PANAJI
AAP has strongly criticized the denial from Adani and Jindals to pay the ‘Goa rural improvement and welfare cess’.
Adani has taken a stand before the State’s transport department that there is no pollution caused during coal handling as they take all precautions at the time of transportation.
Hitting out at the BJP, AAP Convenor Rahul Mhambre said, “We have been saying that the government is working in the interest of Adani. The denial to pay pollution cess is an indication.”
Mhambre said the AAP had filed a complaint on August 1 before the Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) asking for registration of an FIR against Adani in the evasion of cess under the Goa Rural Improvement and Welfare Cess Act of 2000.
“Our complaint was based on the findings of Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) that an estimated loss of Rs 300 crore was caused to the State at the beginning of 2016 on account of non-recovery of the cess, which is now estimated to be around Rs 1000 crore,” he added.
He questioned, “Why is the government ignoring the observations made by CAG? Is BJP involved in a larger scam? How much money they have received for not taking action against such evasion?”
He said Goa was under huge debt nearing Rs 20,000 crore and it has been almost 10 years for BJP rule in Goa but there are no signs of debt reduction, rather borrowing has become a norm
Mhambre said evasion of Rs 1000 crore tax was directly affecting Goans and benefiting Adani. “The priority of the govt should have been to make Adani pay the cess rather than allowing him to make money at the cost of Goans,” he added.
He said to deal with the financial crisis, the BJP government in Goa was on the spree of reducing or deferring the benefits of public schemes. “It has cancelled the housing allowance for government employees, has not made the monthly payments under Griha Adhar and DDSSY for the last six months, rolled back inclusion of DDSSY for Covid treatment in private hospitals and not paid pension to seafarers,” he observed.
“And now the government has notified the amendment in the Ladli Laxmi scheme which will reduce the income criteria of parents of the girl. With the amendment, the girl child of nearly most Goans will be out of the purview of the social security scheme,” he stated.
He said, “Digging into the pockets of the Goans and filling the pockets of Adani, BJP’s economic policy is in the interest of Adani, which is purely anti-Goan. On one hand you allow Adani not to pay cess and on the other hand you mint money by creating burden on the pockets of Goans. This is nothing less than daylight robbery.”
He said the AAP has been continuously exposing how Sawant-led BJP government works for the interest of Adani and not Goans. We will keep reminding BJP that ‘Goa is for Goans and not Adani’, he asserted.
