Team Goemkarponn
PANAJI: Leader of Opposition Yuri Alemao on Tuesday criticised the government while replying to the State Budget, alleging failure in debt management, employment generation, health administration and tourism promotion. He claimed that instead of addressing core issues, the government was focusing on events that only serve as avenues to drain the State exchequer.
Alemao said the government has failed to manage and repay debt, adding that there have been violations of the Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management Act (FRBM Act). He pointed out that Goa’s public debt has crossed ₹35,000 crore and has doubled over the last decade. According to him, interest payments, salaries, pensions, freebies and other fixed commitments together consume nearly 54 paisa out of every rupee earned by the State.
He also accused the government of lacking clarity on employment figures. Alemao questioned the effectiveness of the Goa Investment Promotion Board, stating that although several projects have been approved, many remain in cold storage. “How many Goans are actually employed in industries?” he asked.
Referring to provisions for new schemes in the budget, the opposition leader described them as “peanuts and chicken-feed,” particularly pointing to the subsidy announced for MSMEs. He added that merely renaming a department as the Department of MSME amounted to tokenism.
On the health sector, Alemao alleged that services have “completely collapsed,” claiming that Primary Health Centres are disconnected from essential facilities and that the government has failed to provide basic infrastructure.
Turning to tourism, he said Goa’s identity of sun, sea, serenity, forests, food and music has been reduced mainly to nightlife and casinos. Alemao also noted that international tourist arrivals remain significantly below pre-pandemic levels and raised concerns over safety and inadequate promotion of the state.
Highlighting road safety, Alemao described Goa as a “death capital” due to the rising number of accidents. He stressed that urgent measures were required to address the issue.
He further warned against attempts by certain groups to disturb social harmony in the state. “Goans celebrate festivals together, but some non-state actors are trying to disturb our unity. Heritage is our identity and it must be preserved,” he said.
Concluding his remarks, Alemao warned that Goa’s happiness index is under threat. “Actually, the frustration index is increasing in the state,” he added.
