Financial Assistance to Purchase Outboard Motor of 2HP to 5 HP for Fitting to the Fishing Canoe

What is the Goa outboard motor subsidy?

Financial Assistance to Purchase Outboard Motor of 2HP to 5HP for Fitting to the Fishing Canoe is a capital subsidy of the Directorate of Fisheries, Government of Goa. The scheme meets part of the cost when a traditional fisherman buys a small outboard motor, an OBM — to power a fishing canoe below 26 feet.

An outboard motor changes what a canoe fisherman can do. It shortens the run to the fishing ground, allows a return before the afternoon wind, and makes it possible to shift ground when a tide fails. For a river or near-shore fisherman in Goa working alone or with one crewman, it is the difference between one trip a day and two.

The Directorate restricts the assistance to a single motor per canoe, in the 2HP to 5HP band, and repeats it only after five years.

How much does the outboard motor subsidy pay?

The subsidy is worked out on a notified unit cost of Rs 60,000, excluding GST:

Two conditions attach to the benefit. First, the assistance is provided for only one outboard motor for fitting to a fishing canoe of below 26 feet. Second, the beneficiary can avail the scheme every 5 years.

Because the base is a notified unit cost, a motor costing Rs 1,00,000 still draws the same ceiling as one costing Rs 60,000. Buy on merit, not on the subsidy arithmetic.

Who is eligible for the outboard motor assistance?

You can claim the subsidy if:

• You are a traditional fisherman by birth or by profession.
• You are a resident of Goa.
• Your fishing canoe is registered with the Department of Captain of Ports, Government of Goa.
• The canoe is below 26 feet.
• The motor you have bought is in the 2HP to 5HP range.

You cannot apply if:

• Your canoe is not registered with the Captain of Ports.
• The canoe measures 26 feet or more, which places it outside this scheme.
• The motor is below 2HP or above 5HP.
• You are not a resident of Goa. Fishermen registered in other states are not eligible even if they land catch in Goa.
• Fewer than five years have passed since your last sanction of an outboard motor subsidy.
• You are claiming a second motor for the same canoe within the same cycle.

There is no relaxation of the horsepower band. A 6HP or 8HP motor, however modest, does not qualify.

What documents are required?

1. Vessel Registration Certificate (VRC) issued by the Captain of Ports or the Directorate of Fisheries, Government of Goa, duly incorporating the details of the outboard motor purchased.
2. River Gill Net Registration Certificate (RGNC) and Licence Certificate (LC) issued by the Department of Fisheries.
3. Undertaking as per proforma.
4. Copy of the Aadhaar card.
5. Scheduled Tribe or Scheduled Caste certificate, if applicable.
6. Mandate form along with the bank passbook.
7. Caste certificate or professional certificate, establishing that you are a traditional fisherman.
8. Original invoice from the authorised dealer for the purchase of the outboard motor of 2HP to 5HP.

The endorsement of the motor's details on the Vessel Registration Certificate is the step most applicants underestimate. The Captain of Ports must record the engine on the certificate, and the engine number there has to match the invoice. Start that endorsement as soon as the motor is delivered.

How to apply for the outboard motor subsidy in Goa

1. Request the prescribed application form from the Department of Fisheries and pay the Rs 50 form charge.
2. Fill in all mandatory fields, paste a passport-sized photograph signed across if required, and sign the undertaking in the prescribed proforma.
3. Get the outboard motor endorsed on your Vessel Registration Certificate by the Captain of Ports.
4. Attach self-attested copies of the VRC with the motor endorsement, the River Gill Net Registration Certificate and Licence Certificate, the Aadhaar card, the caste or professional certificate, the mandate form with passbook, and the original dealer invoice.
5. Submit the file to the concerned authority at the Department of Fisheries, Dayanand Bandodkar Marg, Patto Colony, Panaji, Goa 403 521, or to the official posted at a BDO office or a sub-office of the Department of Fisheries.
6. Collect the acknowledgement carrying the inward number.

How is the subsidy paid and how do I follow it up?

The amount is credited to the bank account named in the mandate form once the claim is sanctioned. There is no online status tracker for this scheme, so follow-up is done at the office where the file was inwarded, quoting the inward number on the acknowledgement.

Before sanction the departmental officer normally verifies the motor physically against the invoice and the VRC endorsement. Keep the motor available for that inspection and do not sell or transfer it while the claim is pending.

Why applications get rejected

• Motor details not endorsed on the Vessel Registration Certificate. This is the most frequent single defect.
• Engine number on the invoice does not match the number recorded on the VRC.
• Motor outside the 2HP to 5HP band.
• Canoe not registered with the Captain of Ports, or measured at 26 feet or more on inspection.
• Five-year gap not completed since the previous sanction.
• Professional or caste certificate missing, so traditional fisherman status is not established.
• Invoice shows only a GST-inclusive value, preventing the notified unit cost base from being applied.

Where do I raise a grievance?

The Directorate of Fisheries names a Grievance Redressal Officer in its citizen charter. Complaints about a service or its standards can be registered with that officer, and can also be lodged by email at dir-fish.goa@nic.in. The charter commits to acknowledging every complaint and communicating the final action taken within 30 days.

Escalation beyond the department is through the Government of Goa public grievance facility at goaonline.gov.in.

Practical points before you buy

• Confirm the horsepower on the dealer's specification sheet, not on the marketing label. A motor sold as "5 horsepower class" that is rated 6HP will not clear the file.
• Ask for an invoice showing the pre-GST value and the engine number. Both lines matter.
• Budget for the whole purchase. The subsidy is a reimbursement of at most Rs 36,000, so the fisherman or a financing bank must fund the motor first.
• If you are also building or buying the canoe itself, the Goa scheme of financial assistance for a new fishing craft below 26 feet for inland waters is a separate subsidy with its own Rs 30,000 / Rs 36,000 ceiling and a 7-year cycle. The two can both be claimed, but only through separate applications.