Goemkarponn Desk
PANAJI: Goa government is contemplating hike in financial benefits given under the Dayanand Social Security Scheme (DSSS), Minister Subhash Phal Dessai informed the state legislative assembly.
He was speaking on the demands related to the departments under him such as Social Welfare, Department of PwD, RND etc,
“There is a demand to hike the benefits to Rs 5,000 per month,” he said, adding that govt will have to gauge the additional financial burden.
Subhash informed the house that Rs 56 crore have been spent by River Navigation Dept, however, the dept managed to earn revenue of only Rs 70 lakh.
Around 25,995 applications for covid-19 relief are pending before the department due to paperwork related issues, however the relief scheme money has already been dispersed to 75,757 beneficiaries, he informed the house.
Goa govt will re-launch the Mukhyamantri Dev Darshan Scheme offering free tour of pilgrimage places to devotees within next 2 months, Phal Dessai informed.
He added that the Mukhyamantri Dev Darshan scheme, which was discontinued due to the model code of conduct coming into force for the Lok Sabha elections, will be relaunched within the next two months. He noted that, so far, only one trip of devotees had been organised.
The Minister further mentioned that 75,757 people had benefited from the Covid-19 relief scheme, and another 25,995 applications were pending with the Social Welfare Department due to issues like lack of documents or signatures.
Phal Desai said the government is planning to grant some concessions to parents of Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) regarding office duty hours.
He also stated that the River Navigation Department had a fleet of 33 ferry boats, out of which 30 were operational, while two had been condemned. A tender for new ferry boats has been issued, and they are expected to be operational by March next year.