Goa News: Chief Minister accused of ‘mismanagement’ of funds, opposition demands accountability
MARGAO. Margao: Reacting to Chief Minister Pramod Sawant demanding Rs 8,000 crore for various projects in Goa, Leader of Opposition Yuri Alemao released a video of Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s speech in Parliament in which she announced Rs 300 crore for Goa. Alemao claimed that the central government gave only Rs 150 crore for the celebration of 60 years of Goa’s liberation. Alemao criticised the chief minister and advised her to focus on effectively managing the existing funds instead of relying on future promises. He pointed out that Sitharaman did not fulfil her promise of providing Rs 300 crore for the Liberation Day celebrations. “The chief minister needs to focus on putting his house in order by streamlining the available resources by judiciously using them. Strict austerity measures are the only way forward as the BJP government has already pushed Goa into a debt trap,” Alemao said.
Alemao attacked the BJP government accusing it of selling Mhadei to Karnataka and wasting crores of rupees on the ‘Save Soil’ programme. He suggested that the chief minister got inspiration from the Congress’ Lok Sabha manifesto, which highlighted the need for funds for dams and soil conservation, which led to the demand for financial assistance. “What has the government achieved in the last five years?” he questioned. He also urged the government to focus on improving road infrastructure, which is currently claiming one life a day, and enhance the public transport system by creating infrastructure for bus terminals in Margao and Panjim, as well as other bus stands across the state. Alemao alleged that the BJP government lacks funds to support the needy beneficiaries of social welfare schemes but spends excessively on programmes. “The BJP government has already left Goans in a financial emergency by pushing the state towards bankruptcy due to its faulty policies and priorities. The wasteful expenditure on programmes needs to be stopped immediately,” he stressed.
