Opposition demands white paper on State’s financial position

PORVORIM: As Chief Minister Pramod Sawant failed to give a satisfactory reply to the question tabled on State Finances, the opposition MLAs on Tuesday demanded a white paper on the financial position of the State. 

Addressing a joint press conference in the Opposition lobby in the state Assembly, the MLAs from, Congress,  Goa Forward Party and lone legislator of MGP said that they will demand for a half-an-hour discussion on the current ‘economic crisis' in Goa during the ongoing budget session of the State Assembly.

In a statement released after the press conference, the opposition MLA stated that “the actual debt figures are Rs 20,412.51 crores as on March 31, 2019 plus Rs 2148.85 crores (this year’s loan so far) plus Rs 200 crores  (other liabilities this year so far) plus 1,200 crores (loan taken by GIDC to pay off SEZ and loan taken for Mandovi bridge). Rs 966.87 crores (liabilities pending in Corporations and government departments) making a total of more than Rs 24,928.23 crores.

The MLAs said that they were puzzled with the reply of the government in the State Assembly.

They claimed that in one of the answer to leader of opposition Digambar Kamat the borrowings of the government in this year 2019-20 up to December 31, 2019 are Rs 1767.84 while for the same question to Ponda MLA Ravi Naik the government has given the figure as Rs 2148.85 crores, with a difference of Rs 381.01 crore.

“They said that the budget figure for Goa share of union taxes and duties has gone down drastically from the figure of Rs 3,330 crores to Rs 2,480 crores.  The Union Finance Minister in her budget speech in July 2019 had brought this figure down to Rs 3,058 crores which the Chief Minister Pramod Sawant should have amended in the budget to present it to the House,” reads the statement.

“The union government in their revised estimates brought this figure down to Rs 2,702 crores, Now as on February 1, 2020, there has been a further cut in Goa share because of the shortfall in the central tax collection figure by Rs 1,26,000 crores. So Goa has suffered by a further Rs 222 crores, and as on February 1, 2020 our share of the union taxes and duties will be Rs 2,480 crores only. A total reduction of Rs 820 crores from the budgeted figure,” it reads further.