PANAJI
The State government has raised concerns about the eligibility of 135 women applicants for the Griha Aadhar scheme, flagging their applications as “doubtful” due to the financial status of their households.
These women’s spouses are either employed abroad, in high-profile organisations in India or work with local corporations like Kadamba Transport Corporation Limited and Goa Human Resource Development Corporation.
The Department of Women and Child Development (WCD) has pointed out the discrepancies during the Eligibility Verification Survey, which has led to the withholding of these applications.
WCD Minister Vishwajit Rane, in response to an unstarred question raised by MLA Aleixo Lourenco, revealed that out of the total, another 23 cases were flagged for ‘duplication with DSS’ (Dayanand Social Security Scheme), indicating the applicants were found to be availing benefits under the DSS Scheme while also applying for Griha Aadhar.
One particular case involved a couple working in the UK with the wife still applying for the scheme – and now marked under the ‘doubtful’ category. “135 Griha Aadhar Scheme applications have been kept on hold since identified as doubtful as per Eligibility Verification Survey,” reads the reply by the minister.
As per government norms, a married woman must be over 18 years old, a resident of Goa for at least 15 years and have a gross annual income with her husband (or as a widow/divorcee) not exceeding Rs 3 lakh to qualify for the scheme, which offers monthly dole of Rs 1,500. However, the 135 applicants reportedly have gross income beyond the set limit.
Meanwhile, six applications from the Curtorim constituency remain pending due to document discrepancies. Rane stated that these applicants had submitted their child’s birth certificate instead of a Civil Marriage Registration Certificate while applying in 2016-17. Of these, four have approached the WCD Block in Salcete but their verification remains incomplete due to the non-submission of required documents.
The minister further said that the remaining two have not responded despite multiple verbal reminders and SMS notifications from the department.
"The verification process is ongoing and applications are scrutinized to ensure compliance with the scheme’s eligibility criteria," the department said.
