The Directorate of Sports & Youth Affairs is encouraging sportspersons to pursue sports by providing a scheme for Financial Assistance to Sportspersons in Indigent Circumstances. NT BUZZ finds out more about the scheme, its nature of assistance and how one can apply to reap its benefits
Sheras Fernandes| NT BUZZ
Goa has produced some fine sportsmen and women in several sports and to create more sportspersons from the state the Directorate of Sports & Youth Affairs is providing the scheme for Financial Assistance to Sportspersons in Indigent Circumstances. The scheme that is now currently open to applications for the financial year 2018-19, is intended to aid those sportspersons who are heading closer to retirement.
The scheme is available to any person born or domiciled in Goa who is in need of financial assistance. For any sportsperson to avail this scheme he has to fulfil four requirements: “Any sportsperson who has made significant contribution in the field of sports and games; whose income from all sources including his/her wife/husband is less than ` 7,000 per month; who is not in receipt of similar financial assistance; and who is above the age of 45, but for unemployed/disabled sportspersons the age limit is relaxed to above 40 years; persons fulfilling this criteria are eligible to apply for this scheme,” says deputy director, Directorate of Sports and Youth Affairs, Jennifer Gonsalves.
The financial backing will be in the form of monthly pension ranging from ` 3,000 to ` 8,000 for a specified period or for life. “If the income of the applicant is likely to exceed ` 7,000 per month, then pension will be sanctioned only for a specified period,” she says.
A sportspersons who has represented the state at the international level will get a monetary aid of ` 8,000 per month, national level representatives will get a financial sanction of ` 5,000 and sportspersons who have played at state level will get ` 3,000 per month. “In total we accept 20 applications per year, every year only 5 applications will be considered at international level, 10 applications at national level and 5 applications at state level,” says Gonsalves adding that for the financial year 2017-18 they accepted applications of 20 deserving candidates. Gonsalves says that assistance will pass on to the widow of the deceased sportsmen whose income from all sources does not exceed ` 7,000 per month, if she too is in indigent circumstances. “The pension of widows will be discontinued in case of re-marriage,” says Gonsalves.
The financial assistance shall be discontinued if it is found that the sanction first given was on mistaken grounds or that the recipient’s income exceeds ` 7,000 p/m. Gonsalves requests mamlatdars to be careful while giving income certificates to the general public. “There have been instances in the past wherein applicants have possessed false income certificates certified by the mamlatdars, hence they have to be careful,” she says. She reveals that there is a team in place to scrutinise the applications and also verifies whether the information provided is accurate.
Applications in triplicate, in prescribed forms, duly attested with a passport sized photograph of the applicant can be forwarded to the Director of Sports & Cultural Affairs along with supported documentation including: attested residence certificate from the Mamlatdar/Competent Authority; birth certificate from the Registrar of Births and Deaths/from the church or a school leaving certificate; particulars of income and family duly certified by the Mamlatdar of the locality; certificates of achievements in the field of games and sports duly certified by the Director of Sports and Youth Affairs or executive director, the Sports Authority of Goa; and marriage certificates in case of widows.