PANAJI
In a further crackdown on fraudulent welfare claims, the Goa government identified 2,960 government employees availing Griha Aadhar scheme despite being ineligible.
Sources in the Directorate of Women and Child Development stated that among the identified cases, full recovery has been made from 190 employees, amounting to Rs 1.03 crore approx.
An additional Rs 9.92 lakh has been partially recovered from 36 more employees, with the recovery process ongoing. The total recovered funds amounting to Rs 1.13 crore approx have been deposited back into the State government treasury.
Given the financial burden on employees asked to repay the amount in one go, the government has allowed these ineligible beneficiaries to return the money in instalments.
The Griha Aadhar scheme provides a monthly allowance of Rs 1,500 to women from families with an annual income below Rs 3 lakh. The eligibility criteria also disqualify families receiving other government financial benefits and those women whose husbands are employed in government or public sector undertakings.
DSSS recovery
The Social Welfare Department is also tracking down ineligible beneficiaries of the Dayanand Social Security Scheme with an ongoing survey resulting in the deletion of 1,949 such persons. Another 4,700 beneficiaries are either dead or untraceable.
In a rare instance, an 80-year-old woman voluntarily opted out of the DSSS, citing improved financial stability.
