Post the cancellation of mining leases, the CM of Goa has claimed that he will start mining in 6 months. I think restarting mining, if at all possible, is a short term solution to the long term twin problems of unemployment and economic slowdown. Further, restarting mining is going to create more problems like water scarcity and destruction of our scarce land and the environment. How then should the government tackle these two problems?
Before we get back to the drawing board, we have to accept that things will only get harder before they get better. There are no shortcuts so don’t believe any politician when they promise a solution within a year. It will take at least two years for any reform or policy to create significant number of jobs and accelerate growth. We’ve already wasted enough time since 2012 on false hopes. It’s time we accept reality and move ahead.
We have to approach the twin problems through four key economic systems which fundamentally need to change. These four systems can be reformed simultaneously within the next one or two years. The first economic system that needs reforms are our cities and towns. They are the hub of growth and employment in the service sectors. Our current model of urbanisation of rural areas is only making the city systems less efficient. We need to create a 20 year Perspective Plan (regional plan) for converting our urban centers in each taluka into sustainable hubs for economic activity. We need an efficient integrated 24 hours transit system so people can work anywhere in Goa without spending too much time travelling. We need to increase utilisation of current commercial and residential spaces in our towns and in order to bring down rents so that Goans can afford to live, work and start enterprises in our cities.
The second key economic system is Energy. Our government has to set aggressive and ambitious targets to bring down our energy costs. Elected representatives have to stop treating Solar energy like a fad or just another scheme. In the next 2 years, Goa must be able to meet at least 20% of it’s energy through solar technology. Solar industry needs hundreds of technically skilled labour which can be provided if the government sets up exclusive skills development centres to train the youth in the mining belt. The ultimate goal must be to become an (renewable) energy surplus State in 10 years.
The third key economic system is Industry, of which the two key growth areas are manufacturing and tourism. During BRICS summit, Goa has signed an MOU with a Chinese delegation for promoting Goa as a 3D printing hub. For the Chinese, an MOU is a binding contract however Goa wasn’t able to leverage the opportunity. Goa may not have a single big advantage over other places but we do have a great combination of educated youth, social stability, proximity to a major port, airport and a railway network. Our weakness is the lack of ease of doing business, favoritism and corruption which can be fixed literally overnight if there is a will. The other weakness is that we are focusing on too many sectors. We have limited land resources and that has to given to industries can create the highest number of jobs, which are environment friendly, and which are not capital and resource intensive.
As far as tourism is concerned, we have to sack the private consultant and set up a joint stake holder committee to create a 20 year tourism policy. My personal opinion on beach tourism is that non Goans have to be charged an entry fee to visit the beach, even if it is a measly Rs 10 per entry. These fragile beaches are our natural resource and like every other natural resource, we must not allow overexploitation. We also need to monetise parks, river fronts, springs, parking spaces in tourist villages, heritage sites like temples, churches etc. Villages must be made to compete for development funds, they must be encouraged to come up with innovative ways to make their village attractive for tourists and must be shamed for providing poor facilities. All these initiatives require manpower in the form of administrative staff, beach security, beach cleaning staff, and for other services. The added benefit of such a decentralised competition based tourism policy is that it will attract quality tourist.
The Goa tourism model must not see itself only as a destination but as a gateway to the rest of India. I have friends who work as tour guides and offer packages that include tours inside and outside Goa to places like Hampi and other parts of central and South India. They also organise events all over India. India is big enough for hundreds of English speaking, sincere and passionate Goan tourist guides and event managers. All they need is ease of availing finance and ease of doing business viz-a-viz compliance and obtaining licenses.
The fourth economic system is agriculture. We need to make Goa a food surplus State. We have to create systems for production and storage of vegetables, fish and other foods which can be exotic or indigenous. I don’t mean that we have to produce all of our own food. But we have to export more food than we import. In the era of climate change, the future of agriculture is inside a climate controlled poly-house. Poly-house has had limited success in Goa because the designs implemented here were meant for dry climate. The Goa government needs to fund research to develop low cost polyhouse designs which are can regulate temperature in a humid climate like ours. This tech will allow us to produce large quantities of food using less resources, throughout the year. Through PPP route, we have to set up sufficient number of cold storage units to reduce the volatility in prices of the food we import and export.
These are just some of the reforms that will trigger job creation and economic growth. The IPB has failed to create jobs. Hardly any Goans are employed in the PWD projects along the National Highway. If Parrikar is serious about his promise of creating jobs, he has to start thinking differently and seek help from stakeholders and citizens. At the same the time, we Goans should get out of our comfort zone, shed the susegad tag, and be as professional as we would have if we were working abroad.
