Say it ignores State’s needs, tourism sector and mining-affected families; offers no relief to youth
PANAJI
Opposition parties in Goa on Sunday came down heavily on the Union Budget 2026–27, terming it “visionless and anti-people” and alleging that it once again sidelines the interests of smaller states such as Goa.
Goa Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) president Amit Patkar said the Budget fails to address the country’s core economic challenges, including inflation, unemployment and rural distress, while offering little relief to ordinary citizens. “This Budget provides no real relief to the common man, no credible roadmap for job creation and completely ignores smaller States like Goa,” Patkar said.
He alleged that despite Goa’s tourism-driven economy and environmentally sensitive coastal geography, the State has once again been overlooked. “Goa has been given stepmotherly treatment in the Union Budget, even though it is a key tourism destination of the country,” he said.
Patkar pointed out that tourism, the State’s largest employment generator, has received no dedicated support for revival, infrastructure development, heritage conservation or international promotion. He also flagged the continued distress of families affected by the prolonged mining shutdown.
“Thousands of Goans impacted by the mining crisis have been forgotten. There is no rehabilitation plan, no compensation mechanism and no employment roadmap for those whose livelihoods have been destroyed,” he said.
Raising concerns over rising unemployment among Goan youth, Patkar said the Budget lacks State-specific initiatives for skill development, start-ups or government recruitment. He further warned that stagnant central transfers, coupled with increasingly stringent conditions attached to funds, are shrinking Goa’s fiscal space.
“This weakens the State’s ability to invest in critical sectors such as health, education and social welfare, and strikes at the very spirit of cooperative federalism,” he added.
Echoing similar sentiments, Goa Forward Party (GFP) president Vijai Sardesai said the Union Budget exposes the BJP’s “double standards”. “It is ‘double engine’ governance for other States, while Goa is ignored,” Sardesai said.
He alleged that none of the demands raised by the Goa government have found acceptance in the Budget.
