PANAJI
Implementation of the Goa State Amritkal Agriculture Policy, curbing the conversion and sale of agricultural land, encouraging youth to take up farming, clearing pending financial assistance to beneficiaries of the Goa Ujjwala Yojana and revamping the fair price shop network are among the major challenges awaiting newly inducted Minister Sankalp Amonkar, with barely three months left before Goa heads for Assembly elections in early February 2027.
Amonkar, who defected from the Congress in September 2022, was finally rewarded with a ministerial berth on November 7 after a four-year wait. On November 8, he was allotted the Agriculture and Civil Supplies portfolios, both previously held by former minister late Ravi Naik. He is scheduled to formally take charge on November 12.
Before assuming office, Amonkar has begun familiarising himself with the functioning of the departments. He held a review meeting with Agriculture Department officials on Monday and is expected to take stock of ongoing schemes, pending proposals and implementation bottlenecks.
“Before assuming office, it is important for me to understand the functioning of these departments,” Amonkar said.
However, the limited time available raises a larger question: can the new minister move beyond departmental reviews and deliver measurable outcomes before the election code of conduct comes into force?
The biggest test will arguably be the implementation of the Goa State Amritkal Agriculture Policy, 2025, notified in May last year.
The policy sets ambitious long-term targets, including doubling the area under pulse cultivation from 3,600 hectares to 7,200 hectares over 10 years. It also envisages community-based soil testing laboratories and soil health card kiosks at every zonal agriculture office. For Amonkar, the immediate challenge will be to identify which of these commitments have moved beyond the planning stage and establish a time-bound implementation mechanism.
Equally pressing is the need to make farming financially viable and encourage younger generations to enter the sector. The extremely low coverage under crop insurance schemes highlights the vulnerability of Goa's agricultural community.
Protecting agricultural land from conversion and distress sales will be another politically and economically significant challenge, particularly as the state grapples with shrinking agricultural activity and competing land-use pressures.
On the Civil Supplies front, Amonkar inherits an immediate delivery challenge. While over one lakh beneficiaries have received Rs 3,000 each under the Goa Ujjwala Yojana towards LPG expenses, nearly two lakh eligible beneficiaries are awaiting disbursement for more than a month now. Ensuring that the promised payments reach beneficiaries within the stipulated timeline will be among his first tests as this is one of the biggest election moves of the BJP led government.
The functioning and financial viability of fair price shops also demand attention.
With a short tenure before the electoral battle begins, Amonkar's challenge is not merely to familiarise himself with two departments but to demonstrate tangible progress on commitments that have remained pending. Whether he can convert policy promises into visible results in the coming months will determine the early assessment of his ministerial performance.
