Panaji: On the occasion of International Labour Day, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant unveiled five new worker-centric welfare schemes, including a digital literacy programme, elderly medical care allowance, financial aid for competitive exam coaching, reimbursement of tuition fees for higher studies, and insurance cover under the Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY).
Worker Registration and Benefits
Sawant stated that 1.4 lakh workers are registered with the labour department. He urged all private sector companies to register their employees with the regional employment exchange, ensuring that the benefits of the schemes reach the workers. "Very often in accidental deaths, the company pays compensation and there is also insurance. From the government's side, through PMSBY, it will now be compulsory to tie up with banks and pay the insurance premium. If a worker meets with an accident, up to Rs 2 lakh will be given to the family. This benefit will support the family," said Sawant.
Construction Workers and Long-Service Recognition
He also announced that family members of construction workers would receive Rs 50,000 if the construction worker dies at the job site. The labour department has 10,000 construction workers registered in Goa. "Construction is risky work and if a worker dies, then the government will give Rs 50,000 to the family of the construction worker, while Rs 25,000 will be paid as a one-time compensation for a construction worker who suffers a serious injury," said Sawant. Additionally, the government will provide a Rs 15,000 cheque to private sector workers who have completed 20 years of service as a one-time benefit.
Educational Support
The chief minister said that tuition fee reimbursement up to Rs 60,000 per year for higher education through the CM Scholarship Fund and coverage under PMSBY will be provided. Financial aid will be given to children of employees who pursue competitive examinations such as GPSC, UPSC, NEET, and JEE. The labour department has also expanded higher education support through tuition fee reimbursement for courses including MBBS, engineering, LLM, MBA, and research programmes.
Ashutosh Gowariker Appointed IFFI Director
In a separate development, the Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has appointed filmmaker Ashutosh Gowariker as the festival director for the 57th edition of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI), to be held in Goa in November. "I feel privileged to have witnessed the evolution of this festival. From attending it in 1984 to continuing my association over the years, right up to 2024, when I served as the jury president for international cinema," Gowariker said. He added that he was looking forward to working with the Goa government for the annually held festival. "To carry forward the legacy that has been created, nurtured and expanded over the decades since 1952 by innumerable festival teams is a great honour, accompanied by a renewed sense of responsibility. I look forward to working closely with the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and the Government of Goa," he said. Gowariker is known for films such as Lagaan (2001), Swades (2004), and Jodhaa Akbar (2008).
Vacuum Sewerage System in Margao
In Margao, the Public Works Department (PWD) launched a vacuum sewerage system at Khareband, which PWD Minister Digambar Kamat claimed would help stop raw sewage from flowing into the Sal river. Kamat laid the foundation stone for the work, being executed by the Sewerage and Infrastructure Development Corporation Goa Limited (SIDCGL), involving design, construction, erection, and commissioning of a vacuum sewerage system with SCADA wireless monitoring, along with five years of operation and maintenance.
Addressing Low-Lying Areas
The minister said that while the sewerage project in Margao was largely complete, certain low-lying pockets of the city remained outside the network — a gap the new technology was specifically designed to address. "There are some places because they are low-lying, couldn't be connected to sewerage chambers. We identified several such places across Margao," Kamat said. The first work order, covering the rising main connecting identified low-lying areas to the pumping station, has been awarded for Rs 21.5 crore. Tenders for the remaining areas will be floated shortly. "Once that's done, all the low-lying areas of Margao will be connected to the sewerage network," Kamat said, adding that the project would also help resolve the long-standing issue of Sal river contamination.
River Pollution Concerns
The development comes amid heightened public concern over the Sal's rapidly deteriorating water quality. Earlier this month, a joint inspection of the river — involving teams from the Goa State Pollution Control Board, PWD, Water Resources Department, Directorate of Health Services, and Margao Municipal Council — got under way to identify pollution sources and recommend remedial measures. The inspection, which covered several nallahs and discharge points, including at the SGPDA markets and South Goa district hospital, was driven by mounting concern backed by official data tabled in the recent assembly session. The data showed dissolved oxygen levels at a downstream monitoring point crashing to near zero for five consecutive months — a sign, experts warn, of near-total collapse of aquatic life in the stretch.
