MARGAO
The Goa Forward Party on Tuesday slammed the government for making women stand in queues before the Women and Child Development Department just to collect the sanction orders for Ladli Laxmi scheme.
The party has also charged the government for treating the staff and employees of Bal Bhavan as bonded labours by paying them a meagre wage, well below the government’s notified wage rate.
Addressing the media, party senior leader Mohandas Lolienkar said the Director of Women and Child Development, Dipali Naik should be ashamed that women are being made to line up at her office just to collect the tokens for the sanction orders. “These women had been at the offices and residences of the ruling party MLAs in the last few days and now they are being forced to stand at the office of the Women and Child Development just to get the token,” he said, demanding an immediate stop to the practice of getting the women out in times of Covid and during heavy rains.
“How can you expect the women to come from remote areas of Canacona, Pernem, Sattari and other places to Panaji just to collect the tokens for the scheme? The beneficiaries ought to have received the benefits before marriage, but are being given now because this government has gone bankrupt,” he said, while urging the government to immediately stop this tamasha.
Party spokesperson Prashant Naik said when the government is boasting on its plans to give 10,000 jobs, the employees of Bal Bhavan are waiting for the day when they will at least receive a decent wage.
Claiming that around 300 staff is getting wages amounting to Rs 7,000, Rs 10,000 and Rs 12,000 every month, Naik termed this as exploitation and bonded labour and demanded adequate compensation.
