The directorate of women and child development in Goa is set to strike off the names of 50,000 beneficiaries from the Griha Aadhar scheme by the end of May if they fail to comply with notices requiring submission of life and income certificates.
Notices Issued for Non-Compliance
The department has issued notices to those who have not submitted their life and income certificates for several months. The government has granted them a deadline until the end of May to provide the necessary documents.
"All beneficiaries have to submit their yearly income and life certificates before May 31, otherwise their disbursement will be kept on hold as per Griha Aadhar scheme guidelines. All beneficiaries are sent reminders via SMS. Cases of 50,000 women have been kept on hold as they have not submitted the certificates for several months," said Jyoti Desai, director of women and child development.
Verification and Recovery Process
Based on the life and income certificates received, the government will determine whether the beneficiaries are genuine and meet the required criteria. Desai added, "If beneficiaries have expired and the amounts are lying in their bank accounts, this is a loss to the state treasury, and a process will be initiated to recover the amounts."
About the Griha Aadhar Scheme
Launched in 2016, the Griha Aadhar scheme provides monthly assistance to homemakers from middle, lower-middle, and poor sections of society. Its aim is to protect them from inflation and help maintain a reasonable standard of living for their families. The category of married women also includes widows and divorcees.
When applying for the scheme, women must sign a self-declaration form stating that their husband is not a government servant. The scheme is available to any married woman above the age of 18 who has been a resident of Goa for the past 15 years. The gross annual income of the husband and wife together must not exceed Rs 3 lakh. A widow with a child is eligible under the scheme, even if she is a beneficiary of the social welfare department's DSSS until the child turns 18.
