PM Narendra Modi recently lauded the state for its achievement in toilet coverage, cent percent
electrification and the great effort for “Har Ghar Jal” campaign and also its
efforts to provide rations to poor families, free gas cylinders and expansion
of the Kisan Credit Card. All very good but concerns have been raised by
industry on the effects on Brand Goa due to the corruption and the general
unease of doing business in the state. Did the curfews that were imposed result
in the industry getting hit? Was it overdone? Businessmen and women had much to
say about this.
Damodar Kochkar President, Goa State
Industries Association was blunt in his assessment of the situation. He said “Of
course industry is getting hit because corruption is there. The freedom that is
present at the central level is not here at the state level. A lot of reforms
are required, I believe all the services to help start a business should go
online. The contact between a civil servant and the industry should be at the
very minimum”. He said if this was done corruption would stop and transparency
would come into the process. All the data was available online and technology
was now available to sign digitally and it was not necessary to leave the
office. It was important, he said, to have infrastructure to support such
initiatives. With regards to internet connectivity, he said the industry was
talking about this for ten years but nothing had changed. Small incremental
changes were made which meant nothing in the bigger picture. He ended by saying
the entire sops had to be clear and this would slowly help change the general
perception of Brand Goa.
Nupura Hautamaki a digital marketing consultant said it was
important to have new experiences in Goa, that were managed well, in the sense,
good infrastructure like parking, clean toilets etc. she felt the curfew was
under done, but hardly implemented since every 2nd place was not totally
following the SOPs. She said “If they enforced border checking’s of tests,
proper quarantine facilities, ensuring businesses here follow Covid SOPs
properly or faced heavy fines, implemented strictly the masks and social
distancing rules with hefty fines, we could have probably avoided the 2nd wave.
And lastly, brand Goa definitely needs ease of doing business, as well as a
responsible government that supports especially the arts & cultural events
sector without having to pay heavy bribes for these kinds of gatherings for
permissions etc, which attract a good quality of audiences’ ‘.
Sandip Bhandare President GCCI said if one had to build the
brand, advertising would have to be secondary in the entire exercise. He cited
the example of Telengana where the minister in charge of industry spoke to a
businessman in Kerala and invited him over to check his state and its
facilities. The President said the enthusiasm of the minister was matched by
the spirit shown by the administration on the ground. He went on to say the
businessman was treated with respect and all his concerns were addressed. It
ended with him making a substantial investment in the state and a promise to
hire 80 percent local staff and a majority of them women. He contrasted this
with Goa where the minister may have the motivation but the personnel down the
line would have their own interests and would spend their time creating
obstacles. He said “Can we guarantee clearances from all the departments in a
month. We need to sort that out first.”
Maria Victor who operates in the tourism industry felt that in
order to build brand Goa back it would be important to support local businesses
and encourage entrepreneurship. She said “It is necessary to support
entrepreneurs of Goa during the difficult time of the pandemic where businesses
have suffered. The fact that entrepreneurs of Goa have not only survived but
have fought hard to stay relevant is a big deal and needs to be acknowledged
and supported by the Government financially, through subsidies and financial
rebates”.
Rajesh Jog Chairman & Managing Partner of Waygate Capital
was of the opinion that Goan industry, while having the potential for
exponential growth in non-polluting sectors, had unfortunately remained
stifled. This was due to a combination of poor policy and unbridled corruption.
Goa, he said needed to do much more in reassuring investors and rebuilding
confidence. He said “ This will take a massive image campaign and some dramatic
policy changes. Are we ready for this? Are all stakeholders aligned? At least
tourism industry can be given a fillip with relaxing lockdown norms and
becoming more consistent with policy. We should be attracting newer types of
domestic tourists whose needs are quite different from earlier tourists. Goa
should aim for inviting education, media and entertainment, technology
start-ups to the state by offering incentives. We could look at 20% growth if
these are put into place. Brand Goa needs to be revived with a combination of
policy and better communications!”
Jason Fernandes, one of the young guns in the IT world felt the
government had not really done much to make it easy to do business in Goa
particularly for those operating in the travel and tourism sector. Covid has
deeply impacted this industry and it would not be a bad idea for the government
to proactively promote responsible tourism. He felt Goa’s brand was not simply
tourism. Increasingly Covid had resulted in many tech workers choosing to work
from home in Goa. He said “This is an area that the government has not done
anything to target specifically. Better internet and phone connectivity could
make Goa the premier WFH destination and the government should embrace this
option as tourism dollars dry up in the state”.
Perhaps an alternate view was presented by Kulashekar Kantipudi
who felt perhaps one should stop focusing on Brand Goa and focus on the reality
on the ground. He said “Focus on how most of us are affected and difficulty in
earning a Simple honest living. Forget about the rich and powerful, they will
manage No matter what. I am more concerned about our elderly and our youngsters
who are looking for decent jobs. Yes Yes I know today the buzz word is
entrepreneurship and startups. With 32 years of experience I can tell you
Entrepreneurship is not everyone’s Cup of tea. We as a society, it is our
responsibility to create honest and fair business practices, not just
businesses, industry , government but also We the people. Otherwise only a few
people will take Control of the Society. We and Our Children will be at their
Mercy”. Interesting viewpoint, perhaps by following this part, it will help
build brand Goa.
It
is without a doubt that this course does not seem to be going anywhere. A clear
vision followed by focused implementation is the only way to help the state
move ahead. Otherwise the future is too dark to contemplate.
