Girija Devi, 120, the oldest PAN card holder of India and one of the oldest voters in the country, passed away at her home in Bina town of Sagar district of Madhya Pradesh on Friday.
The District Administration authorities honoured the lady, lovingly called ‘Grandma’ by everyone in the area, by carrying out her cremation with full state honours at the cremation ground in Bina.
Sagar Collector Deepak Arya instructed the Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Devendra Pratap Singh to visit Girija Devi’s house and arrange for the last rites as per state protocol. The SDM and other officials met the deceased Girija Devi’s family members and paid their tributes to the centenarian.
According to information, Girija Devi’s year of birth mentioned on her PAN card is 1903. The Income Tax Department considered her the oldest taxpayer in the country. The IT Department had honoured her for the same in 2020.
Sources said that Girija Devi showed her income from a few sources including the pension of her late husband Siddhanath Tiwari, who was a noted freedom fighter and had played an important role in the struggle for independence.
Girija Devi was a voter from Bina in Sagar.
A large number of people, including officials and eminent personalities of the region, paid their tributes and attended the last rites of Girija Devi.