PANAJI
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has urged the citizens to be ‘Vocal for Local’ by promoting ‘Vocal for Diwali,’ as he takes ahead Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s two-year-old campaign to purchase products from local vendors in a bid to help them make a living during the Festival of Lights.“It could be Akash Kandil or eatables/sweets or flowers, always prefer to buy locally-made products and from local vendors. In this way, you will promote Vocal for Local initiative and also give them earnings during Diwali,” the CM said during a Swayampurna Goa interaction with the newly elected Sarpanchas and Panch members through video conference on Saturday.
He insisted on encouraging children from Special Schools who have put up stalls at various places to sell products exclusively created by them for Diwali. “Even if slightly expensive, do buy these products from them,” Sawant appealed.
Taking a lead, the CM said he has already put up Akash Kandil made of coconut tree leaves at his official residence, gifted to him by school students from the remote village of Loliem in Canacona. “Also go for eco-friendly and non-plastic products,” he added.
Speaking further, the CM directed the local representatives to initiate new projects and human resource training, and start village markets to promote local products. Goa government’s “Sarkar Tumchya Dari” will resume next month wherein each minister will visit a place to interact with the people every month.
Sawant also said that village hospitals must avoid disposing of medical waste with regular waste citing health hazards and difficulty in segregation. “Dispose of hospital waste with biomedical waste. Salon waste and waste from chicken and mutton shops must be treated as biomedical waste to promote the Swachh Panchayat initiative,” he said.
ASSURANCE ON EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES
Reacting to the demand for jobs, CM assured to create 2 lakh employment opportunities in the hospitality sector within five years for which he urged the youth to undergo related training. The CM has often reiterated that Goans should not depend on government jobs and instead look for avenues in the private sector with the State working towards bringing in non-polluting industries and software firms.
