02 May 2024  |   06:28am IST

A pencil attracts 18% GST, while for diamonds it is only 5%: Viriato

Capt Viriato launched an eco-political poll offensive on BJP, recounting ‘failed promises’; said ‘black coal’ is being brought to the country via Goa, at the cost of its environment and people’s health

Team Herald

ZUARINAGAR: With less than four days of campaigning left, South Goa Congress candidate backed by the INDIA alliance, Captain Viriato Fernandes, brought in more than a touch of eco-politics, in the mixed demographics of the Zuarinagar belt.

Fernandes cited the example of how a common item like a pencil is subjected to an 18 percent (GST), while diamonds attract only a five percent GST.

Fernandes recalled that Goa itself leads the unemployment lists among States, as per information provided by Niti Aayog, which the government chose to discredit instead.

Fernandes said “black coal is being brought to the country via Goa, at the cost of Goa’s environment and the health of the local populace, which he warned will have far-reaching consequences.

Furthermore, Fernandes stated that the Central government is keeping quiet about other issues that will affect Goa after the elections, such as the implementation of the Major Port Authority Act, after having already nationalised all of Goa’s rivers.