PANAJI
Long delays in disbursal of cash benefits under various schemes of the Social Welfare Department dominated the discussion on the demands for grants pertaining to the department in the Goa legislative assembly.
Several MLAs pointed out that the beneficiaries of these schemes were from the financially weaker sections and for them these cash benefits formed a crucial part of the financial planning of their households.
Apart from the Dayanand Social Security (DSS) scheme which covers senior citizens, the Social Welfare Department has lagged behind in disbursing cash benefits under the scheme for families who witnessed deaths due to Covid-19.
Legislators from the treasury benches, including Krishna Daji Salkar, Ulhas Tuenkar and Pravin Arlekar also joined those from the Opposition side to highlight the delays in disbursing the benefits.
Salkar said, long delays in disbursing these benefits defeats the very purpose why these schemes have been devised.
Cumbharjua MLA Rajesh Faldesai said several applicants from his constituency had still not got the Rs 5000 assistance under the scheme the government came up with to assist small businesses who faced the brunt of the pandemic.
Carlos Alvares Ferreira, Aleixo Sequeira, Altone D'Costa, Kedar Naik and Rudolf Fernandes of the Congress were among those who said that they were constantly being approached by these beneficiaries from their constituencies with complaints that their benefits were not paid for months on end.
AAP's Benaulim MLA, Venzy Viegas, demanded that the government should now also pay beneficiaries an added interest amount when delays in disbursing the cash benefit is long.
Viegas argued that if the government charges penal interest to citizens for delay in paying their water and power bills, the same principle should apply and additional interest paid to bonafide beneficiaries when the government delays their payments.
