Bhubaneswar: Leader of Opposition and former Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Friday expressed serious concern over the reported non-payment of social security pensions to nearly 18 lakh beneficiaries across the state for the past three months and urged Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi to immediately release all pending dues.

In a letter addressed to the Chief Minister, Patnaik said the delay has severely affected some of the state's most vulnerable citizens, including elderly persons, widows and persons with disabilities, many of whom depend entirely on pension assistance for their daily survival.

The BJD president alleged that the prolonged disruption in pension disbursement had pushed beneficiaries into distress and deprivation. Referring to reports from Ganjam district, he claimed that a woman identified as Sabitri Dora of Beguniapada lost her life after being deprived of pension benefits. He described the situation as unacceptable and said the state government had a responsibility to protect its weakest citizens.

Patnaik also questioned reports that the delay was caused by a software-related problem. He termed it a case of grave negligence and said citizens' rights should not be compromised because of technological failures.

Recalling his tenure as Chief Minister, Patnaik said pensions were distributed regularly on the 15th of every month. Beneficiaries received their pensions at the Gram Panchayat level, and in cases where pensioners could not attend, officials delivered the money directly to their homes, he said.

The former Chief Minister claimed that the citizen-centric pension distribution model had received widespread appreciation and was even commended by the Supreme Court. He said his government had resisted shifting entirely to a bank-based pension disbursement system because the existing model ensured timely delivery, accountability and dignity for beneficiaries.

Patnaik said the current crisis highlighted the shortcomings of the present system and described the three-month stoppage of pensions as a serious failure of governance rather than a mere procedural lapse.

He urged the state government to immediately release all pending pension payments through manual disbursement and take steps to ensure that such delays do not recur. He also called for fixing accountability for the lapse and reassuring beneficiaries that their rights would be protected in the future.