Team Herald
PANJIM: The Women and Child Development (WCD) Department has written to 750 beneficiaries of the Griha Aadhar Scheme, asking them to refund the benefits they availed of under the programme. Among these beneficiaries, seven are government servants, while the remaining 743 are the spouses of government employees.
According to a senior official of the WCD, an impact assessment survey revealed that a total of 2,960 beneficiaries were ineligible for the scheme. The survey found that the spouses of 2,891 beneficiaries were working as government servants, and 69 beneficiaries themselves were employed in government service across various departments.
The department issued notices twice to these beneficiaries, requesting them to submit documents verifying their employment status or that of their spouse. The required documents included details of the occupation, designation, appointment orders, and Form 16 or pay slips from the time the scheme benefits were granted. The official confirmed that 1,100 beneficiaries responded with the necessary documentation. After verification, it was found that 350 of these beneficiaries were eligible. However, 750 beneficiaries, including seven government employees and the spouses of 743 employees, were confirmed as ineligible.
To date, the WCD has recovered Rs 1,20,60,262 from 227 ineligible beneficiaries who or whose spouse are government employees. The recovery is being carried out through a coordinated effort with the concerned government departments, which have been instructed to deduct the amounts owed from the salaries of these beneficiaries. Some departments have already begun the process of salary deductions, with amounts varying depending on the beneficiary’s net salary and the amount due.
The Griha Aadhar Scheme provides a monthly grant of Rs 1,500 to women whose income does not exceed Rs 3 lakh annually. However, a 2019 amendment to the scheme excluded married women whose spouse is a regular government employee from receiving benefits. This exclusion applies to employees of the Government of Goa, its corporations, autonomous bodies, or any other state or central government bodies. Workers on a contract or daily wage basis, or those employed in private institutions, were still eligible under the scheme.
The Women and Child Development Directorate has reaffirmed that the Griha Aadhar Scheme is not applicable to those whose spouse is employed on a regular basis in government sectors or state-funded bodies, marking a clear line on eligibility.