MARGAO
Government’s “Swayampurna Mitras” made their presence felt at many a panchayat body in Salcete as part of the ‘Swayampurna Goa and Atmanirbhar Bharat programme”, with Chief Minister Pramod Sawant interacting online with sarpanchas on Day One of the programme.
Questions, however, have been raised at many a panchayat along Salcete coastal belt and beyond whether the Chief Minister will walk the talk by tapping the potential and identifying the skills of the unemployed youth.
Cavelossim Sarpanch Dennis Dias and panchayat members were anxiously awaiting for an online interaction with the Chief Minister to find out whether the government will leave beach cleaning work along the Cavelossim coast to the panchayat body to employ locals for the work.
Given that Cavelossim village is a hub for starred resorts and hotels, the sarpanch told the media that the government should leave beach cleaning along the coastal belt to the panchayat body to achieve the goals of Swayampurna Goa and Atmanirbhar Bharat programme.
That’s not all. The sarpanch said the government should leave the tourism relative infrastructure, including the tourist information centre and parking to be manned by the local unemployed youth.
For economic revival under the plan, the village sarpanch has suggested that local business houses, especially the hotels dotting along the coastal belt should employ locals with compulsory quota for Goans in the private sector. “The government can even make the hotels and other business to train the local youth with skills, which is also an objective of the programme,” Dennis said, adding that the village panchayat has already started engaging locals for waste management and other daily work.
He further said that panchayat works and projects should be given to locals.
Meanwhile, many a panchayat has complained of internet difficulties in their villages and hence could not keep a track of the Chief Minister’s interaction. At Benaulim, the sarpanch said the panchayat is facing net problems, adding that the programme could not take off on Saturday.
Varca Sarpanch Reginaldo Rodrigues said he would soon call a meeting of the panchayat members how to take the various government schemes to the door steps of the people.
At Raia, government’s Swayampurna Mitra John Fernandes guided the Raia sarpanch and panchayat members how to go about in implementing the programme.
John pointed out that he has fixed a meeting of the panchayat and officials of the Agriculture and Animal Husbandry on next Saturday.
