War veteran awaits pension

Cuttack: Mohit Mohapatra (90) had seen the World War II in action as a soldier with the Royal Indian Army that joined the British Raj in 1939.

Though the horrific scenes and the aftermath of war is a past now, but for this war veteran the memories are still fresh. He feels proud for serving the country and some old photographs and medals that he won speak volumes of his heroics.

But the life of this Oriya soldier took a drastic change after his retirement from the Army. Though he then had got some financial assistance, the government is yet to come to the rescue of this war veteran.

“I have served the country for long. But have not received a single penny as pension from the Army,” Mohapatra said.

“I urge the government to provide some assistance to us at this age,” wife said.

Mohapatra stays with his wife at Petyon Sahi in the millennium city of Cuttack. A diabetic and a heart patient, he needs thousands of rupees per month towards medical treatment. But arranging the funds at this phase of life seems to a big ask for this octogenarian.

“He has participated in the war and the government must to something for him,”Jibananand Nayak, Mohapatra’s friend said.