World · India Bureau
Elderly farmer pleads with officials to restore life in government records
A 68-year-old farmer in Uttar Pradesh's Banda district has been declared dead in official records despite being alive, leaving him unable to access crucial government benefits. The pensioner has appealed to district authorities to correct the erroneous documentation.
LSN India ·

Ramkhelawan, a resident of Banda district in Uttar Pradesh, faces an extraordinary bureaucratic crisis after being incorrectly recorded as deceased in government files. The elderly farmer, who is very much alive, has been unable to receive his old-age pension and Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) benefits for the past two years due to the error.
Physically challenged and hard of hearing, Ramkhelawan approached the office of the District Magistrate to personally petition officials to correct his status in official records. He appealed to authorities to reverse the erroneous death entry so he can resume receiving the financial assistance he is entitled to under both the state pension scheme and the central farmer support program.
The District Magistrate's office has acknowledged the complaint and directed an immediate inquiry into how the elderly farmer came to be recorded as deceased. Officials are investigating the circumstances that led to the administrative error and the procedures that will be necessary to restore his name in the active beneficiary rolls.
The case highlights the persistence of documentation errors in government systems that can devastate vulnerable populations, particularly elderly citizens dependent on social security schemes. Authorities have not yet provided a timeline for when Ramkhelawan's records will be corrected and his benefits restored.