RANCHI: Sudama Pandey, 65, a mentally-challenged person died of ill health and hunger in Kodakel village under the tribal-dominated Murhu block of Khunti district on Friday. A team of right to food ( RTF ) activists visited his family on Sunday and learnt that Sudama was not allowed to open a bank account because of his mental condition as a result of which he had no access to social security schemes of the government.RTF activist Dheeraj Kumar said that ration was also denied to him because of lack of bank account. “While applying for ration card, an individual is supposed to provide his Aadhaar number as well as bank account, failing which the online application for ration is not accepted,” he said.Jharkhand government has not yet introduced DBT in ration throughout the state. It has been launched in Nagri block of Ranchi district on an experimental basis. “Even if benefit transfer in case of ration has not been made mandatory, linking bank account of at least one member of the family is already compulsory and for people like Sudama who don’t have a family the individual has to produce a bank account for getting a ration card,” Kumar said.RTF team visited the village on the basis of media reports that linked his death with starvation. The team however found that Sudama was taken care of by his three brothers. “Though he was ill and incapacitated, three brothers took care of him for four months each,” Ankita, another member of the RTF campaign, said.Sudama’s nephew Om Prakash Pandey told the fact finding team that he made more than 8-9 rounds of the Murhu branch of Bank of India to get an account opened in his uncle’s name but failed. “I took my uncle to the bank several times but the officials at bank refused to open an account in his name after learning about his mental condition,” he said.Retired Ranchi lead district manager of Bank of India, Harish Kakkad said that banks are not allowed to open account for a person who is mentally challenged. “In case of urgency a guardian, either natural or someone declared by a court, can get a joint account opened in the name of such a person,” he said.Sudama however had no legal guardian and his brother and nephew were not aware of the formalities. One of his brothers admitted that they did not have the financial resources to get Sudama treated properly. “Had he been getting social security pension or ration we could have spent money for his treatment,” his nephew said.RTF has demanded clear cut instructions from the government to ensure that cases like Sudama do not recur. The RTF has demanded that the government should frame suitable rules for such individuals who are incapacitated, vulnerable and are in need of social security pension and ration but are unable to fulfill the formalities.

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