A survey conducted by the District Rural Development Office (DRDO) recently has revealed that many women in Mudimanikyam village of Pulkal mandal, having separated from their husbands, have moved back into their parents home or are living alone in the vicinity of the area. They now depend on funds from the pension scheme for single women to make ends meet.
Take for example 60-year-old Narsamma (name changed), a resident of the village, who, for the past two-and-a-half decades, is living alone. She left her husband and moved close to where her parents lived. She depended on them for financial support. After they passed away, Narsamma manages with the help of neighbours. She now needs the pension of ₹1,000 more than ever.
Reasons aplenty
The survey also reveals that there are no single women between the age group of 18 to 30, and many such women are aged between 35 and 60.
The reasons for the same, authorities believe, is because either their husbands marry again as the first wife cannot conceive a child, have extra marital affairs, frequently scuffle between each other, or face harassment by the in-laws.
Mudimanikya village has registered the highest number of single women in Sangareddy district, with 20 registering for the pension scheme for single women. Many of them are below the poverty line.
As on May 20, officials received 5,788 applications for the pension scheme from Sangareddy district, of which 5,068 are living in rural areas.
“The online process is ongoing and we are uploading the details once the applications are scrutinised. We are trying to cover all single women in the district,” said DRDO in-charge V. Venkateswarlu.
