Team Goemkarponn
PANAJI: The Goa Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) has alleged financial irregularities in the expenditure incurred for the Prerana Din celebration held at Ambaulim in Quepem on May 25, 2026, claiming that ₹4.40 crore was reportedly spent on the single-day event.
Addressing a press conference at Congress House in Panaji, GPCC Media and Publicity Department Chairman Amarnath Panjikar questioned the expenditure claimed by the Directorate of Tribal Welfare under Tribal Welfare Minister Ramesh Tawadkar. He alleged that several bills appeared substantially inflated and demanded an independent audit to establish whether public funds had been utilised appropriately.
Panjikar presented a list of expenditure items that, according to Congress, warranted scrutiny. These included ₹59.75 lakh for food and refreshments, ₹33 lakh for transport, ₹28 lakh for audio-visual production, ₹24 lakh for media promotion and ₹22.50 lakh for printing and branding.
Other amounts highlighted by the party included ₹18.50 lakh for an outdoor German pagoda, ₹7 lakh for sound arrangements, ₹6.50 lakh each for production and lighting, ₹5.50 lakh for a generator, ₹4.45 lakh for LED arrangements and ₹3.70 lakh for press conference arrangements.
Congress also questioned the reported expenditure on hospitality, stage setting, seating, photography, manpower, housekeeping, venue charges and other event-related services.
Panjikar said the government should disclose the complete expenditure statement, original bills, quotations, work orders, vendor details, payment records and documentation establishing that the services billed were actually delivered.
He particularly questioned the amounts reportedly spent on food, transport, audio-visual production and media promotion, arguing that the expenditure required detailed verification against the quantities procured and prevailing market rates.
The Congress leader alleged that funds earmarked for tribal welfare and development must not be spent without adequate transparency and accountability. He also questioned whether such substantial expenditure on a single-day celebration could be justified while tribal communities continued to face challenges relating to land protection, constitutional safeguards and development.
The GPCC demanded that the state government publish the complete expenditure details for Prerana Din, commission an independent audit of the procurement and payments, investigate the alleged overpricing and fix responsibility if any irregularities were established.
Panjikar called upon Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and Tribal Welfare Minister Ramesh Tawadkar to clarify who prepared the estimates, selected the vendors, verified the bills and authorised the payments. He also sought clarification on whether competitive quotations had been obtained for the services.
Congress stated that it would continue to pursue the issue and demand that funds allocated for Goa’s Scheduled Tribe communities be utilised transparently and for their intended welfare purposes.
Goa Pradesh Adivasi Congress President Ramkrishna Jalmi, Satyawan Talwadkar and ST leader Chanda Velip were also present at the press conference.
The allegations were raised by the Congress during the press conference. An independent audit or official findings establishing financial irregularities were not cited in the statement.
