PANJIM: The Home Department, Foreigners and Citizenship Division announced the pension scheme for retired seafarers on Friday.
The government has framed a scheme to provide financial assistance in the form of gross pension of RS 2,500 per month to the retired Indian seamen, who meet given criteria.
The department said these seamen have to be citizens of India and who were engaged in lowly paid jobs at sea.
Besides retired seafarers who have completed 60 years of age, the beneficiaries include seafarers who have been invalidated from sea-service on medical grounds before retirement and widows of a deceased seamen, on compassionate grounds, provided the annual income from all sources does not exceed Rs 1,20,000.
It further added that the beneficiaries should have rendered a total of 120 months of actual service on the board. They also should be a bonafide resident of Goa by birth or birth should have been registered in Goa or at least either of the parents of the beneficiary should have been born in Goa. If the beneficiary is a widow, she should have been a resident of Goa of fifteen years domicile. Applicants who are already receiving monthly pension under other government schemes will be entitled to receive only the difference amounts.