Seafarers' pension: Oppn red flags 6 months' extension

THE GOAN NETWORK | NOVEMBER 26, 2022, 12:28 AM IST

MARGAO

The Opposition parties have slammed the government for the six months extension of the pension scheme for seafarers when seafarers and organisations had been demanding a permanent pension scheme.

The Congress, Goa Forward and the Nationalist Congress party has demanded that Chief Minister Pramod Sawant honour his promise to come out with a permanent scheme for the retired seafarers.

Goa Forward Chief Vijai Sardesai even to the extent of cautioning Opposition MLAs not to be cheer leaders for the government by complimenting Sawant for extending the scheme for six months. 

“Be Opposition leaders, and not cheer leaders. As if eagerly waiting to congratulate the Chief Minister for something, some MLAs are applauding the six month extension of seafarers pension scheme as a great favour. The demand of the seafarers is to make the pension scheme permanent. We will not settle for anything less”, he said, while pledging his support to the seafarers community.

Demanding to know whether six months is new Permanent of the BJP Government, Leader of Opposition Yuri Alemao pointed out that the promise was made on July 15, 2022 in the Goa Legislative Assembly by Sawant to resolve all related issues and notify a permanent seafarers pension scheme.

“After four months, it is extension of six months without concurrence of Finance Department”, stated Yuri, while reacting to the note moved by Home Department to Directorate of NRI Affairs stating that the Goa Welfare Pension Scheme for Seafarers-2021 will be extended for six months.

“We were assured by the Chief Minister himself in the Goa Legislative Assembly that the Scheme will be notified as Permanent Scheme. How can it be extended for just six months”, questioned Alemao.

He went on to add that “it is also clear that the concurrence of the Finance Department is still not obtained by the Government”.

Saying it is unlikely for the seafarers to get money before Christmas, Yuri said almost four months have passed since the Chief Minister promised in the Goa Legislative Assembly to permanently notify the Scheme. “Nothing was done till yesterday. Government moved into action only after I raised the issue on July 22 and urged Chief Minister to notify the scheme immediately”, he said.

He said the slow action of the BJP Government exposes the apathy of the government towards hardworking seafarers. “It is loud and clear that the government has no gratitude towards the contributions made to development of Goa by seafarers by earning foreign exchange, stated Yuri, demanding that Sawant must put his administration in top gear and ensure that the scheme is made permanent and notified before Christmas and all pending dues cleared immediately.

Meanwhile, Carmona Panchayat member Sandra Fernandes, who is the Goa Mahila Chief of the Nationalist Congress party, said a permanent solution was the need of the hour to Goa seafarers welfare scheme.

She said Sawant has taken the seafarers community for granted by renewing it for six months when the seafarers and widows voiced their demand to make it permanent.


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