NT NETWORK
Panaji
The Congress party on Wednesday staged a protest at the Directorate of Social Welfare over the non-release of payments to beneficiaries of the flagship schemes including Griha Aadhar and Dayanand Social Security Scheme.
The Congress workers led by its vice president Sankalp Amonkar, general secretaries Amarnath Panjikar and Jana Bhandari, Goa Pradesh Youth Congress president Varad Mardolkar and others quipped deputy director of department Taha Haaziq as to why the scheme benefits are not passed on to the beneficiaries for the last ‘six to eight months’.
The Congress leaders said that the government has failed to understand the gravity of the situation and the plight of the beneficiaries of the schemes especially the senior citizens who are dependent on government schemes for their livelihood during the current COVID-19 pandemic.
Deputy Director of Social Welfare Department Taha Haaziq informed that there are 1.36 lakh beneficiaries of different schemes of the department and claimed that the payments to the beneficiaries have not been released by the government from June onwards.
“The government is facing financial crunch due to the pandemic. We are following up with the government and I am in constant touch with the finance department and the Chief Minister’s Office,” he said.
Haaziq reportedly told the Congress leaders that his department has written to Directorate of Accounts to release the amount, the Congress workers then marched to Directorate of Accounts where a senior officer expressed ignorant that they received any such communication from the Directorate of Social Welfare. The particular officer, however, assured the Congressmen to release the amount as soon as they receive the necessary approval from the government.
The Congress leaders said that they will return back to the department with beneficiaries of the schemes to gherao the director of social welfare if payments are not released by October 31.
