A medical insurance scheme and a hostel are what the Members of the Goa Legislative Assembly can look forward to. On Goa Legislators Day, Speaker Pramod Sawant informed the MLAs past and present that an insurance scheme is being contemplated and the land for a hostel is being identified. The reason why the medical insurance scheme was brought up, was because MLAs raised concerns on delays in reimbursement of medical bills. And what was learnt was that the largest expenditure of the Legislative Assembly is meeting the medical bills of the former and current MLAs and their dependents. Taking the expenditure into consideration, a medical insurance will definitely reduce the burden on the Legislature.
While the Speaker spoke of this, past MLAs were critical of the manner in which the government handled the Mhadei water diversion issue, with former MLA Nirmala Sawant saying that the government’s attitude that appears to be ‘nothing is going to happen’ needs to be changed and former Union minister Ramakant Khalap suggesting that the State should challenge the tribunal’s decision. Other issues discussed by the MLAs were the Alvara land, sale of agriculture land, education, removal of casinos. None of the MLAs felt the need to discuss the subject of increasing the number of days that the Assembly should meet during a calendar year. The focus was the medical expenditure.
It is 55 years since the Goa Legislative Assembly met for the first time. It was on January 9, 1964 that the 28 MLAs-elect from Goa and one each from Daman and Diu took oath and the Assembly was constituted. Five and a half decades later, the Assembly has grown to 40 members, but the concerns of the MLAs do not appear to have grown, but seem to be rather limited to their personal well being. The Legislators Day meet, where past and present MLAs come together should be taken as an opportunity to discuss issues concerning Goa, making suggestions on how these can be overcome so that the government can take them up at a later date.
In the 22 months that this government has been in office, the Assembly has met six times and sat for 40 days, of which just 16 were in the last calendar year. The Assembly sitting appears to be more a formality to meet the Constitutional mandate of meeting with a gap of not more than six months, rather than to take up issues concerning the State. A three-day session has been called later this month to meet this precise requirement, and the State Budget for 2019-20 is expected to be tabled, with a vote on account passed that will take care of the State’s finances for five months.
For the second consecutive year, there may not be a detailed presentation of the Budget in the Assembly. Shouldn’t this be a matter of concern in the State? At the very least, raise a few eyebrows? The opposition has raised the red flag over the limited three-day session, but can it get the session lengthened so that legislative business can be carried out without undue haste and so that MLAs are able to raise questions and get answers from the ministers? In July last, before the Assembly had met for 12 days for the monsoon session, the opposition had sought that the session be increased as there were a number of issues to discuss. The request was not met.
Goa enters the year with little to hope for in terms of debate in the Legislature. A coalition government made up of three different parties and three other independents, where the fissures have been showing, has been able to sideline the opposition, which as a single party should have been in a position to dictate terms to the treasury benches. But, do the MLAs have a vision for Goa or are their own needs the most important?
