Team Goemkarponn
Panaji: The Goa Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) has strongly condemned the Union Budget 2026–27, alleging that Goa has been completely ignored and financially short-changed despite claims by Chief Minister Pramod Sawant that the Budget is “visionary, people-centric and growth-oriented.”
In a sharp statement, the Congress said the Chief Minister himself has admitted that Goa will receive ₹5,570.83 crore as tax devolution in FY 2026–27, stressing that tax devolution is a constitutional entitlement and not a special package or generosity by the Centre. The party asserted that not a single rupee in this amount reflects a Goa-specific decision in the Union Budget.
The GPCC pointed out that on January 11, 2026, the Chief Minister had personally demanded a special package of ₹4,000 crore for Goa from the Union Government, but the Budget response was “zero.” The party said there was no special package, no sector-specific allocation and no acknowledgement of Goa’s unique challenges as a coastal, tourism-dependent and ecologically sensitive state.
The Congress also dismissed claims of ₹3,000–₹4,000 crore for road infrastructure, stating that these figures pertain to ongoing national highway projects and not to any new announcements or commitments made in the Budget. It added that no fresh Goa-specific infrastructure project was announced in the Budget speech.
According to the GPCC, the Union Budget ignored several key demands raised by the state, including ₹700 crore for tourism-linked infrastructure, ₹600 crore for coastal erosion and flood mitigation, ₹300 crore for healthcare strengthening, ₹160 crore for Margao railway station redevelopment, ₹1,000 crore for an industrial corridor and ₹500 crore for the proposed Kushavati district.
The party further criticised the outcome of the 16th Finance Commission for Goa, stating that against a consolidated demand of ₹3,600 crore, the state has been allotted only ₹1,049 crore for five years, translating to about ₹210 crore per year. It also highlighted that panchayat funding has been reduced from ₹368 crore to ₹174 crore, which it said would weaken grassroots governance.
While the Chief Minister has praised national schemes related to tourism skilling, blue economy, MSMEs and agriculture, the Congress noted that there is no Goa-specific allocation for cashew farmers, coconut growers, fishermen, tourism workers or Goan youth. It remarked that training without infrastructure and vision without funding cannot secure Goa’s future.
The GPCC also criticised the retention of states’ tax share at 41 per cent, despite Goa’s demand for an increase to 50 per cent, alleging that small and efficient states are being systematically penalised under BJP rule.
“Goa today has a BJP Chief Minister, BJP MPs, BJP ministers and a BJP government at the Centre. Yet this so-called double-engine sarkar has delivered double betrayal and zero delivery,” the statement said.
Reiterating its stand, the Goa Congress said it will continue to fight for fair devolution, special recognition for tourism and coastal states, and accountability from what it termed a headline-driven government. “Vision without funds is not governance. For Goa, this Union Budget is a story of neglect, not development,” the party said.
