the goan I network
MARGAO
Retired seafarers and widows of deceased seamen are keeping their fingers crossed as they are yet to receive the promised pensionary benefits from the Social Welfare department.
In fact, the seafarers and widows have not received their monthly pension ever since the office of the NRI Commissioner stopped disbursing the pensionary benefits since curtains came down on the scheme floated during the Manohar Parrikar regime in October last.
Seafarers and others working for the welfare of the seafaring community are of the opinion that the office of the NRI Commissioner ought to have prepared the groundwork in transferring the beneficiaries to the Social welfare department well in advance to facilitate the latter to disburse the pensions after October when the scheme ended that month.
With most of the retired seafarers and widows in their late 60’s and 70’s, questions are being raised why the government did not act fast to ensure there’s no break in the pension received by the retired
seafarers.
When The Goan called up the Social Welfare department to find out the status of the pension proposal pending with the department, it was revealed that the proposal is still pending with the government.
Sources informed that after the government raised some queries, the file has not returned back to the department from the government.
“The seafarers will receive pension from the Social welfare department only after the file gets clearance from the government. We have replied to the queries raised by the government,” he said.
The pension scheme for retired seafarers and widows was launched by former Chief Minster late Manohar Parrikar after he returned to power after routing the Congress in the 2012 election.
The scheme was executed via the office of the NRI Commissioner all these years before the scheme came to an end in October last, with many questioning why the office of NRI Commissioner did not get the scheme extended by a couple of months before a smooth transfer of the scheme could be made to the department of Social Welfare.
