the goan I network
PANAJI
The girl child seemingly no longer has the pride of place in Chief Minister Pramod Sawant’s reign over Goa if the drastic drop in funds made available to pay them the benefit of the ‘Laadli Laxmi’ scheme by which every girl child is entitled to a one-time largesse of Rs one-lakh in the form of a fixed deposit on attaining the age of 18 years.
Allocations made to fund the scheme since Sawant took over in mid-March last year have drastically dived to about a quarter of the money disbursed in 2017-18.
While Rs 105-odd crores were disbursed to over ten thousand beneficiaries in 2017-18, when the late Parrikar was chief minister, this year (2019-20) thus far only Rs 25-odd crores have been provided, according to information furnished by Women and Child Development Minister, Vishwajit Rane. In 2018-19, the State government had disbursed Rs 65-crore
The scheme was conceptualized way back in 2012 and its implementation began a year later in 2013.
In the current financial year meanwhile, the rate at which applications under the scheme have been cleared has dwindled.
One of the primary purposes of the scheme, according to the notification, is to address the trend of rising female foeticides in a society where the girl child is often seen as a ‘financial burden’ by the parents, according to the notified scheme.
“This scheme further intends to ensure that the girl child does not become a burden for the parent or guardian during her marriage,” states another purpose mentioned in the notification.
The fixed deposit, under the scheme which is established jointly in the name of the beneficiary and the Director of Women and Child Development, can be claimed only at the time of marriage or when the beneficiary attains the age of 40 years. Questions on the correctness of the application as well as the eligibility of the applicant are adjudicated by a committee headed by the Secretary to the Goa Government in-charge of the Department of
Women and Child Development and comprising of one social worker appointed by the government, the additional/joint secretary of finance, and the Director of Women and Child Development as its member-secretary.
