It is indeed a very special occasion for me to write this special guest editorial for The Goan. At the onset, my hearty greetings to the entire staff and management of The Goan daily for completing four glorious years in the field of journalism.
As we all know, 18th June has a special relevance to the lives of Goans. This day marks Goa’s revolution, it marks patriotism, it signifies the spirit of unity and the path of liberation. My humble tributes to all the martyrs of Goa Liberation Movement, and especially those of the Goa Revolution Day. We also cannot proceed without paying tributes to Late Manoharbhai Parrikar who has been one of Goa’s most glorious and illustrious sons. His contribution to post-Liberation Goa has been exemplary. In my opinion, he is the architect of modern, aspirational and progressive Goa.
With the rapidly changing socio-economic and socio-political dynamics of Goa, “Goemkarponn” has taken centre-stage. Goemkarponn is not merely a phrase, rather it is the essence of how we as Goans are going to respond to the rapidly changing world by retaining our identity, our social fabric and the sense of belonging towards this tiny emerald of the west coast of India.
As I write this editorial, we are on the threshold of completing the first two decades of the new millennium. Our India has emerged as a force to reckon in the world order. The national politics has transformed with more stable governments. So has been the case with Goa. We have gradually moved towards stable dispensations thereby putting Goa’s development at the top of the list.
As we move into a new decade, we must set our priorities right and persist to achieve targets. Goa is a state blessed with nearly 150 inches of rainfall every monsoon season. Yet it is very disheartening to hear about water scarcity. It would be my priority that measures are undertaken to overcome water crisis. Increased tree cover, improved water storage and achieving these with people’s participation, will be the key. Mhadei is our lifeline, and my government is committed to safeguarding the state’s lawful interests in the pending legal battle before the appropriate fora.
Mining also has been one of the main support for Goa’s economy. This is because only with the government earning requisite revenue, this industry has been providing great deal of direct and indirect employment opportunities to Goans. The stoppage of mining activities has resulted in substantial loss of revenue and livelihood for Goans.
I assure my Goans that all necessary efforts to restart lawful mining activity would be put in place with an unprecedented backing from the Government of India. Our State is working at a fast pace in terms of public infrastructure projects. And although some vested interests are creating hurdles in our path, we shall overcome all that comes in the way of development.
I appeal to all my young friends to pursue different fields of interests in education. There are ample opportunities in higher and technical education including traditional education streams.
We are working seriously to encourage our youth to become entrepreneurs and also to attract established enterprises to set up their operations in Goa so that our local youth get employment opportunities.
I would appreciate positive suggestions from my brothers and sisters from all parts of Goa and the world over. Together we will definitely make a difference. I would like to sum-up with Manoharbhai’s words -- Be Positive. Jai Hind.
--Guest Editor
Dr Pramod Sawant
(Chief Minister )
