PANJIM: Former Dalgado Konknni Akademi (DKA) president and the former Assembly Speaker Tomazinho Cardozo has clarified that the grants to the DKA were started by Congress government when Digambar Kamat was the Chief Minister and the statement made by Chief Minister Pramod Sawant that the grants to DKA were started by the BJP government was incorrect.
As per the pattern of assistance, 70 per cent of the grants amount was to be used for the programmes and activities of DKA while not more than 30 per cent was to be used for administrative purpose, said Cardozo.
Cardozo said that when late Mahonar Parrikar became the Chief Minister, he showed his concern towards Konkani in Roman script and increased the amount of annual grants to the DKA. Pattern of assistance remained the same i.e. 70 per cent of the grant amount to be spent on programmes and activities of DKA and not more than 30 per cent to be spent for administrative expenditure.
Besides this, late Parrikar provided the required space for the office of DKA which exists on the second floor of Old Department of Education building in Panjim, he added.
After the demise of Parrikar, the amount of annual grant to DKA remained the same while the pattern of assistance had been changed to the disadvantage of DKA. This matter had been discussed with the Chief Minister Pramod Sawant some time back and the decision at his level was awaited, Cardozo said.
