AERIAL VIEW
Consequently, all those who had applied for and were granted the benefit suddenly saw their easy monthly instalments recalculated according to the prevailing bank rate without any subsidy from the government.
The government also refused to entertain objections/representations from the employees, claiming that it was final but allowing the employees to transfer the load to a financial institution.
In effect, the government employees who were repaying their housing loans at 2% per annum are now liable to pay an interest rate of 10.20% per annum.
SURAJ NANDREKAR
Editor, Goemkapronn
The Chief Minister, Dr Pramod Sawant, made a mockery of himself today while launching the BJP Manifesto for the 2022 Assembly polls when he announced housing for all with an interest rate of 2 per cent.
Mr Sawant, is this some kind of a joke? It was your government that, in 2021, scrapped the Goa House Allowance Allowance Scheme for government employees after withdrawing the bank guarantee given to the Bank of India.
The decision was taken following the funds’ crunch the State was facing.
Consequently, all those who had applied for and were granted the benefit suddenly saw their easy monthly instalments recalculated according to the prevailing bank rate without any subsidy from the government.
The government also refused to entertain objections/representations from the employees, claiming that it was final but allowing the employees to transfer the load to a financial institution.
In effect, the government employees who were repaying their housing loans at 2% per annum are now liable to pay an interest rate of 10.20% per annum.
The Goa government, however, stuck to its guns despite the demands. Chief minister Pramod Sawant had defended the decision, saying the scheme was essentially “complicated” but hastened to add that the government would come out with a one-time settlement scheme for those unable to pay their dues.
About 400 Goa government employees approached the high court over the state government’s decision to “arbitrarily and unreasonably” withdraw House Building Allowance (HBA) scheme.
Soon after a few months, Sawant re-introduced the scheme with the intention to gain the votes of government servants.
Now with the Assembly Elections just around the corner, Sawant has done a U-turn on his earlier stand and has introduced the same scheme for entire Goans by providing free housing plots and loans @2 per cent for women and @4 per cent for men.
One wonders whether this is just another poll jumla of the Sawant government? How would he manage it for lakhs of Goans if he could not continue the scheme for a few thousand government employees?
What is the guarantee that the housing scheme, considered even if it is launched, would not be scrapped in the middle, leaving people in a lurch?
Over and above the 2 per cent interest rate, the BJP has promised to give plots to needy people. The “needy persons” and whether plots would be given free have not been specified.
So in all, it’s a vague statement of giving free plots and loans for houses that needs to be taken with a pinch of salt.
Apart from this, the BJP has made a long list of assurances to the voters in Goa, like the mining resumption.
If mining has not started in the last four years, it surely won’t start in the next six months, Mr Sawant…
Even if the blocks are auctioned, the Environmental clearances of all leases have expired and will take at least one and half years to go through the process.
The manifesto makes no mention of Mhadei, three linear projects, casinos and revenue generation.
So in all, the BJP manifesto is an OLD WINE IN THE NEW BOTTLE…
