Team Herald
PANJIM: Despite his health condition, Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, who has been in and out of hospitals due to the pancreatic cancer, is holding a major chunk of the State’s budget, which amounts to around 25.8 per cent of the total outlay.
Parrikar presented a ‘surplus’ budget for the third year in succession even as the State is reeling under a tremendous financial stress due to the mining ban and slowdown in the tourism sector. Parrikar, presented a budget of over Rs 19,548.69 cr, and took a vote on account for five months for Rs 8,145.28 cr.
A detailed study of the Budget reveals that the Chief Minister, who holds over 26 portfolios, has a total annual budget provision of Rs 5,034.36 cr. His major portfolios include Finance, GAD, Home, Industries, Forest, and Education.
Before Dussehra last year, there had been a demand from alliance partners that the portfolios held by the CM be distributed to other ministers, but due to ‘political’ reasons the move never materialised.
What is even more interesting is that the BJP, which has just five ministers in the 12-member Cabinet, holds a total budget of Rs 11,046 cr, which is nearly 57 per cent of the total outlay.
Further, Curchorem MLA and Power Minister, Nilesh Cabral accounts for approximately 14 per cent of the Budget, with the allocation amounting to around Rs 2,720 cr for four portfolios of Power, Non Conventional Energy, Law and Judiciary, and Legislature Affairs. This is due to the huge expense on the power purchase and salaries in the department with huge staff.
Alliance partner and PWD Minister Ramkrishna (Sudin) Dhavalikar is third in line with an allocation of Rs 2,380.08 cr, which is 12.2 per cent. Dhavalikar is minister for PWD, Transport, River Navigation, and Museums. Again, Dhavalikar’s portfolio includes huge staff salaries and maintenance of water supply system and roads.
Health Minister Vishwajit Rane, who holds Health, Women and Child, and Craftsmen Training, is not far behind with an allocation of Rs 1977.96 cr. Another newly-inducted minister Milind Naik, who holds Urban Development, Social Welfare, and Provedoria, has a budget of a whopping Rs 1,034.97 cr.
Minister for Water Resources Department, Fisheries, and Legal Metrology, Vinod Palyekar has a budget of Rs 701.66 cr, a major chunk being for WRD. Independent MLA and Minister for IT, Revenue, and Labour and Employment has been granted a budgetary allocation of Rs 645.88 cr.
Manohar Azgaonkar, who holds charge of Tourism, Sports, Printing and Stationery, has a provision for Rs 544.84 cr. Interestingly, there is no major allocation for 36th National Games to be hosted by Goa later this year.
Minister for Art and Culture, Tribal Welfare, and Civil Supplies, Govind Gaude, also an Independent MLA, has been given a provision of Rs 426.24 cr for his portfolios.
Goa Forward Party president Vijay Sardesai, who holds the portfolios of Agriculture, TCP, Archives and Archaeology, and Factories and Boilers has a Budget of just Rs 296.4 cr. This is surprising as the CM had clearly stated in his Budget speech that his government’s thrust will be on agriculture which has been allocated just Rs 79.71 cr.
Mauvin Godinho, who is Minister for Panchayat, Animal Husbandry, and Protocol, has a provision of Rs 278.04 cr. His panchayat portfolio has a grant of just Rs 49 cr even as there are calls for increasing grants to panchayats for waste management.
Last in the list is Minister for Housing, RDA, and Ports, Jayesh Salgaonkar, whose total allocation is just Rs 147.67 cr.
