Tourism Minister Rohan Khaunte on Wednesday informed the Goa Legislative Assembly that prize money for the Carnival festival has already been increased this year, but any further enhancement will be considered after discussion with the Chief Minister.
The issue was raised during Zero Hour by Curchorem MLA Nilesh Cabral, who highlighted the financial hardships faced by Carnival float participants and traditional cultural groups across the State.
Cabral said that despite Carnival being an internationally recognised cultural event and a major tourism attraction for Goa, the prize money, especially in the traditional category, had remained unchanged for over a decade.
Rising costs of fabrication, logistics, manpower and materials have made the first prize of Rs 1 lakh grossly inadequate, making it difficult for participants to recover their expenses.
He warned that many traditional groups might opt out, which could adversely affect the cultural richness and overall quality of the festival.
Responding to the concerns, Khaunte said that the prize money had already been increased by Rs 1 lakh this year. He further explained that the prize money is allocated in bulk to each carnival centre, and the respective committees decide on the distribution among floats and participants.
“We will discuss with the Chief Minister and decide if there is scope for any further hike in prize money,” he added.
Khaunte’s statement comes ahead of the forthcoming Carnival scheduled from February 14 to 17.
