MARGAO
Will the 2450-odd retired seafarers and the widows of seamen get a gift from the Pramod Sawant-led government by June 25 in the form of resumption of pension when the seafarers will be celebrating Seafarers Day?
Inquiries with the office of NRI Commissioner have revealed that the file pertaining to the disbursement of pension for the retired seafarers and the widows is stuck in the Finance Department for some time now.
Sources, however, said the Office of the NRI Commissioner has put the modalities in place to disburse the pension once the go-ahead signal comes from the Finance Department.
The Goan understands that the financial implications for the exchequer will be minimal, around Rs 25 lakh per month to be precise. Of the total 2450 beneficiaries, majority of them (around 1850 persons), fall under the Rs 500 pension category since they are already availing pension benefits under the DSSY scheme. The remaining 600 beneficiaries, sources said, are eligible for the Rs 2500 monthly since they do not receive any other government pension.
Sources informed that the office of the NRI Commissioner has recommended pension for the existing number of beneficiaries, who were receiving the monthly pension before the government stopped disbursing the pension since October 2019.
Seafarers under the banner of Goan Seamen Association of India (GSAI) has said the government has failed to resume the pension scheme after assurances handed out by Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on October 20, 2020.
President Frank Viegas said the Chief Minister had given them an assurance along with some of the ruling party MLAs that the pension would be resumed soon.
“The scheme has been stopped without intimating the beneficiaries putting them to great hardship especially to retired seafarers and widows. It would be a great help for the seafarers who are mostly dependent on this aid which has been stopped from October 2019. Intervention by the government will help the retired seafarers and widows to overcome the burden in times of the pandemic since the beneficiaries are mostly 60-plus citizens,” he said.
The seafarers have urged the Chief Minister to restart the pension at least on the occasion of the Seafarers Day on June 25. GSAI will be celebrating the occasion virtually with the theme #FairFuture4Seafarers. Some of the seafarers will be felicitated on this day.
