SUNDAY, MAY 05, 2024
Team Herald
PANJIM: The Union Ministry of Rural Development has said that there are 11,959 beneficiaries in Goa under the schemes of National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP) for the financial year 2021-22. This figure is a huge increase to the figure of 2,706 beneficiaries that were there in Goa for the previous two financial years.
However, it states that the Centre has allocated Rs 6.3 crore to Goa each year from 2019-20 including this year but has no figures on the amount that has been utilised in the State of Goa in all of these three years. Many of the other States have figures of allocation and utilisation of funds.
This information was given by Union Minister of State for Rural Development Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha.
In order to handle the difficult time on account of spread of COVID-19, the government released an amount of Rs 2814.50 crore to States/Union Territories for payment of ex-gratia of Rs 1,000 (in two installments of Rs 500 each) to the old aged, widows and divyangjan beneficiaries of NSAP under Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana Package in 2020-21.
Under NSAP, a monthly pension is given to various age groups and categories of people belonging to poverty line households. A one-time lump-sum amount is also paid to a bereaved family, on the death of primary breadwinner.
