MARGAO
Commissioner NRI Affairs, Narendra Sawaikar on Wednesday announced that a notification making the pension scheme for retired seafarers permanent will soon be issued by the government post-budget speech of Chief Minister Pramod Sawant.
The former South Goa MP took the platform of the blood donation camp organised by the Goan Seamen Association of India (GSAI) on the occasion of the 60th National Maritime Day to acknowledge the immense contribution made by the Goan seafarers to the economic growth of the nation and Goa.
Extending his greetings on the occasion of National Maritime Day, Sawaikar said the BJP-led government at the Centre has taken several steps to improve the conditions of the seafaring community across the country.
“My association with the seafarers dates back to over a decade ago when a delegation of seafarers had called on me at Cuncolim with a plea to work out a pension scheme for the retired seamen and widows. The BJP government decided to introduce the pension scheme for the seafarers in Goa,” he said, adding that Goa is the only State in the country which has a pension scheme for retired seafarers and widows.
The NRI Commissioner further said that all serving and retired seafarers have contributed towards the economic growth of the country over the years.
“You leave your families and go across the globe. It is not only because of your livelihood, but you are also contributing to the economic growth of the country," he added.
Recalling the days when the Covid pandemic had raised its ugly head across the world, Sawaikar pointed out that many seafarers were stranded in different countries, adding that the situation gave the NRI office and the government an opportunity to serve the seafarers by getting them safely back home.
