PANAJI
There was much friendly and unfriendly banter between Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and Leader of the Opposition Yuri Alemao and other Opposition Legislators during the just concluded 18-day monsoon session of the Goa legislative assembly in the middle of which "Millet Ladoos" often figured in the cross-talk.
Sawant, during these brief bouts of friendly fire with the Opposition members, especially Alemao, often offered to send locally made 'Millet Ladoos" over to sweeten the Opposition Leader's mouth.
Now, it turns out that his government's Protocol department spent a whopping Rs 49.64 lakh on ladoos (may not necessarily be locally made 'millet' ladoos) and other "Sweets" to satiate the sweet tooth of visiting VIP politicians, officials and guests since 2022 till date.
Overall, the department spent Rs 8.62 crore on the visitors it entertained between 2022 and June 2024, providing them various services including five-star accommodation, meals, transport and other services.
But what stood out was the nearly Rs 50 lakh spent on "Sweets" provided by three vendors -- Zantye's, Sangeeta Khedekar and Online Packaging Pvt Limited -- according to information furnished by Transport Minister Mauvin Godinho to the Goa legislative assembly.
Godinho, who also holds the protocol portfolio, in a written answer to an unstarred query tabled by Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) Benaulim MLA, Venzy Viegas said, the department outsourced some of the services provided to the visiting guests such as accommodation, food, transport arrangements, gifts and bouquets.
Officials of other States and also foreign countries and political leaders often visit Goa for official engagements and international conferences and are provided hospitality by the State as per the protocol department's norms.
According to Godinho's reply, accommodation for these guests was arranged in various starred hotels across the State, spending Rs 3.3 crore in these two-and-half years. Food cost the exchequer Rs 1.75 crore, he added. Additionally, food arrangements for some of the VIP guests on flights also cost Rs 9.31 lakh, Godinho added.
