MAPUSA
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Tuesday ruled out the possibility of extending government job reservations to the grandchildren of freedom fighters, stating that the existing employment scheme is strictly meant for their children.
He also clarified that no such provision exists in any other state in India.
Responding during the Question Hour in the Goa Assembly, Sawant informed the House that of the 438 applications received under the freedom fighters’ job quota, 40 candidates were found ineligible.
So far, 373 individuals have been employed under the scheme “ 236 during his tenure and 137 during the terms of previous governments.
Another 25 beneficiaries will be accommodated before December 19 this year, he assured.
“The employment scheme is only for the children of freedom fighters, not their grandchildren. In fact, there is no such scheme in any part of India,” Sawant said in response to a question raised by Mandrem MLA Jit Arolkar.
The CM acknowledged that many of the beneficiaries were now in their fifties and would have limited years of service before retirement.
However, he clarified that all benefits entitled to government employees, including promotion avenues and pensions, would apply to them. “There were cases where candidates failed to meet the minimum qualification criteria. Even for the post of peon, passing SSC is mandatory. But in some cases, the government relaxed these norms and accommodated applicants who hadn’t passed SSC,” Sawant said, underlining the government’s commitment to honouring the contribution of freedom fighters.
The Chief Minister claimed that the bulk of appointments had taken place under his leadership.
“Maximum number of children of freedom fighters got jobs during my term. Earlier, the government had not done much for them,” he said.
However, his remarks invited a sharp response from Leader of Opposition Yuri Alemao, who said the statement cast aspersions on former chief ministers Digambar Kamat and Ravi Naik “ both now part of the BJP and the Sawant-led cabinet “ who had served under previous Congress regimes.
In a diplomatic retort, Sawant remarked, “Government is a continuous process,” seeking to downplay the political overtones of Alemao’s observation.
The issue of delayed appointments and ageing beneficiaries has repeatedly come up in the Assembly over the years, with many MLAs highlighting that the children of freedom fighters were being offered jobs too late in life to fully benefit from government service.
