Team Goemkarponn
PANAJI: The Goa Revenue Department has clarified that individuals holding Portuguese passports or Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) cards cannot avail benefits under the state’s Mhaje Ghar Scheme, which aims to regularise eligible occupations of government land.
The clarification follows requests received by the South Goa Collectorate from OCI cardholders seeking residence certificates under the scheme. In response, the Collectorate sought legal guidance from the Revenue Department on the eligibility of such applicants.
In its communication, the department stated that the provisions under Section 38A of the Goa Land Revenue Code, 1968, were enacted as a welfare measure exclusively for eligible Indian citizens who have been long-term residents of the state.
Officials explained that the scheme is intended to regularise unauthorised occupation of government land by people who had built residential houses before February 28, 2024, and had continuously lived there for at least 15 years before February 28, 2014.
The department emphasised that since the scheme ultimately grants ownership rights over government land, it was never designed to extend such benefits to foreign nationals, including Portuguese passport holders and OCI cardholders.
Authorities have also been instructed to carefully scrutinise all applications for residence certificates to ensure that only applicants who satisfy the legal requirements are granted benefits under the Mhaje Ghar Scheme.
