Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has copy-pasted Manohar Parrikar’s January budget and he is downright honest in saying that he is just reading out the full text of the former CM’s budget. On paper, Sawant paints a very rosy picture and announces a Rs 450 crore surplus budget with gross fiscal deficit pegged at 1.67 percent of the GSDP, and a projected growth rate of nearly 10 per cent. The core areas have been defined and the vision is there to be seen but the narrative lacks detailing and ends up a guessing game.
The entire dependency of the budget is on stabilization of the GST regime and mining resumption. This throws in a factor of uncertainty. Despite repeated assurances on mining resumption, including the recent one from the CM, there has been no definitive timeline in view of the fact that it comes within the ambit of the Supreme Court. And, even if mining resumes soon, it is not going to fetch the kind of revenue it used to. Sawant himself has admitted the fact that Goa has lost 25 per cent of revenue post the mining ban. To base the budget math on such an improbable scenario reflects a sense of financial imprudence.
One of the focus areas of the budget has been employment, and rightly so. However, it is easier said than done. There is no clear roadmap on how the government will create job opportunities. The demand for jobs far overshoots supply. Sadly, the government is yet to compile data on the exact unemployment figure. Recently, the government promised to open up around 5,000 jobs, which actually means it will entail an additional liability of at least Rs 130 crore in salaries even if calculated at the minimum of scale. How is the government going to raise this money?
Tourism is another sector where the government flatters to deceive. Goa cannot take comfort in past numbers and must admit the fact that tourist footfalls are declining. The State had a failed season last year and unless it quickly mends its ways, tourism will not see a reversal. The sluggishness to act on tourism and allied sector is well known. A master plan and tourism policy which was initiated in 2016 is yet to see the light of the day. Preparing a calendar of events to showcase significant festivals of the State and upgrading infrastructure along beaches are positive steps. But are they enough to boost tourism? What has the government done to lure the cash-rich Europeans who have turned their back on Goa long ago?
Garbage and beach cleaning are critical issues related to tourism and the government has failed miserably to tackle both. Options of Thermophilic Biomethanation treatment options which are used globally to treat unsegregated waste have never been explored. The budget touches briefly upon the garbage issue, but surprisingly Bainguinim finds no mention. Neither is there a Plan B.
Sawant’s promises big on the education front and the budget speech carries forward Parrikar’s vision of 100 model anganwadis. But announcements are one thing and implementation another. Government’s plan to renovate primary schools has run into rough weather. It’s a pity that primary kids were exposed to extreme conditions as a new academic year unfolded. Apparently, some of the schools, including two in Mulgao, are not yet ready. Again, the focus areas of learning and the teacher-student ratio are worrisome. If government
is serious in changing the entire education sector, it has to start from scratch, and at this rate it appears to be a very distant dream. Piecemeal changes are not going to get the desired results.
The chief minister, while highlighting the social schemes of the government has boasted about a high happiness index in the State. However, there is a spoiler to this. Monies have reached wrong hands because of illegal beneficiaries registered. Who is responsible for this? The government has been in a continuous process of weeding out thousands of illegal beneficiaries with even the CM recently promising to review the Griha Aadhaar scheme. This indicates that systems are porous leading to huge wastages of public money. In a tight fiscal situation, plugging such financial leakages are paramount.
Despite the State debt standing at Rs 7,320 crore, the budget has ambition. But in the absence of a roadmap and clear revenue streams the picture remains hazy.
