PANAJI
As assured, the Education Department is set to clear the pending dues of Rs 13 crore approx to the self-help groups (SHGs) before month-end as the government on Tuesday granted a nod to release the whopping amount.
Education Director Shailesh Zingde confirmed the development stating that the pending payment will be cleared within a week or a maximum of 10 days.
“We have received approval for our proposal from the government. All the necessary procedures and official orders are complete to ensure the swift disbursement of the outstanding amount. The process will take a week to 10 days,” he said speaking to The Goan.
The Goan in its June 11 edition broke the news that the department proposed the State to release Rs 13 crore to settle the bills, after the SHGs threatened to halt the supply of meals to students beyond June 30.
The funds allocated for the 2022-23 academic year were utilised to clear the pending dues from previous years and the budget assigned for the current academic year is being used to settle the dues from the last academic year. As such, the department proposed to the State to release funds even as it surpassed their initial share of the overall funding for the scheme.
The scheme’s financial framework involves a near-equal sharing ratio between the Centre and the State, with each contributing nearly 50 per cent of the funds. For this academic year, the department will receive Rs 18 crore from the Centre and an equal amount from the State.
Govt to go ahead with CSOs, NGOs
PANAJI: Even though the government has resolved the existing crisis, subject to the physical release of the payment, the authorities are still considering involving civil society organisations (CSO)/ non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in the scheme.
“Our primary concern is ensuring the availability of high-quality meals for all students of government and government-aided schools,” an official said.
The department acknowledged that some SHGs were unwilling to serve meals to around 5,000 students and to avoid the recurring issues between the SHGs and government, the department believes engaging CSOs/NGOs will put a stop to the problem.
“For now, the issue of clearing the pending issues is resolved but there’s no guarantee it will not reoccur in the future. The SHGs, though not all, can’t put the gun to the department and government’s head every now and then. Therefore, we are still considering going ahead with CSOs/NGOs which have ample funds at their disposal,” the official said. These agencies should also fulfill the criteria listed by the government.
It is however not clear if the new CSOs/NGOs will replace the SHGs or if they’ll be an addition to the existing system.
The government, last week, invited Expression of Interest (EOI) to rope-in agencies other than SHGs for the scheme with the last day for submission of bids slated on June 26.
