Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Thursday said that as per the Reserve Bank of India, Goa has taken minimum loans till date in the entire country. The CM made this statement while replying to queries raised by the Opposition on Goa Appropriation Bill. The Goa Legislative Assembly passed the Goa Appropriation Bill 2021, in the Assembly on Thursday, January 28. The Supplementary demands for grants for the year 2020-21 (second batch) of Rs 774.47 crore was presented to the Legislative Assembly and passed. The Bill is introduced in pursuance of Article 204 read with Article 205 of the Constitution of India to provide for appropriation of certain further sums from and out of consolidated funds of the State of Goa, to meet the expenditure on certain services, granted by the Legislative Assembly for those services, during the Financial Year 2020-21. The CM said that in the entire country, Goa takes minimum loans as per RBI. He added that the State’s total debts are Rs 18,800 crore. He added that the State had to borrow due to the COVID pandemic and subsidies in power etc. “Today, with even a Rs 10 paise increase in power bills, people make a huge issue. Hence there is no option rather than borrowing,” he said, while adding “We will not need to take loans next year”. Earlier, Porvorim MLA Rohan Khaunte tore into the government for post facto approvals at the Cabinet meetings for expenditure. He also alleged scam in Mopa construction license fee waiver to GMR. “The government has waived Rs 40 crore for construction licence. Only Rs 9 crore taken as license fee, which is a bad precedent,” he said.
