MARGAO
There’s good news in store for the retired seafarers and widows, who had to go without the pension for the last two months.
Along with the beneficiaries of various social welfare schemes, the retired seafarers and the widows will receive their pension of the last three months, including the month of September in the coming week.
For, the government has sanctioned a grant of Rs 2.5 crore, which is expected to take care of the pension for the remaining months of the current financial year.
Director, NRI Affairs, Anthony D’Souza told The Goan that the government has issued an order sanctioning an amount of Rs 2.5 crore to meet the pension requirements of the retired seafarers for the current financial year.
The retired seafarers and the widows had last received the pension of the month of June after the NRI Affairs paid the pension out of the balance funds left with the office. The beneficiaries, however, had to go without the pension for the month of July and August.
D’Souza, however, said with the government sanctioning the order releasing the funds, it has been decided to clear the arrears of the month of July and August, but to also pay the pension of the month of September in the coming week.
To a question when exactly will the NRI Affairs will process the new applicants received from the retired seafarers and widows for registration with the office for pensionary benefits, D’Souza said he would send the file to the Home department to take a call on the pending applications.
President of Goan Seamen Association of India (GSAI) Franky Viegas has welcomed the government’s order sanctioning funds to release the pension of the retired seafarers and widows. He, however, hastened to demand that the government immediately process the pending application for pensionary benefits submitted by the retired seafarers and widows.
Frank lamented that the government has not yet released application forms till date to facilitate seafarers who have retired recently to apply for the pension. “There are so many applications pending with the NRI Affairs till date. Many other retired seafarers want to apply for the scheme, but cannot do so for want of application forms”, he said.
Incidentally, the government is yet to constitute the panel to scrutinize the applications received from the retired seafarers till date. “It is high time the government set up the panel so that the process of scrutiny of application forms is set in motion immediately to pave way for the disposal of the backlog of applications”, Frank added.
