PANAJI
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has expressed confidence that the State will accrue financial benefits from all the schemes announced in the budget presented on Wednesday by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman even as he hailed the Centre’s financial statement as the stepping stone to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision for 25-year economic and development path for the country.
Flanked by three cabinet ministers -- Mauvin Godinho, Rohan Khaunte and Subash Phaldesai -- Sawant said, his government will pursue proposals to set up Unity Mall, a Skill India centre, two centres for natural farming, and an Ekalavya Model School in the State, all nationwide schemes announced by Sitharaman in her budget speech.
The chief minister said, the State will also lobby to get at least two destinations of the State developed under the proposal mooted by Sitharaman in the budget to develop 50 such nationwide for a domestic tourism circuit.
Sawant said, in the current fiscal, the State has already received Rs 4,000-odd crores as of December last and he expected the net Central assistance to be upwards of Rs 5,000 crores until March 31.
“These funds are inclusive of State’s share of GST collections as well as Central funds for infrastructure projects and under the various central schemes,” Sawant said, adding that he expects that figure to go up to even Rs 7,000 crore for the 2023-24 fiscal.
Meanwhile, the State has sought Rs 2000 crore from the Center for the construction of a ‘Circle road’ which connects all the entry points to the State, Sawant said.
“The circle road will connect all the State’s boundary entry-and-exit points from Patradevi to Mollem, Keri, Dodamarg to Pollem,” he said, adding that it has been planned to reduce the burden on the existing road network from out of State traffic.
