MARGAO
Government’s notification extending the Goa Welfare/ Pension Scheme for Seafarers 2023 for a period of three years seemed to have not changed the ground reality for the beleaguered retired seafarers and widows.
In fact, the retired seafarers and widows are at sea when the government’s decision, first announced in Chief Minister’s budgetary speech, followed by a notification extending the scheme by three years when the seafarers’ organisation has been fighting for a permanent pension scheme, have failed to bring about the desired changes on the ground.
Otherwise, consider this. Beleaguered retired seafarers and the widows are still looking for the day when the government will pay the pension for the month of July, and whether the government will pay the July month pension along with August or whether they will have to further wait to receive the monthly pension amount of Rs 2,500.
Inquiries by The Goan with the office of the NRI Affairs have only revealed that the department is yet to receive the government grant to fund the pension scheme for the seafarers and widows. In fact, if an official is to be believed, the department of NRI Affairs is believed to have paid the June pension out of the balance fund available with the department.
Sources pointed out that the NRI Affairs has sought for an annual grant of Rs 3 crore to fund the pension for the next one year. “The pension for the month of July could not be paid to the seafarers for the simple reason that the department had no funds at its disposal. Right now, we have no funds at our disposal to pay pension to the retired seafarers,” informed an official.
The official pointed out that a proposal has already gone to the Home Department for sanction of funds in order to fund the scheme, adding ‘once we receive the funds, we intend to pay the pension of the months of July and August together’.
That’s not all. If the government notification on extension of the pension had promised hope for the retired seafarers and widows, whose applications have been pending with the department of NRI Affairs, their wait seemed not over yet.
For, the department of NRI Affairs has not issued new pension application forms for the benefit of the seafarers who have retired recently. Still worse is the fact that the scrutiny panel, which is expected to go into the claims of seafarers for enrollment for the pension, has not been constituted till date.
Inquiries by The Goan have only revealed that the proposal to set up the scrutiny panel had gone from the NRI Affairs to the Home department, but the ground reality remains unchanged. Similarly, the proposal to print new pension application forms was sent to the Home department, but in vain.
“We are waiting for the Home department to set up the scrutiny panel, which will scrutinise the applications from retired seafarers for pensionary benefits. The application forms will be made available for the recently retired seafarers once the forms are printed by the Home department,” remarked an official.
The government’s delay in giving effect to the notification on the extension of the pension scheme for the retired seafarers and widows have attracted flak from seafarers as well as the Goa Seamen Association of India (GSAI).
GSAI president Frank Viegas informed that seafarers have been anxiously waiting for the government to give effect to the pension scheme notified this financial year. “Though seafarers have been demanding a permanent pension scheme, the government has come out with a notification extending the scheme for three years. But, even the notified scheme is not being implemented till date,” he said.
He added: The NRI department is yet to put the scrutiny committee in place. Many a retired seafarers had already submitted the new application forms to the NRI department but the forms are yet to be scrutinised”.
Franky pointed out that the NRI Affairs department has also not issued the new forms of Goa Welfare Pension Scheme for Seafarers/Widow, saying there are many retired seafarers and widows who are yet to apply for the scheme and are eagerly waiting for the new forms from the NRI office, Porvorim.
