PANJIM: To streamline and to avoid any duplication of the seafarers pension scheme beneficiaries, the Commissioner of NRI Affairs has decided to integrate the scheme with Dayanand Social Security Scheme (DSSS), with Directorate of Social Welfare as implementing agency.
Under Goa Welfare/ Pension Scheme for Seafarers, Rs 2,500 are provided as monthly financial benefit to retied seafarers. Currently, there are around 2,400 beneficiaries under the scheme.
Speaking to media persons on Wednesday, Director of NRI Affairs Anthony D’Souza said that the Commissioner has decided to streamline the pension scheme by integrating it with DSSS. “Social Welfare department will be the implementing agency, which the applications for the scheme would be cleared by Overseas Employment Agency of the Government of India,” he said.
D’Souza said that the integration will help even to take care of duplicate beneficiaries, who avail benefits under Seafarers scheme as well as DSSS. “The maximum benefit that a person will get is Rs 2,500 monthly,” D’Souza said.
The official said that every seafarer cannot be eligible as there are certain criteria’s fixed like income limit. He further said that NRI Commission has already transferred all the valid data to the Social Welfare department.
Meanwhile, the Commission launched its official twitter account @NRIcommission, in order to enable the Goa Diaspora to interact with the Commissionerate.
Commissioner NRI Affairs Adv Narendra Sawaikar said that the twitter handler can be used by Goan diaspora and NRIs to interact with the Commission, so also to make any complaints with regards to the functioning of the commission.
