Grant of Financial Assistance to the School Going Children of Industrial Workers/Employees Studying in 1st to 4th Standard for Supply of One Set of Uniform

What is the Goa school uniform assistance for industrial workers?

Grant of Financial Assistance to the School Going Children of Industrial Workers or Employees Studying in 1st to 4th Standard for Supply of One Set of Uniform is Scheme II of the Goa Labour Welfare Board, an autonomous body under the Office of the Commissioner, Labour and Employment, Government of Goa.

The Board pays Rs 1,600 per student per annum so that an industrial worker's child in the first four standards gets one set of uniform; shorts or trousers and a shirt in the case of male children, and a frock in the case of female children.

The Goa Labour Welfare Board is governed by The Goa, Daman and Diu Labour Welfare Fund Act, 1986 and was set up in 1990. Its stated object is to provide financial assistance to industrial workers and their dependants, funded by contributions collected from employers and employees under that Act. Scheme II is one of a numbered series of Board schemes that also covers maternity benefit, medical assistance, education, marriage, tools, housing, pension, disability and disaster relief.

Key features

• Rs 1,600 per student per annum, paid to the worker for the purchase of one set of uniform.
• Only for children studying in the 1st to 4th standard in recognised, aided and private schools.
• The worker's salary must not exceed Rs 20,000 per month.
• The worker must have at least 6 months of continuous service on the date of submission.
• The application goes through the employer or through the school to the Secretary, Goa Labour Welfare Board.
• The due date is 30th September.

Who is eligible and who is not eligible?

You can apply if:

• You are an industrial worker or employee in Goa covered by the Goa, Daman and Diu Labour Welfare Fund Act, 1986.
• You have completed at least six months of continuous service on the date of submitting the application.
• Your salary does not exceed Rs 20,000 per month, including all allowances and perquisites allowed by the establishment but excluding bonus.
• Your son or daughter is studying in the 1st, 2nd, 3rd or 4th standard.
• The child studies in a recognised, aided or private school.

You cannot apply, or are not eligible, if:

• Your child studies in a Government school and is already supplied with uniforms by the Government of Goa every year. The scheme text is explicit that such children are not entitled to assistance from the Board.
• Your monthly salary exceeds Rs 20,000.
• You have less than six months of continuous service at the establishment.
• Your child is in the 5th standard or above, or below the 1st standard.
• You are employed in a position of supervision or management, or as casual or contract labour. Part II of the form asks the establishment to certify the worker as skilled or unskilled, manual or clerical labour "other than casual or contract otherwise than in position of supervision or management".
• Your application is incomplete, unsupported by the necessary documents, or submitted after 30th September, in which case it is liable to be rejected without any further correspondence.

How much do I get and how is the selection made?

The grant is Rs 1,600 per student per annum, and it is intended to be used towards the cost of purchasing one set of uniform for the child in respect of whom it is paid.

Because the Board's fund is finite, the scheme lays down an explicit selection criterion rather than paying every eligible applicant automatically:

1. Lowest income of the parents.
2. Lowest age within 5 years to 10 years for children of standards 1 to 4.
3. Preference to workers having not more than two children.

A worker at the bottom of the wage scale with one child in the 1st standard is therefore better placed than a worker near the Rs 20,000 line with four children, even though both are formally eligible.

What documents are required?

Part I of the form asks for the worker's name, residential address and contact number, the name and full address of the industrial establishment, the date from which employed, the average monthly income of the worker and the spouse and the total from all sources, the total number of children, the name and date of birth of the child, the class in which the child is studying, and the name and postal address of the school.

How to apply for the Goa uniform assistance

1. Obtain the prescribed Scheme-II form from the Goa Labour Welfare Board. The Board publishes its numbered schemes and forms on the Labour Department website at labour.goa.gov.in.
2. Fill Part I yourself, entering your employment and income details, the number of children you have, and the details of the one child for whom the assistance is claimed, including date of birth, standard and school address.
3. Get the certificate from the institution completed by the head of the school, confirming that the child is studying in that standard in the current academic year, and whether the student passed, was promoted or was detained in the same standard.
4. Get Part II certified by your establishment, which must state your serial number in the establishment's register, your nature of employment, that you have completed more than six months of continuous service, and your monthly wage including all allowances and perquisites but excluding bonus.
5. Attach the supporting documents: proof of the child's date of birth, salary proof, and, only if applicable, the Government Medical Officer's certificate for a physically handicapped student or the SC, ST or OBC certificate from the competent authority.
6. Sign the declaration, which is an undertaking that the particulars are correct and that you will refund the full amount forthwith if they are found incorrect.
7. Submit the application through your employer or through the school to the Secretary, Goa Labour Welfare Board, Sharma Shakti Bhavan, 4th Floor, Patto Plaza, Panaji-Goa, so that it reaches the Board on or before 30th September.

How do I check the status of my application?

The scheme runs entirely offline, so there is no online tracker. Follow up in two places. The first is the establishment, because the application is routed through the employer or the school and the acknowledgement usually sits with whoever forwarded it. The second is the Office of the Commissioner, Labour and Employment, on 0832-2437081, 0832-2437082 or 0832-2437083, or by email at com-labo[at]goa[dot]nic[dot]in. Keep a photocopy of the completed form with the school and employer certifications, since the file is identified by the worker's name and the establishment's register serial number.

Why uniform assistance applications get rejected

• Application received after 30th September, the stated due date.
• Incomplete form, especially Part II left uncertified by the establishment.
• Child in a Government school already receiving free uniforms from the Government of Goa.
• Salary above Rs 20,000 per month including allowances.
• Less than six months of continuous service on the date of submission.
• Child outside the 1st to 4th standard.
• No institution certificate from the head of the school.
• Ranked below other applicants on the selection criteria of lowest parental income, lowest age and not more than two children — a rejection that is not a finding of ineligibility, and worth reapplying against the following year.

The scheme also carries a recovery clause: if the worker is found to have secured the assistance by fraudulent means, the whole amount is recovered forthwith.

What else does the Goa Labour Welfare Board offer?

Scheme II sits inside a numbered series of Board schemes for industrial workers and their dependants, which includes maternity benefit, financial assistance for education, financial assistance for marriage, medical assistance, a grant for the purchase of tools, an advance for the purchase or construction of a house, pension and disability benefit, and interim relief for beneficiaries affected by disaster. A worker with a child above the 4th standard should look at the Board's education assistance scheme rather than this one.

Where to get help

• Office of the Commissioner, Labour and Employment, Goa, 2nd Floor, Sharma Shakti Bhavan, Patto Plaza, Panaji-Goa; 0832-2437081, 82, 83.
• Secretary, Goa Labour Welfare Board, Sharma Shakti Bhavan, 4th Floor, Patto Plaza, Panaji-Goa, who receives and decides the applications.
• labour.goa.gov.in, where the Board's numbered schemes and forms are published.

There is no fee to apply, and the application is routed through your employer or your child's school rather than through any agent.