PANAJI
Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar on Monday launched the Common Minimum Programme (CMP) of the coalition government, one which is heavily influenced by the pre-election agenda of the Goa Forward Party.
The document, which is a bare bones framework based on which the government has promised to formulate its policies - a kind of a post election manifesto, was crucially launched in the presence of the Goa Forward Siolim MLA and Water Resources Minister Vinoda Paliencar who represented the Goa Forward Party, but none from the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) the other important ally of the current coalition.
The CMP promised by the government, is Goa Forward’s attempt at telling the State that it has not forgotten the issues it had taken up prior to the elections, in the hope that the volte face can be justified.
It explains the prominence to issues such as amendment to legislation to recognise coconut tree as State tree, to review cases approved by IPB and the stated intention to execute a tripartite MoU between the Inland Waterways Authority of India, MPT and the Captain of Ports to ensure that rivers of Goa are managed by the government of Goa.
Parrikar however, refuted the suggestion that the BJP’s own agenda has been given a second class ticket insisting that several of the things he has spoken over the years have made it to the CMP.
The influence of the MGP can be seen in the move to further amend the Agricultural Tenancy Act and to now, instead of the civil courts, have tenancy cases dealt with by special mamlatdars to be appointed for the purpose.
The BJP’s stamp can be seen in the promise to set up farmers’ markets, which Parrikar had promised back in 2012 during his earlier stint as chief minister, but didn’t succeed in moving further, as well as the ‘infrastructure’ section of the programme where it has promised to complete the various pending bridges along national highways, a mobility plan as announced by the chief minister in his budget earlier this year, etc.
On the front of education, the CMP has assured that they will be “continuing the current policy on MoI without any change.”
