Impact: Pension received after one year struggle
Channel: VideoVolunteers
Date: 2016-07-15

One year ago Tanju Devi had made a video on villagers on the pension arrears of Rupaliya Village in West Champaram district of Bihar on pending pensions. The village's  widows, handicap and senior citizens had not received their pensions for over a year even after the repeated pleas to the government authorities. Belonging to Below Poverty Line families, the few hundred rupees of pension a month is an important support to their families who struggle for food, livelihood and sustenance. 

Tanju decided to set an example for all villagers showing that persistence and community's harmony can truly bring change. She recorded video testimonies of several affected residents and met with the Block Development Officer, along with her video and a requisition letter for the pensions. The evidence of the video was strong enough to move the BDO into action, assigning officers to conduct an investigation into the panchayat's actions.

After the application with the BDO and holding the administration accountable for their commitment, all the affected received their pension letter. On 14th May'16, as many as 50-60 beneficiaries were called in a community gathering and were given their due arrears.

We would like to extend my gratitude to the BDO of West Champaran, without whom this would not have been possible.

This video was made by a Video Volunteers Community Correspondent Tanju Devi.

Community Correspondents come from marginalised communities in India and produce videos on unreported stories. These stories are ’news by those who live it.’  they give the hyperlocal context to global human rights and development challenges. See more such videos at www.videovolunteers.org. Take action for a more just global media by sharing their videos and joining in their call for change.