Team Goemkarponn
Porvorim: In a bid to reinforce fiscal discipline, the Goa government has announced a strategic plan to reduce reliance on market borrowings over the current and upcoming financial years. The initiative is aimed at lowering the State’s debt-to-GDP ratio and ensuring long-term financial stability.
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, speaking during the Budget discussion in the Assembly on Wednesday, said that although the State had a borrowing limit of ₹4,100 crore last year, it opted to raise only ₹1,050 crore. “We are keeping our borrowings in check. We don’t want to leave behind a financial burden for future governments, which will also be ours,” he said, adding that ₹440.58 crore of the borrowed amount was directed towards capital investment.
Sawant highlighted the improvement in the State’s fiscal indicators, noting that the fiscal deficit had declined from 2.5% of the Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) in 2018-19 to 1.2% in 2022-23. He further said that Goa achieved a revenue surplus in three of the last five years, with the highest surplus recorded in 2022-23.
On employment, Sawant announced that nearly 2,500 government vacancies will soon be advertised. He assured transparency in recruitment through the Goa Staff Selection Commission (GSSC) and revealed that a one-year work experience certificate will now be mandatory for candidates applying for Multi-Tasking Staff (MTS) and Lower Division Clerk (LDC) posts.
Promoting early preparation for competitive exams, the Chief Minister said Goan students must be encouraged to begin training at a younger age. “Students in Bihar start preparing for IAS from Class VIII. If our students begin early, they can crack the GPSC, UPSC, and other national-level exams,” he said.
On tourism, Sawant denied any drop in tourist footfall, a claim challenged by opposition MLAs including Goa Forward’s Vijai Sardesai, who cited remarks made by Transport Minister Mauvin Godinho and BJP MLA Michael Lobo acknowledging a dip in arrivals. The Chief Minister admitted that high weekend airfares were inflating hotel prices and said he would request the GST Council to consider a reduction in hotel taxes.
Sawant also announced that the Goa government had blacklisted a contractor and dropped RITES Ltd from future projects, citing manipulation in the assessment of faulty road works. He said non-performing contractors had been issued show-cause notices.
Responding to Leader of Opposition Yuri Alemao’s concerns, Sawant reiterated the government’s commitment to restarting iron ore mining. However, he admitted that dump auctions were delayed due to technical reasons. Alemao claimed the State had incurred a ₹15,000 crore loss since the mining shutdown in 2012 and criticised the lack of transparency.
Alemao also raised alarms about uncontrolled real estate growth and the absence of a land carrying capacity study. On social harmony, he said minorities in Goa and India felt insecure, pointing out that Goan Catholics were labelled as Portuguese loyalists, Indian Muslims as Pakistan supporters, and Indian Catholics as pro-Rome.
Addressing the long-pending issue of the Sanjivani Sugar Factory, Sawant assured that a new tender to set up an ethanol plant would be floated within a month. He acknowledged that two earlier tenders failed to attract bidders but confirmed that farmers would be encouraged to grow sugarcane, and the government would buy it.
To empower women in the private workforce, the government is preparing a 50% concession scheme on public transport fares. The Labour and Transport departments are jointly working on the proposal, which is aimed at supporting working women.
