Team Goemkarponn
CANACONA: Panchayat Minister Mauvin Godinho has said that village panchayats in Goa have become proactive in utilising government grants and are now demanding additional funds for development works.
Speaking at the inauguration of the renovated Panchayat Ghar of VP Poinguinim, Godinho noted that earlier many panchayats failed to spend allocated funds, stalling further projects. “Now, after submitting utilisation certificates, panchayats are seeking more funds, and the government is extending them,” he said.
He also announced a grant of ₹5 crore for panchayats without a panchayat house and reiterated that the government’s policy to legalise illegal houses would benefit 90% of Goans. He criticised opposition MLAs for “opposing for the sake of opposing” and for spreading misinformation among the public.
Praising Speaker and Canacona MLA Ramesh Tawadkar, Godinho lauded his contributions to the tribal community. Tawadkar, in his address, said that by 2035 no youth in Canacona would remain unemployed, citing development projects including ₹200 crore worth of underground power line works and upgrades to local infrastructure such as the Kolyabandh at Poinguinim.
The event also saw the felicitation of former sarpanchas of Poinguinim Panchayat, including posthumous honours for late leaders, in recognition of their service since 1963. Among those felicitated were Shantaram Bhat, Kashibai Painginkar, Leao Viegas, Prabhakar Painginkar, Jagdish Acharya, Ulhas Naik, Ditroz Barretto, Peter Godinho, Janardan Bhandari, Mrunali Namashikar, Tejaswini Daykar, Govind alias Mahesh Naik, Vallabh Tengse, Ramdas Pujari, Tulshidas Naik and Jagdish Gaonkar.
Those acknowledged for their efforts in the panchayat building’s renovation included BDO Vipin Prabhugaokar, Engineer Bhiwa Velip, and Panchayat Secretary Rajiv Naik Gaonkar. Sarpanch Savita Tawadkar welcomed the gathering and reviewed recent developmental works in the village.
