PANAJI
Goa’s hope for Rs 300 crore to host the decennial exposition of St Francis Xavier was dashed when the Union Budget presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in Parliament made no mention of the allocation.
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, however, defended stating such allocations are not mentioned in the Budget.
“Although such allocations find no place in the Budget, we had still requested the Centre for Rs 300 funds for the Exposition, which will see the attendance of a large number of people from different parts of the world. We are certain that the Centre will release these funds under other programs,” Sawant said.
During a pre-budget meeting in Delhi last month, Sawant sought at least Rs 8,000 crore for Goa for various developmental projects including Rs 300 crore for the upcoming exposition of St Francis Xavier at Old Goa.
Despite no exclusive allocation for Goa, Sawant hailed the budget stating the Union Budget prioritizes employment, infrastructure and tourism promotion, all of which will also help Goa.
“I welcome the ‘Budget For Viksit Bharat’, that lays down the priorities, across all sectors. Our double engine government is working for four components, which are Kisan Kalyan, Garib Kalyan, Nari Shakti, and Yuva Shakti. These components are focused in this budget,” he said.
The CM quickly added that Goa will benefit from infrastructure development and other programs listed in the budget.
