PANAJI
The State Tribal Welfare Department has amended the Atal Asra Yojana that provides financial assistance to the tribal population to build new homes and repair or reconstruct existing ones.
The Deputy Director of Tribal Welfare is empowered to sanction the grants under the scheme.
According to a notification issued earlier this week, the first installment comprising 75 per-cent of the sanctioned amount will be released to the beneficiary along with a sanction letter.
The balance 25 percent of the amount will be credited to a special account of this scheme in the Goa Scheduled Tribe Finance and Development Corporation.
However, the first installment of 75 percent will be deposited in a joint bank account in the names of the Deputy Director Tribal Welfare and the beneficiary in the form of a fixed deposit or equivalent deposit.
Payments to registered engineers/architects/contractors who are executing the construction or repairs of the house will be made directly through ECS on producing of bills from this joint
account of the deputy director and the beneficiary, the notification adds.
Beneficiaries will be bound to submit the construction/reconstruction license issued by the competent authority within 15 months to the Deputy Director of Tribal Welfare, failing which the sanction order will lapse without any further notice and the entire amount will be credited back into the government treasury.
This 15-month deadline, however, may be extended with the approval of the government by up to another nine months if the beneficiary makes an application.
Also, the actual work of constructing or repair of the house should commence within 90 days from the date of sanction/release of the first installment.
If work does not commence within the three-month deadline, the released amount will be recovered from the beneficiary.
The beneficiary is also required to put up the logo of the scheme on the front side or any other prominent place of the house after construction is complete.
The second installment of 25 per-cent of the sanctioned amount will be released through Goa ST Finance and Development Corporation by Deputy Director, Tribal Welfare, on producing the completion certificate, it adds.
