Bhivpachi garaz na
As Goans are well aware, the States’ financial position is very precarious. So precarious, that the government does not even want to discuss it in the Assembly, let alone bring out a white paper on the situation.
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Here are some scary facts: The State is under a heavy debt burden of over Rs 18,000 crore, and since it cannot generate enough revenue, it has to borrow over Rs 100 crore every fortnight just to meet its expenses, and pay salaries.
There are no funds for urgent public needs, like helping those financially affected by the COVID pandemic, urgent infra works like road repairs, etc.
Yet, the following decisions were taken, for the privileged few: Increasing the budget to procure high-end cars for the CM and ministers; facelift for the Legislative Assembly at approximately Rs 7 crore; planning to build a new Raj Bhavan.
The examples present a scary and worrying reality about the priorities of our government. However, we can discard these facts, as our ‘dynamic’ CM had assured us time and time again with his favourite tagline ‘Bhivpachi garaz na’.
A Barreto, Verem
Tasks for tiger day
The ecosystem is boosted when tigers flourish because the latter are at the top of the food chain. There are 3900 tigers left in this world; the number may look meagre. However, considering the tiger count five years ago, and that the ‘big cats’ number in India has risen by more than 500 in the same period, one can fathom the efforts that are put into tiger preservation.
With 75 percent of the tiger population, India is seen as the ‘safest’ place for the big cat. Any tiger death is attributed to poaching unless proved otherwise. Tiger protection mechanism in the country has come a long way. The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) under ‘Project Tiger’ is seized of the task. But deaths outside tiger reserves remain a cause for anxiety. Tigers have lost lives when they have ventured out in search of water or habitat. The need for overbridges and underpasses is more pronounced now. ‘Tiger spots’ on the highway need focus because they need serious demarcation of territories, and crowded highways are impediments. Better conviction rates, increased patrolling, more camera traps, can pin the poachers. Villager-tiger coexistence mechanism should be stressed.
Ganapathi Bhat, Akola
Ripe home-grown vegetables
The chaplain of Deussua, along with the community’s support and enthusiastic parishioners, initiated to cultivate a lovely piece of land to bear vegetables and fruits in a strategic manner within the chapel’s boundaries – planting saplings of fruits and vegetables in coordination with local authorities. Actually it is much simpler than it sounds when one comes across such blessed ideas, they should not be isolated to parish landscapes, but we must make use of personal land and fields by forming a zone of five neighbouring houses to cultivate fruits and veggies in turns, investing on our own ancestral reserves – as we care and share.
If one walks across Sarzora, they will see that most of fields are growing wild without any crops cultivated for years after past and current generations having lost interest due to lack of labour, support or ideas. As said, nature takes a toll on the soil as the elements actively dry it into a crust. Cultivating breaks up the crusty soil surface allowing for a much easier penetration of air, nutrients and water deep into the soil where plant roots can gain access to them. One of the biggest noises among Goans recently is, let’s protect our beautiful environment, why then not keep alive what we proudly own? Does it make sense?
Gaston Dias, Sarzora
Sustainability of social welfare
The Central government suspended the subsidy on liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) during the lockdown despite the fact that oil prices are not high. In fact, since most citizens are facing a tough economic situation during the pandemic, it was the duty of the government to assist the people by crediting subsidy in LPG to the bank account of the citizens. The central government is being particularly hard on those people who have lost their jobs and do not have resources on which to rely on.
The government of Goa is also caught up in an economic quagmire because of the pandemic and a large portion of the State’s finances are supposed to be diverted to medical facilities for COVID positive patients which has now reached proportions that are higher than the national averages, be it infection rate as well as death rate. How is the Goa government going to honour payments for its social welfare schemes such as the Griha Aadhaar, Dayanand Social Welfare scheme as well as Laadli Laxmi?
If the government has genuine financial status of all applicants, then it would be prudent for the government to credit to those that most need it in accordance with their economic status. It would be unfair if the Goa government fails to credit payment to all those who have applied and have been allotted these schemes. I hope that the government does not suspend the blanket payment of those social welfare schemes as it would adversely affect those vulnerable sections, especially since the price of food articles have registered a minimum of 30 to 40 per cent increase during the monsoon. The government cannot back track on its commitment to the people at this time when the going is tough. I have come across certain beneficiaries of Griha Aadhar scheme whose quota has not been credited in the bank in time.
The festive season is also round the corner and people should not be left in the lurch. It is unlikely that COVID-19 will beat a hasty retreat.
Stephen Dias, Dona Paula
Provide free education for COVID victim’s kids
The decision of providing free of cost education to daughters and sons of COVID deceased for two academic sessions appears to be a good initiative of a university in Orissa. It is a challenging circumstance for a household that has lost its member in this pandemic to continue to provide for higher education of their children. Governments and private institutions of the country should bring this type of initiative and help the pandemic-hit families to sustain children’s education.
Amit Singh Kushwaha, Satna (M.P.)
Follow the religion of humanity
Doctors, nurses and other medical staff belonging to different religions are seen unitedly working hard to save the lives of all those (irrespective of caste, creed and religion) infected with the coronavirus all over India. But it’s a shame to see a few divisive individuals still trying to create divisions in society spreading communal hatred against our own people by treating this country like their personal property and fighting for religious supremacy.
In fact, they are seen abusing the minorities with allegations and even branding them not just as converts but also as anti-nationals for following the religion of their choice in this country? Is it a crime for those living here to practice and follow the religion of one’s own choice in today’s new India? Looks like some individuals have not learnt their lessons even after witnessing the deaths of lakhs of people belonging to their own religion during the ongoing pandemic.
When will these people really learn to follow the religion of humanity? I feel that these individuals need to learn to spread the religion of humanity.
Jerry Fernandes, Saligao
