Only 5 per cent of Palamau’s women Jan Dhan account holders eligible for the Centre’s Rs 500 relief during the coronavirus outbreak went to the bank and collected the money, a surprise for the poverty-stricken district.

Announcing the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana (PMGKY) on March 26 in view of the ongoing 21-day nationwide lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic, finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman said an ex-gratia payment of Rs 500 would be credited to women Jan Dhan account holders for three months, starting April. The Centre credited the first instalment to over 4 crore women at the start of April.

Of the 73 lakh women in Jharkhand with Pradhan Mantri Jan-Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) accounts, some 5 lakh belong to Palamau. But among them, only 25,768 Palamau women withdrew cash between April 3 and 9, dates decided by the SLBC (State Level Bankers’ Committee).

Asked why, a woman beneficiary from Chainpur in Palamau, Madhuri Devi told The Telegraph on Sunday: “I did not go as I did not want to risk the coronavirus infection for a petty sum.”

But wasn’t Rs 500 not important for the rural homemaker to run her kitchen during lockdown?

Madhuri said Rs 500 would have been very important at any other time. “But if I caught the infection from jostling at the bank, I and my family and my entire locality would have undergone a harrowing time for weeks. I am very scared of being taken away to a quarantine centre,” the woman said. “I think women are more scared of the consequences of the disease (Covid-19) than men. We’re staying inside homes.”

Asked if this fear was justified, Palamau deputy commissioner Palamau Shantanu Kumar Agrahari said they had taken every precaution to prevent overcrowding. “Social distancing at bank branches and customer service points were maintained across Palamau with the help of officials and the police, including mahila constables. There was no overcrowding,” he said.

According to Kishore Tirkey, manager, Palamau lead bank, the SLBC issued an advisory for all women beneficiaries of PMJDY only to avail the Rs 500 from April 3 to 9.

“According to figures we have with us, between April 3 and 8, only 18,135 women account holders of PMJDY withdrew money. On April 9, 7,633 women withdrew money. In all, 25,768 did.”

DC Agrahari clarified that women could withdraw money beyond April 9.