In the two days that the House was in session, it didn’t transact much business with the exception of passing the Goa Appropriation Bill, 2021 authorising the government to withdraw Rs 775.48 cr from the consolidated fund towards defraying several charges for the financial year 2021-22, but it gave the government the opportunity to make some more promises to the people, or reiterate those already made.
For instance, the Chief Minister again said that 10,000 vacancies in various government departments would be filled by December 19 this year; that Goa’s market borrowing limit has been increased to Rs 3,200 crore but that the State has borrowed Rs 1,100 crore which is 34 per cent of the limit; that the government has managed to reduce the interest rate on loans to 8 per cent from 13 per cent and many loans have been cleared; that the government was able to submit utilisation certificates for all projects that were pending and that the Sanjivani Sugar Factory will not be shut but will now produce ethanol. The list is lengthier, but these are issues that are currently more relevant in the State.
With elections to the Legislative Assembly due in February next, the target to be met before the polls is to make Goa Corona free and ensure that all those eligible for the vaccine take both doses before the elections. The earlier target date of October 31, 2021 has been shifted as it would not be possible to meet it. That may well be what the government wants to achieve, but Goa expects more from the government. Of course on Independence Day there was the target of 100 projects that the government wants completed before Liberation Day, but it leaves much in other areas that need to be done.
It was obvious that the members of the House were aware that they will possibly not meet again this term with the Chief Minister and the Leader of the Opposition taking turns to address the House and recapping their roles. Both had short tenures in their respective posts. Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant coming to occupy the office of the chief minister in March 2019 and Digambar Kamat taking on the role of Leader of the Opposition in July of the same year. While the Chief Minister spoke of the tough task he had with the pandemic and fall in revenue due to the COVID restrictions also dwelt on the Swayampurna Goem initiative, the Opposition Leader attempted to explain the role of the opposition claiming they have ‘spoken bitterly against the government’.
Not many may agree with Kamat on the latter, as the opposition was seen to be rather weak in the House, often allowing the government to have its way without any discussion. The passage of the Bhumiputra Adhikarini Bill is a case in point, that was ultimately kept on hold after the people objected to it. A variety of issues that had been brought up by the people were not effectively addressed by the opposition, the three linear projects and the cutting of forest trees being one of them. In that respect the opposition has not had a very productive term and the last chance they had to prove their strength ended without they having roared one final time. In the House, the government did have it way, almost always.
