The State had sought a grant of Rs 100 crore for the year-long celebration, so the extra Rs 200 crore did come as a surprise, even admitted by Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant. What remains to be seen now is how the State government utilises the grant of Rs 300 crore. Will it be all poured into celebrations, or will it bring about a change in people’s lives?
For the State of Goa, Rs 300 crore is a substantial grant indeed. It should be utilised judiciously and not permitted to be spent on frivolous matters. The 60th year of Goa’s liberation should not be merely a reason for celebration, but to achieve objectives that have remained unachieved in the past and to reach out to the marginalised. In that respect, the Chief Minister’s announcement that the amount will be spent through the course of the year on human and infrastructure development is welcome. He also did mention that part of the grant will go towards renovating historical monuments that can be identified with the Goa freedom struggle and honouring freedom fighters. Besides, the government is also planning to use a portion of the fund to aid those sections that were most badly hit by the COVID-19 pandemic and is working out a proposal on how to help them.
These initial ideas, for the use of the grant, are indeed laudatory, their success, however, depends on the implementation of these plans. There can be no cause for complaint if the fund is spent meaningfully and what has been listed out is laudatory. But, Goa can always look further.
In the past months two issues have glaringly emerged in the State – health care facilities and the movement for the environment. The COVID-19 pandemic proved that Goa is ill-equipped to handle a medical emergency. In the early days of the pandemic, all tests were being sent to Pune and the reports would take upto 48 hours. The testing facilities were set up only weeks after the pandemic broke out. In the meantime the ESI hospital in South Goa was converted into a COVID-19 hospital but as cases increased almost geometrically this was found inadequate and other arrangements had to be made. Goa’s caseload has been high, among the highest on per million basis in the country. It is plainly clear that Goa needs to improve its healthcare facilities and do so on a need basis. This is not just infrastructure, but services too.
Simultaneously, Goa has witnessed a number of people from across the State fighting to preserve the environment. There has been much opposition to various projects, and the felling of trees in the forest. The State needs to regreen itself and part of the funds that it receives in the 60th year of Liberation can be utilised to create a new forest. Wouldn’t it be a wonderful idea if Goa could gift itself a new forest for its 100th year of Liberation? It would have to plant the seeds for the forest now, and the expenses could be met through part of this grant. It would be an ideal employment of the money that Goa will be receiving from the Centre for the 60th year of its liberation.
