PANJIM: The Congress has proposed to increase the domicile rule to 20 years from the current 15 years, in order to ensure that Goans get the first preference in employment in government sector.
Congress set a new agenda amidst uproar over domicile clause being deleted by the Goa University for the recruitment process, advertisements to which have been withdrawn by the university.
Navelim MLA and former chief minister Luizinho Faleiro, said, “Today we may have to consider increasing this 15 years domicile to 20 years and will have to see how it can be done legally. Because otherwise you cannot protect the jobs for Goans as Goa does not enjoy the special category status.”
Stating that the Congress in the 1990s is responsible for bringing the domicile as well as the working knowledge of Konkani clauses in employment, Luizinho said, “Under Pratapsingh Rane as the chief minister, I as a minister brought cabinet decision for 15 years domicile compulsory and subsequently made working knowledge of Konkani compulsory. As a labour minister we made the decision that 80 per cent of employees in industries should be Goans and only then they would get the incentives.”
“It is the law of the land and whether it is Goa University or anybody else, they have no business or right to break the law of the land. They should be very careful because right now employment is a major problem,” he added.
Curtorim MLA Aleixo Reginaldo Lourenco recalled that the Congress has raised the issue during the Assembly session last year. “We all know what has been the role of Goa Forward during the Cipla issue. As far as Goa University is concerned, if Goan professor is not available, then there is a Board to decide over such a situation. But even there we want a Goan to be on the Board and clarity on the set guidelines in such situation,” he stated.
Reiterating that Congress will form government after the poll results on May 23, Luizinho said, “We believe in the law of the land and I have just said thou shall not steal, thou shall not rob and the people of Goa had given us the mandate by making us the single largest party. We will get it back what had been robbed and stolen. We will get it back in this by-election and Congress will form government at the State level and Congress will form government at National level.”
Stating that people have seen that after stealing the mandate of the people, the quality of governance has been pathetically low and in fact there has been no governance, he said, “We have to review the State.”
