MAPUSA
Amid a flurry of questions regarding delayed payments to beneficiaries of the Griha Adhaar and Laadli Laxmi schemes, Minister for Women and Child Development Vishwajit Rane assured the House that a committee meeting would be called soon to address the pending cases, contingent on fund availability.
“There was a cap on the release of the Griha Adhaar scheme, which hindered our progress. I have discussed this with the Chief Minister, and we will approve all pending applications after convening a committee meeting,” Rane said during the Question Hour.
Previously, Rane had instructed that cases be cleared based on available funds. Fatorda MLA Vijai Sardesai criticised the government’s slow response to women’s welfare, pointing out that over 3,900 Laadli Laxmi applications have been pending since 2019 due to a lack of funds, despite the Chief Minister’s claims of a revenue surplus.
Leader of Opposition Yuri Alemao highlighted the precarious situation of the beneficiaries, noting that Rs 9.05 lakh in Griha Adhaar payments and Rs 59 crore in Laadli Laxmi payments remain pending.
Mormugao MLA Sankalp Amonkar also expressed concern over the prolonged delay in releasing funds to beneficiaries in his constituency.
“The Griha Adhaar and Laadli Laxmi schemes, initiated by our former CM, have benefited many. However, many cases are pending, causing inconvenience to the beneficiaries,” Amonkar said. He criticised the eligibility verification survey conducted by Goa Electronics Ltd (GEL), citing a case in his constituency where a living beneficiary was incorrectly declared dead. Despite submitting a new application as advised by the department, the beneficiary has not received her payment for the past six months.
Rane informed the House that a GEL survey conducted from December 2019 to October 2021 found 12,107 valid applicants, and a subsequent survey by the Women and Child Development (W&CD) offices from January 2022 onwards identified 13,428 valid applicants. “Errors do occur, but we will rectify them,” Rane assured.
Siolim MLA Delilah Lobo suggested that those conducting the eligibility survey should collaborate with panchayat members to avoid errors.
