Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has played his trump card and launched the 'Atmanirbhar Bharat Swayampoorna Goa' initiative which aims to make every village self-sufficient in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision. On paper, it appears to be a concrete plan with a lot of detailing, but questions remain in critical areas. The government has identified 41 villages to implement the programmes and officers are scheduled to move into these villages and get feedback on existing infrastructure and the growth potential. The question is whether the government would be ready to walk the village talk?
The scale of this exercise is mammoth, and the elaborate plans that are drawn up on the basis of data collected could bring about a change in village economies. But there are monumental challenges before the government, more so against the backdrop of ministers doing precious little in this regard. The thrust of this initiative is on agricultural revival, but the encouragement that this sector has received so far is dismal. The pandemic has forced everyone's focus on agriculture, a sector that has been neglected over the years. Farmers continue to get a raw deal and remain exposed to the vagaries of nature. Some farmers who suffered crop losses in the 2019 cyclone are still not compensated, while the unprecedented monsoon this year has only added to their misery. To make matters worse, the government has announced that it would only pay those with Krishi cards.
An interesting and honest element in the 'immediate plan' is to identify the ills of narcotics and alcoholism and raise awareness through educational institutes. However, the State has tolerated these social evils for decades, because the nexuses in the system are hard to beat. There has never been a serious attempt to root out evils that plague the village fabric. Can matka and other forms of gambling get the boot? How serious is the government in weeding out narcotics from the system, now that it breached rural boundaries?
The plan calls for sweeping changes in the system, including empowering village panchayats. Successive governments have paid lip service to devolution of powers to local bodies. Lately, panchayats have been up in arms over government trying to snatch their powers of clearing construction files of building projects. Routing bar licencing through panchayats and even restricting alcohol outlets appears impractical in the current Goan scenario.
Undoubtedly, the 'Atmanirbhar Bharat Swayampoorna Goa' is a well-thought-out initiative. The script is perfectly laid out, but questions remain on the outcomes because there is a lot to be done if the fortunes of villages are to change. Wiping out poverty sounds more like an election manifesto. With time running out, Sawant will have to fast-forward work on this blockbuster project before his term comes to an end in March 2022. Certainly, this is a masterstroke in tune with 'master Modi', one that could be a turning point for a government which is precariously hanging by a thin thread of public distrust.
