04 Jan 2021  |   05:20am IST

From a year of learning to a year of hope

Last year people queued up to buy groceries and medicines while maintaining social distancing. The situation today is no different except for a few who have taken this new norm as a way of life. There is however hope that a vaccine could turn the tide and bring back normalcy of pre-COVID-19 days. 2020 was overall a traumatic year. All were sailing in the same boat helping each other keep afloat. VIKANT SAHAY asked business leaders in different sectors in Goa what they expect from this year and below is what they had to say

VIKANT SAHAY

For us at Sevarat, the emphasis is on health, sustenance, frugality, focus and creativity for individuals as well as organisations. Globally, values and priorities have changed in general. With the focus being on Healthcare globally, 2021 may be the most opportune year for us. I expect a higher growth rate of the home healthcare sector given the constraints and risks associated with hospitalisation especially for senior citizens. Overall, there is tremendous positive vibe about the year 2021 in terms of taking the market by storm, seeking new investments, hiring a bigger team and expanding geographically. Personally too, for me, this year is more about concentrating on health, pursuing creative interests, and exploring new avenues to contribute to society. The year 2020 has taught us a lot of lessons, so we are geared to take on 2021 with determination to grow

– Rohini Gonsalves, Founder and MD, Sevarat Healthcare and Nursing Pvt Ltd

 

Expectations from 2021 are positive. COVID-19 will further accelerate blockchain transition. We will see a reorientation of the various blockchain projects.  Our expectations for 2021 are that it will be an even better year for Bitcoin and other cryptos. With so much uncertainty in the market and being largely unaffected by external factors like government policy thanks to its decentralized nature, Bitcoin has proven itself to be a ‘valuable form of digital gold’, qualifying itself as one of the strongest players in the digital currency world. As we enter 2021 and adept to a new normal, social distancing and cashless transactions may further set the stage for crypto currencies. For the upcoming year, I really wish for things to mould in a better way and for everyone to remain safe and healthy. 

 

we will be looking forward to expanding our footprints into decentralised finance and will be looking forward to adding new products in our menu

– 

 

Farheen Sayed, crypto and forex trader.

At the moment there still hangs the gloom of uncertainty in every section as the COVID-19 is yet to be neutralised or contained in the form vaccination so to predict or speculate is not a practical approach. Cashew industry will not be very vibrant but it will have steady growth in consumption. The Goa market will be promising and India market is still to be watched. Looking forward for a healthy year 2021

– Siddharth Zantye, Director, Zantye Cashew Industries

I expect trustworthy partnership between Government, industry bodies, NGO’s and citizens at large to transform this already beautiful Goa into a more inclusive and sustainable destination for manufacturing, mining, tourism, IT and other industries which could create more jobs for locals, earn more revenue for the state at the same time uplift and protect our natural resources and beautiful nature for future generations. We expect more successful Goans with integrity, inclusiveness and passion to come forward to partner with Government to create trustful, corruption-free and prosperous Goa. At the same time all citizens must contribute in whichever way possible, to keep our Goa clean, safe, healthy and prosperous

– Damodar Kochkar, President, GSIA

Hygiene will continue to remain of utmost importance in all service areas. Unique dining experiences in opens spaces and alfresco areas will be the preferred choice. Wellness Retreats focusing on holistic wellbeing and curated experiences connecting back to nature will lead the way in the times ahead. At IHCL, Goa we are acquiring many new properties which are in the pipeline. amã Stays & Trails is India’s first branded homestay product, currently we have three properties in Goa and will be further expanding the presence with the introduction of four new villas by the end of December. We are also working towards expanding Ginger in Goa this year. IHCL has the highest inventory in Goa with over 1500 rooms, keeping us ahead of the race with the complete spectrum of brands - Taj, SeleQtions, Vivanta, Ginger and amã Stays & Trails

– Vincent Ramos, Area Director – IHCL, Goa and GM - Taj Hotel and Convention Centre, Goa

With 2020 having affected most of the people very badly it is but evident that 2021 is looked at with great expectations from one and all. Primary being the year should bring safe health for all with vaccination against the COVID-19 pandemic. Secondly, the economy which is showing green shoots of revival has to accelerate to pre-COVID times and beyond so that all lost jobs are reinstated and all entrepreneurs are back to financial safety. The industrial sector go full throttle across all sectors and demand generations has to be triggered by government policies. In a nutshell, there cannot be anything worse than the year gone by hence 2021 will definitely bring back a smile on all faces is the primary and basic expectation

– Manoj Caculo, President, GCCI

We are hoping to recover all that we lost this year in 2021, however with so many travel restrictions in place, the situation is still very uncertain and we aren't sure how things will play out in the coming here. We're hoping for the best

– Joe Viegas, Proprietor, 

Joeys Car Rentals

With the bar for 2020 set so low, there is hope, expectation and optimism for the coming year. As beacons of the industry we acknowledge that our presence and leadership will be crucial in sheperding the industry in the right direction in the immediate future. Realigning our focus to create higher benchmarks with regard to packaging, quality of produce, artistry of production and value for the stakeholders is something of paramount importance that we are already working on. This year we intend to revive and bring focus on coconut feni and its other expressions

– Hansel Vaz, Founder, Cazulo Premium Feni and Fazenda Cazulo

2021 will be a year of implementation, and we are confident that the year 2021 will give us many new opportunities in terms of expansion. Many projects that remained incomplete in the year 2020 will be seen completed in 2021. Huge investments are being made in Infrastructure, Health, and IT. Tourism will bloom. 2021 will reset people's way of doing business. Innovation and Technology will drive growth in every field. This will be phenomenal for the upcoming entrepreneurs. Also, this will be the right time to scale up the existing business. Let us look forward together to the year of revolution

– Anirudha Walawalkar, Managing Partner, FPAglobal

Looking forward to a future with new normal, where virtual meetings and events will be the order of the day. Where technology will be king, disruptions very common necessitating focus on speed, innovation and adaptation. At EP Kamat Group, we are looking forward to our IPO, a step to achieve explosive growth. At BNI, we are geared to substantially expand network and boost business for the BNI entrepreneurs. Doors have been opened for business beyond borders, not only in India but overseas as well. At BNI we look forward to getting back to personal meeting mode in the next 4-5 months and a thrust to exports on the EP front. Vibrant Goa is gearing itself for the second edition in October 21 in a totally new avatar combining the best possibility of offline as well as online technologies

– Rajkumar Kamat, Founder, Director, EP Kamat Group and ED, BNI, Goa

The year 2020 has been a forgettable year for the event industry, going forward the industry is looking at 2021 with cautious optimism. Understanding, it can never be the same again the industry believes that things can be slowly returning back to normal, destination weddings will happen, MICE events will happen, provided the vaccine happens. SOP’s need to be loosened, hopefully there will be more ‘Muhurats’ for weddings. Things will heat up in the second half of 2021 after the monsoon, giving much needed relief to the industry. Surely people will travel and organize events with a vengeance and things will be back to normal

– Shyam Haridas, Director, Lucros Event Management

My personal expectation from the Industry as well as the Government and Administration is that we singularly and collectively need to take a proper cue, from the learnings of this huge COVID-19 crisis. While the Industry focus’ on environment sustainable innovations, preserving our natural resources and yet generating employment opportunities, the administration needs to ensure a highly supportive and conducive environment to the Industry in this direction, instead of creating more and more bureaucratic encumbrances. I sincerely look forward to Industry – administration partnerships in all spheres. One of mutual trust and respect

– Pradip Antonio Peregrino da Costa, President, Verna Industries Association (VIA)

The trends in the share market and the resumption of tourism and other services are the visible green shoots in the economy. India is emerging as a pharmacy of the world. We have entered 2021 with renewed hope of an early vaccine and knowing that the worst is behind us. For me, 2021 is a sunny day following a cloudy and stormy night. It is a fresh white canvas to start all over again. Lost human lives cannot be regained but I am confident that not only will we make up for the economic loss that we have suffered but the coming year would be a start of prosperous decade for India

– Sandip Bhandare, Ex-President, GCCI

Uncertainty is a bane for humans, let alone a business or an economy. As the pandemic looks to end with the promise of a vaccine, one can only hope that normalcy is restored in the nation and globally so that everyone can go about rebuilding their lives. The expectation is that we will again revert to a free world where travel, communications are unhindered and business activities can go back to restore normalcy and put ourselves on the growth path once again. This life of living from circulars to circulars and overt digitisation with negligible human contact was a good answer to challenges posed by the pandemic. The expectation for 2021 is for life to be more near normal to pre-COVID-19 levels. Growing economy and robust all-inclusive growth, freedom to travel, import and export in order to meet everyone’s aspirations is hope and expectation from 2021. Small businesses and the informal sector and the marginalised can once again look to living their lives a bit more comfortably, in 2021

– D G Tripathi, 

President, Tulip Diagnostics (P) Ltd