MARGAO
Will the Goa government make a financial provision to fund the pension scheme for the retired seafarers and widows in the budget estimates for the 2023-24 financial year and make the scheme permanent?
The pension scheme for the seafarers and widows is expiring in two-month time in the month of May. While Chief Minister Pramod Sawant had gone on record in the last Assembly session, promising to make the pension scheme for the retired seafarers and widows permanent, the Goan Seamen Association of India (GSAI) has petitioned the Chief Minister to make budgetary provision for the pension scheme in the ensuing budget.
In fact, even before the Chief Minister had called upon the public to file their suggestions before the government prepares the budget estimates, the GSAI had submitted a petition to the Chief Minister’s office to make budgetary allocation for the pension scheme for the retired seafarers and widows.
Besides rooting for a permanent pension scheme for the retired seafarers and widows, GSAI has urged the Chief Minister’s office to accept new applications filed by the eligible seafarers for the pension scheme.
Since the scrutiny panel is still not in place to scrutinise fresh applications made by the retired seafarers and widows, GSAI has made a plea to the Chief Minister to immediately put in place the scrutiny committee to ensure that new applicants are also enrolled for the pension scheme.
GSAI President Frank Viegas informed that the organisation has also called upon the government to make available the pension application forms, which are presently facing shortage. “The GSAI has already submitted a petition to the Chief Minister to make budgetary provision in the ensuing budget to make the pension scheme for the seafarers permanent. We also want the government to streamline the scheme by putting in place the scrutiny panel and to make available the application forms which are facing shortage,” Frank said.
In the petition, GSAI thanked the government on behalf of the seafarers community for the extension of six months pension scheme which had assisted the seafarers community. “Though everyone is pleased with the scheme, our seafarers community still has to knock on the doors again and again to make the scheme a permanent one,” the petition stated.
It added: “We are aware that the State budget will also be announced shortly, and we humbly request our Chief Minister Pramod Sawant to make allocations in the budget for our seafarers community for future provisions so that this scheme will be made permanent under your leadership and especially for those who depend on it solely.”
