MARGAO
He also ruled out the possibility of bringing an Amendment to the Citizenship Act to exempt only Goans from issues concerning citizenship, saying an amendment to the Act is not possible for a host of reasons.
Speaking to The Goan on the sidelines of the launch of the Prime Minister’s crop insurance scheme for farmers at the Ravindra Bhavan, Sawaikar said the report submitted by the expert panel has caused confusion in the minds of the people. “This is not true. The expert panel has been recommended so that their claims and issues pertaining to citizenship of Goans are settled in Goa itself since an amendment to the Citizenship Act is ruled out. The Authority will take a call on all issues regarding the citizenship of Goa, of those who have registered their births in Portugal, but are keen to retain their Indian citizenship,” Sawaikar said.
Sawaikar agreed when his attention was drawn to the fact that most Goans have registered their births in Portugal primarily for employment purpose than to sever ties with the motherland. “I do agree that Goans have registered their births in Portugal because of the special facility granted to them by the Portuguese government. I also know that people are registering their births for the purpose of employment in the European countries. The Authority, which will be constituted by the Centre in Goa will address concerns of the local population regarding citizenship,” Sawaikar said, adding that the Centre will soon issue the notification constituting the Authority in Goa as recommended by the expert panel.
