TEAM HERALD
PANJIM: After major U-turns on shifting of casinos out of River Mandovi and digitization of ration cards, the Laxmikant Parsekar-led government has backtracked yet again – this time admitting that it is not possible to create 50,000 jobs by 2017.
Industries Minister Mahadev Naik on Wednesday admitted that the government is not in a position to create 50,000 jobs in the industrial sector by 2017, and instead assumed that the promise would be fulfilled once the party is voted back to power in the 2017 assembly elections.
“We are working towards creating jobs but 50,000 jobs by 2017 as promised by then Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, it is not possible in reality. Now there is limited time left. But we assure to fulfill this promise once we are returned to power again for five years in 2017,” Naik said while addressing media persons on Wednesday morning.
The Goa Industrial/Investment Policy 2013-18 that aims to attract investment of Rs 5,000 crore and create 50,000 jobs in the next five years in the state, was made public by the Manohar Parrikar government in August 2013. The policy drafted by industrialist Atul Pai Kane had laid emphasis on creating sustainable employment for locals and revenue generation to the state by attracting environment friendly industries.
Naik also accepted that with nearly 36 lakh square metres of land being locked with the Special Economic Zone (SEZ), there is scarcity of land to be made available to industrial players. Also there are infrastructural problems, he said.
“Huge portion of land is locked in SEZs and hence we are facing shortage of land. But still we are making small plots available to the industrial players for expansion and for setting up new units,” Naik said. Hence the promise of Rs 5,000 crore investment by 2018 also looks like a distant dream.
The industries minister said that government has granted approval for six new major projects in Verna industrial estate while permission was also given for another 32 small units across other industrial estates.
BOX
While stating that there is no proposal before the government for setting up a second milk cooperative union, Co-operation Minister Mahadev Naik said that Goa Dairy would be directed to consult government before increasing milk prices in the near future.
“Currently there is no proposal before me to have another milk cooperative union,” the minister stated. Directions would be issued to Goa Dairy to ask them to consult the government before hiking milk prices in future.
Then Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar had threatened to set up a second milk cooperative union, following frequent hikes in the milk price by Goa Dairy. A proposal was also submitted to the Union Minister for Agriculture Radha Mohan Singh in this regard.
