but we didn’t give up. Eventually, with consistent follow-up, the pension reactivation process was completed.

A week later, we visited her house again and asked, “Mataji, (mother) have you been to the bank?”

She replied, “Beti, the sun was too harsh, so, I couldn’t go.” So we requested her daughter-in-law to accompany us to the bank. There, we got her passbook updated, and as soon as we saw that three months’ worth of pension had been credited, we returned immediately and informed her: “Mataji, your pension has been deposited.”

She fell silent for a moment, her eyes filled with tears, and she folded her hands and said:

“Beti, this pension may be small, but right now, it is a precious treasure for me. It’s my support system. There’s no one in the family who earns. The responsibility of raising these little children is all mine now. At this age, I can’t work, but through this pension, at least I can manage the household a little.”

Badami Bai was heartfelt in her appreciation. Her story is not just about restarting a pension transfer. It is a story of hope and a reminder that sometimes, in life, we must turn our rights and entitlements into strength to face adversity head-on. This pension was her right, one that supported her in becoming self-reliant.

At Zenith Society, our mission is to ensure that women like Badami Bai, who are often excluded from pensions and other welfare schemes due to minor administrative hurdles, can access the benefits they are entitled to and move towards self-reliance.

At Zenith, through our work, we not only resolve individual cases but also identify systemic gaps in policy implementation at the grassroots. We take these insights to local government bodies and advocate for changes that make welfare delivery more efficient, inclusive, and responsive to the communities it is meant to serve.

Badami Bai with her family members and Anjani Dubey (Community Worker at Zenith) in the frame