‘I want to see Goans with a high Happiness Quotient and I’m working towards seeing a beautiful Goa’

Rohan Khaunte: I believe in one thing firmly – if the world we live in depends on politics and decisions taken by them and if you want a change in it, then it is best to be a part of the system & bring a positive change to our society. Many of our social leaders have consistently urged the youth to join politics and be aware of the social circumstances. By joining politics, I have had a better chance of serving society. I encourage youth from my constituency to be aware and more involved in social activity. This would enhance their attachment to our land and its people. Being a politician, I could reach out to more people and people coming from diverse backgrounds. Nothing gives me more pleasure than helping someone in need. For me, success is measured in happiness, serving the people enhances that for me.

RK: I have learnt many lessons in the journey. While I was in the opposition, it was difficult to bring development to my constituency. Over a period of time I realised I can contribute just as much as a ruling party MLA by highlighting the needs of the people, by pointing out flaws in government policies and by giving a voice to those not represented by the ruling party MLAs. That is why when I took an oath as a minister; I decided to serve all people equally irrespective of their political affiliations. I don’t distinguish between my colleagues on party lines. If an opposition MLA comes to me with an issue, I will do my best to resolve it. With my ministerial portfolios, I can serve people across Goa. It keeps me busy 16-18 hours every day and I am ready to do it as long as it takes.

RK: I realised we hadn’t done enough to infuse technology in governance to improve and simplify services. The first step I took was to introduce technology to reduce time spent by people in government offices for tedious processes. Launching of www.goaonline.gov.in was a step towards digitisation of the records, data and services of the employment exchange. We also opened Citizen Service Centres (CSC), adopted under the Right to Time Bound Services Act. Centres like these will streamline procedures for mutation, partition cases etc, residence certificates, divergence certificates, caste certificates, sound permissions as well as survey forms, Form B or even registration services for shops and establishments as well as renewals and other such important services. So the challenge is to achieve last mile connectivity in Goa. Which I believe, will be accomplished in the coming months because we have invested a lot to bridge that gap. We have initiated many reforms in the Revenue Department to resolve issues faced by people in a time bound manner and also, we have through our work in Labour Department tried to bridge the gap between industries and its employees. We are working towards a better Goa.

RK:  Yes, Goa is currently facing a crisis in these two major sectors of the economy. That is the reason I have been pushing for IT to be an alternative source of income for the State as well as a source of employment for Goans. The IT sector is relatively new to Goa and we foresee a lot of potential for this sector. By building in futuristic infrastructure now, our state can reap the benefits for the next few decades. One of the major reasons for me to promote the sector is because it is environment friendly; its carbon footprint is lower compared to other sectors and is a compliment to Goa’s ecology. Plus, it provides gainful employment. Our youth can sit in Goa and execute projects for firms based in Scandinavian countries, Eastern European countries, Arab countries and also East Asian countries. This would allow Goa to integrate with the global service sector. Besides, this sector can also employ youth from other fields. That is the spirit we have tried to inculcate in our Start-up and IT policies and as our IT sector evolves, our IT Policies will be changed to meet the demand. Like any business friendly government, we have given incentives and subsidies of various scales to companies in Goa. Result will start to show in the coming years. We want to make the sector so strong that sons of soil who have left the State for opportunities abroad can come back to Goa and find opportunities here. Our aim is to make Goa one of Asia’s top 25 start-up destinations by 2025 and someday emulate the success of Silicon Valley. I want to put Goa on the world IT map as a bright spot.

RK: People are being instigated against the project by vested interests who wanted to encroach upon the government property. We are constructing buildings in which we will rent out small spaces for IT entrepreneurs. It’s like any other building with an office in it. Government is not selling land there so there cannot be allegations of scams. I decided to ignore them as my conscience is clear and I want our youth to be employed there and not leave the state. I’m not scared with small personal threats and people who feel can malign my image are mistaken and they themselves are on the other side of the law today. Under the leadership of Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, we are bringing non-polluting industries to Goa. These industries have a very low carbon footprint which suits Goa’s ecology. We are not going to bow to the pressure created by those who have vested interests.

RK: I believe they are stereotyped into being susegad, which is very far from reality. Our youth have a different outlook. With the growth in technology, they have widened their perspective and look to opportunities that go beyond the traditional spectrum. Our educational system has grown to provide an array of courses which meet the industry demands. My duty is to provide avenues for them to conduct business or sources of employment, which I have taken seriously. Job fairs across the state are a regular affair now. We have introduced the concept of Employment Smart Cards, through which youth can avail schemes as well as incentives and reduce paperwork. We have started the concept of Skill Training Academy and Cipla is one of its first proponents. The idea is to bridge the gap between industry and academics, this way students will continue with their studies and simultaneously get exposure to the industry. They will be industry ready the moment they finish studying, saving firms the training costs. To survive in today’s world it is important to acquire skills. We have launched schemes for Building and Other Construction Workers (BOCW) to bring them into the mainstream. There are many things which will be disclosed in due time.

RK: Our farmers are the backbone of our society. Even though farming as an activity has been declining, there are still those who are keeping alive the agricultural knowledge. It is for this reason that I took special interest in supporting the farmers in my constituency to make farming sustainable. I introduced modern machinery so that farming becomes easier and lucrative. I have dedicated a team to help farmers avail of government schemes by helping them with paperwork. Farmers’ clubs were started and today they number at about 80 plus in each club. These farmers’ clubs have been successful. Our model was emulated in Guirim village. As far as women empowerment is considered, we realised by encouraging the women to be self-employed, the society in general would get a big boost. I believe women need to be given equal opportunities as men. So we began by forming Self Help Groups in every area. Today about 4,500 women are a part of these groups. They are given commercial space to sell their produce, we help them get subsidies and arrange finance from institutes to set up cottage industries. The businesses are owned and run by the by these women. 

RK: Goa has rich cultural traditions and I have witnessed and experienced them since my childhood. Due to various circumstances, there has been some neglect towards it in our society. So there was a need to bring these traditions back into public consciousness. Remind people of Goa’s rich past. This idea of Goenkarponn arose. This is an instance where the politicians and civil society have collaborated to bring a positive change in society. We need to work unitedly to protect our tangible heritage. Otherwise we may lose important chunks of it on our path towards the future. I have wholeheartedly supported celebration of various feasts in my constituency. Patoienchem Fest is one example where Goan tradition comes to life every year in August. I will continue to support such activities in future. Our heritage defines us and we need to keep it alive. 

RK: In the words of Chief Minister Parrikar, we need to be more positive. That is the message I would like to pass on to Goans. There is a tendency among Goa’s civil society to oppose projects, I would urge them instead of opposing; join us in finding a common ground so that projects can be executed for the benefit of all. By opposing and shutting a project, nobody gains. I appeal to all activists, NGOs and opinion makers of Goa to adopt a constructive stance. Civil society and we have a common goal, inclusive and sustainable development for all might as well keep our differences aside and cooperate for best results. I would like to mention there are pseudo activists who have penetrated Goa’s civil society and are bringing a bad repute to it. Due to their negative contribution, many good activists are facing credibility issues. There is a tendency to malign personal life of an elected representative, which I feel is wrong. If personal life is disconnected from political life, then I feel making charges against one’s personal life is very unethical. I appeal to all that personal life should not be brought into politics as everybody has a right to privacy. As far as policy differences are concerned, I have never said no to hearing out different perspectives. Cooperation & collaboration is the key to success in a society.I want to see Goans with a high Happiness Quotient and I’m working towards seeing a beautiful Goa