PANAJI
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Wednesday debunked reports that jobs at the upcoming greenfield international airport at Mopa have been cornered by youth from his Sanquelim constituency and said 100 per-cent of those employed so far are from Pernem.
“I don’t have the habit of giving jobs only to people from my constituency,” Sawant said in an obvious dig at his Number two in the cabinet, Health Minister, Vishwajit Rane, who is accused of favouritism in recruitment in the Goa Medical College and Hospital and the Health Department he was in-charge of in the previous term.
Over 90 per-cent of the jobs were cornered by candidates hailing from Valpoi and Poriem constituencies in Sattari in these two recruitment processes, now under challenge before the Bombay High Court at Goa.
“Thus far 500-plus have got permanent employment at Mopa and 100 per-cent are from Pernem. I have personally verified it,” Sawant said, adding that more will be taken in soon who will also all be from Pernem.
Sawant was responding to queries by journalists at a press conference he addressed along with BJP State president Sadanand Shet Tanavade, to highlight the achievements of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s eight years of federal governance.
Meanwhile, Sawant said, each of the central welfare schemes will have a State-level coordinator appointed, who will be responsible to ensure 100 per-cent implementation and ensure beneficiaries are authentic.
Sawant also said that Goa and its people have benefited the most over the last eight years due to the fact that the local and Central government were of the same political party, a concept propagated by the ruling BJP as ‘Double-Engine Government’.
He also claimed that in Goa, around 4,000 dairy farmers had benefited from the farmers credit card scheme and availed Rs 1.6 lakh loans which were interest-free for a one-year tenure.
He said, Goa has approximately 8,000 dairy farmers and the balance 4,000 will be reached out to facilitate benefits of the Kisan Credit Card scheme.
