Bhubaneswar, June 1 -- More than 100 beneficiaries staged a protest in front of the Madhusudanpur Gram Panchayat office under the Soro block of Odisha's Balasore district on Monday, alleging prolonged delays in the disbursement of their pension benefits.

The protesting beneficiaries alleged that they have not received their pension amounts in their bank accounts for the past two to three months. They claimed that the payments were being credited regularly earlier, but the sudden disruption has caused significant hardship, particularly for elderly and economically vulnerable individuals who depend on the pension for their daily needs.

Expressing their dissatisfaction, the beneficiaries gathered at the Panchayat office and held a demonstr...