Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Saturday hailed the Union Budget, which was presented in the Parliament by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, as a boost for the common man, even as he conceded that the budgetary announcements did not specifically yield much for the coastal state.
However, the Opposition has questioned the Budget’s silence on unemployment, saying the financial statement had no specific Goa related announcement.
“This Budget is in tune with the Prime Minister’s motto of ‘Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas’ and ‘Sabka Vishwas’. This is a Budget for aspirational India, which focuses on health, wealth, happiness, hospitality, agriculture, safety and security of all the people irrespective of caste and creed. That is very important… The slashing of income tax rates will be a big boost for the middle class,” Sawant told a press conference here.
Sawant also said the allocation of Rs 2,500 crore to boost tourism infrastructure and focus on increasing marine output would benefit Goa.
“Goa can definitely benefit from the Rs 2,500 crore kept for tourism. Earlier too we had benefited from central schemes in tourism, and we are confident that we can reap the benefits once again, especially for the promotion of hinterland tourism,” Sawant said.
“The ‘Sagar Mitra’ scheme for cage fishing and inland fishing schemes can be a boon for the state,” Sawant said, adding that the announcement for a data centric hub could help Goa, especially because of the several IT parks which the state government is in the process of launching.
When asked about the lack of Goa specific announcements in the Budget, Sawant said that many general announcements were made in the Budget for the development of infrastructure and productivity of the states and Goa would stand to benefit from them.
Leader of Opposition Digambar Kamat said the Budget had nothing for Goa, especially to boost the state’s sagging mining and tourism sectors. He also questioned the silence in the Budget speech on the issue of employment.
“Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has given a long talk but without any plan of action. There is nothing for Goa. It is now evident that the Union government is not interested in reviving mining and tourism industries in Goa,” Kamat told reporters here.
The Goa chapter of the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) said that the Budget focused on aspirations, economic development and caring society.
“Steps to revive the economy will help attain the targeted growth rate for the next year,” Goa CII Chairman Lalit Saraswat said.
According to Rajesh Pathak, associate professor, Department of Accounting and Finance, Goa Institute of Management, the announcement to increase bank deposit insurance to Rs 5 lakh for depositors is more a concern than a relief as it reflects the worries in the banking and finance sector.
“I think on economic front, this Budget has fewer good things to offer compared to the expectations of the market overall. There are no big bang announcements as such that will rescue the economy from what it is going through currently,” Pathak said.
