24-year-old Halima from Dhanbad district is the only female Correspondent Changemakerin Jharkhand who belongs to a religious minority background. Halima has had her share of social work experience. She has worked in 30 villages of her district while spreading awareness about HIV/AIDS and other health issues. Other than health, she wants to work on issues like forced evictions, gender inequality…

Halima Ejaj

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What is the importance of Rs 400 to our daily lives in urban cities? A 3g recharge for our phone, a meal at a restaurant (for one) or 16 pieces of Ferrero Rocher chocolates. But in the hinterlands of Jharkhand, Rs 400 means a person's entire survival for a month. And denying that is like cutting their life supply, leaving them gasping for food, medicine and survival.

Sumitra Devi from Murlidih village from Dhanbad district of Jharkhand has been entitled to her government widow pension of Rs 400 since the past three years. But the greed of the Village head, Umesh Kumar Mahto has prevented her from getting whatever little support she is entitled. Alone and abandoned by family, she has to go house to house begging for food, requesting people to purchase clothes so she and her daughter, a 16-year-old can survive. 

While Sumitra has a bank account which has three years worth widow pension (Rs 14,400) , Umesh has detained Sumitra's passbook, making it impossible for her to withdraw money that is rightfully hers. To return her passbook, Umesh asks for money worth three months pension (Rs 1200) .

Help Halima and Sumitra fight corruption. You can call Girjanand Kisku, Block Development Officer of Baghmara, Jharkhand, at +91-9471191628 and make him aware of the situation.

This video was made by a Video Volunteers Community Correspondent Halima Ejaj.

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.