PANAJI
Newly inducted minister Sankalp Amonkar has begun reviewing the functioning of the three departments allotted to him, with a focus on the progress of ongoing projects, implementation of welfare schemes and measures to strengthen support for farmers.
Amonkar, who has been allocated the Agriculture, Civil Supplies, and Handicrafts and Textiles portfolios, will formally assume charge on Thursday. However, he has initiated a series of departmental review meetings ahead of taking over, beginning with Agriculture on Monday, followed by Civil Supplies on Tuesday and Handicrafts and Textiles on Wednesday.
Soon after the portfolio allocation on Sunday, Amonkar said he contacted the Director of Agriculture to arrange a comprehensive review of the department's functioning and the status of various government initiatives.
Describing the three portfolios entrusted to him by Chief Minister Pramod Sawant as a significant responsibility, Amonkar said his immediate priority was to understand the progress of existing programmes and identify areas requiring intervention.
"Before officially assuming full charge of all three portfolios, I wanted to review the progress of ongoing work initiated under the Chief Minister's leadership. It is now my responsibility to accelerate these efforts in coordination with the directors and officers," he said.
Emphasising the importance of agriculture to Goa, the minister said protection of agricultural land would remain a priority, alongside addressing the challenges faced by the farming community.
"Agriculture is very close to our hearts, and agricultural land must be protected," he said.
Amonkar said the review would also focus on ensuring that farmers receive maximum benefits from government schemes and identifying measures to improve agricultural productivity.
He said the meetings were intended to provide a clear assessment of departmental functioning, pending work and implementation gaps, enabling him to take forward existing initiatives and improve the delivery of government programmes to beneficiaries.
