Politics of schemes
The Goa government has modified the scheme of providing financial assistance to traditional occupations by extending it to motorcycle pilots, rickshaw and taxi drivers. According to the scheme, those who have completed 15 years in the profession will get a monthly assistance of Rs.2000. At a time when traditional occupations in Goa are dwindling, any effort to protect and encourage them is most welcome. Motorcycle pilots provide a unique mode of public transport in the country and should be given benefits. But should it be extended to rickshaw and taxi drivers also?
According to Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar, auto rickshaw and taxi drivers have contributed to 30 percent rise of tourists in Goa and they behave honestly with the tourists because of which Goa’s good image has spread across the world. Not many will share these views. On the contrary, the Travel and Tourism Association of Goa feels that the main cause of drop in foreign tourists to Goa is “taxes and taxis”, the latter for fleecing the passengers in the absence of meters, which they have successfully refused to install for years now. It is not difficult to see that the motive of modifying and widening the scope of the financial scheme, just a few months before the elections, is to gain the support of the benefiting community.
Rodney de Souza, Assagao
Permanent subsidies
The Goa government needs to be complimented for its decision to distribute three free LED bulbs to each household. It is pertinent to note that prior to the Goa cabinet’s decision, the department had already begun distributing the bulbs at a subsidized rate of Rs. 25 under the national Ujala scheme. It is understood that under the scheme a total of Rs. 15 lakh worth LED bulbs will reportedly be distributed to five lakh consumers which will have a total financial liability of Rs. 11 crores but still the government will save about 6 crores annually due to lower consumption by these bulbs. It must be said that the scheme will benefit consumers belonging to all income groups. The government could however think of continuing the scheme of distributing free LED bulbs or make them available at a subsidised rate of Rs. 25 each on a permanent basis to those households who have been declared as living ‘Below Poverty Line’ (BPL).
Adelmo Fernandes, Vasco
Bad roads
It is astounding, the number of bad roads in Goa these days. There was once a time when our roads would stay good for years, come rain or anything. But over the last decade or so, the roads in Goa have gone from bad to worse. Now, it’s not easy to spot a stretch of road that stays intact for more than two years. In the past there have been stories in the papers about scams in the PWD but nothing was ever taken to fruition. The government should ensure that atleast our roads are intact if they really are serious about good governance. The service road in Porvorim and the state of the roads in many places, from Mapusa to Calangute are very bad.
Sanjay Naik, Mapusa
