the goan I network
PANAJI
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant will on Thursday present his first solo budget after taking over the reins of the State following the death of his mentor and former chief minister Manohar Parrikar in mid-March last year.
Under pressure with criticism mounting over the burgeoning State debt, Sawant is expected to move proposals for moping up resources with increases in various government levies including excise duties on IMFL, fees for zone conversion of land and Value Added Tax (VAT) rates for petroleum products.
Although Sawant did go through a budget presentation exercise in the Goa legislative assembly in August last year, it was only an encore with minor modifications of the skeletal document which was already presented by Parrikar in February.
Sawant is slated to present the budget at 2.30 pm on Thursday, according to the agenda for the day approved by Speaker Rajesh Patnekar.
In a novel exercise he introduced in the budget preparation exercise this year, Sawant had called for suggestions and ideas from the general public to help him write the budget.
Over a week ago, he had launched a special webpage on the official State government website where citizens could log on to and give their ideas both for generating revenue as well as suggestions for government spending for welfare schemes.
Several hundred suggestions were received and are being taken into account in preparing the budget, Sawant had claimed earlier this week.
