GAURESH SATTARKAR
reporters@herald-goa.com
SANGUEM: What’s in a name, Shakespeare’s asked in Romeo and Juliet. But for senior citizen Kushawati Gaonkar from Kazur village, Sanguem, her name – and the confusion that has arisen in government records because of it – has become a burden that is costing her the means to her meagre livelihood.
Kushawati was receiving assistance under the Goa government’s Griha Aadhar scheme from 2013 to 2019, but for the past five years, she has been denied the benefits. The allowance suddenly stopped in 2020. The possible reason was that there was another Kushawati Gaonkar in the same village and the ensuing confusion led to her name being omitted from the list of beneficiaries.
When the Griha Aadhar benefits of Rs 1,500 suddenly stopped, Kushawati was shocked and shattered. Still, she waited for a year, hoping against hope. She then knocked on the doors of the then MLA Prasad Gaonkar at least four times, and after the 2022 Goa Assembly election, she approached Subhash Phal Desai, who is also the Social Welfare Minister, multiple times. But nothing worked and Kushawati says she has not got her allowance.
Speaking to O Heraldo, she said, “I have two sons, both are unemployed. Plus I have my grandchild who is 10 years old. I support all of them by growing vegetables. But I find it extremely difficult to go to the Sanvordem market to sell the vegetables that I grow. How do I support them now?”
She is almost 70, and she narrates how she falls sick every month. “I do not have money to go to the doctor. I’m desperate and I do not know how to manage. I don’t feel like asking people for money,” she said.
Kushawati has now appealed to Chief Minister Pramod Sawant for help. “I’m appealing to the chief minister to help me. I’m about to lose my sanity. So many years I have battled this situation. I can’t bear it any longer,” she said.
Nilima Gaonkar, her daughter-in-law, narrates how they visited the Social Welfare office in Panjim twice. They were asked to write an application and were assured that the money would start coming. “We waited for another six months. We went to the local bank several times, but the money didn’t come. Then we went to the Social Welfare office again and they asked for another application,” Nilima narrates.
Meanwhile, Caurem Pirla sarpanch Vidhi Velip said that Kushawati Gaonkar never came to the panchayat and told him about her problems.
“We do not know about the issue she is facing. Had she informed us, we would have surely taken some action. Whenever there are issues such as this -- like the Griha Aadhar, or Dayanand Social Security Scheme -- we go to the local MLA and sort it out. There are no cases pending with us. We have not blocked anyone’s benefits,” Velip said.
When asked if she knew about the existence of another Kushawati in the village panchayat due to which the Griha Aadhar of Kushawati Gaonkar of Kazur was possibly stopped, Velip replied in negative.
“Now that you have informed us, I will go to Kazur and find out about this Kushawati. You are saying that her Griha Aadhar was stopped five years ago, but we don’t know about this. We will inquire and solve this matter,” the sarpanch assured.