Parrikar estimates Goa costs and revenues for 2017-18; much of the propsals involve completing projects which have already been launched
the goan I network
PANAJI
de, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Parrikar presented a surplus budget during his nearly two hour long speech promising a growth of 11% (at current prices) with a surplus of ₹202.48 crore for the year 2017-18. The revenue receipt for the current fiscal are estimated at ₹10872.63 crore; and the revenue expenditure is estimated at ₹10670.15 crore.
Beneath all the facts and figures, however, the budget document can boast of a sub text that implies all wasn’t all that rosy over the last two years when Laxmikant Parsekar was the chief minister and that the current government is out to set things right.
In an apparent nod to possibly disillusioned members of his party, the budget has also set aside ‘special grants’ to the municipalities of Mapusa and Curchorem which will get ₹20-crore while Bicholim Municipal Council will get ₹10-crore over and above the regular grants of ₹5-crore for the municipalities of Margao, Mormugao, Ponda, Mapusa and Curchorem.
Save for the decision to take VAT on petrol back to pre-2012 levels, and possibly a announcement for public transportation known as a comprehensive mobility plan, much of the budget proposals involve a listing of all the infrastructure work that have been launched, but are yet to be completed, like that of the Mandovi bridge, bypasses in Margao, Canacona, schemes like that of the cyberage scheme that were launched earlier and need to be revived and other announcements especially in tourism that were made earlier but are yet to fully take off.
The Chief Minister also proposed to make the state beggar-free, through setting up rehabilitation centres for beggars and destitutes besides also initiatives in geriatric care.
Toeing the line of the central government, Parrikar announced that he would close the State planning board and announce alternative mechanism in due course of time.
Among the only significant thrust areas that Parrikar has proposed is the ‘tightening of the government’s belt’
