Every housewife knows how to balance her household budget. Even children don’t spend more than the sum of their pocket money. But the government of Goa is financially illiterate; it spends more than it earns and borrows more than it can repay.
Goa has traditionally been a rich state, with India’s highest per capita income, but successive governments with no vision have ruined the state’s finances. Goa is like a man who kept losing money until he had to borrow from others, then continued to borrow until he lost control of how much he had to borrow. In the last seven years, Goa’s debt has doubled to over 11,000 crore “ more than how much revenue the government will spend this year!
This government has to keep borrowing simply to survive. Does the CM realise he is borrowing on behalf of all Goans? The average monthly income of each Goan is around 23,000 rupees. Every Goan would have to sacrifice three months’ salary to square off Goa’s per capita debt! Goa now has to borrow money just to repay the interest on the money it has already borrowed.
Every year, the Finance Minister juggles the numbers to make the budget look good. How much longer can he direct funds intended for water supply and electricity towards short-term payments? If a government is not financially responsible to even its own people, what higher power does it report to?
When the Modi government came to power, Goans hoped that one BJP government would help another. Instead, Goa has become a pawn in a national chess game. Let alone special status, the Centre refused to grant any aid even when mining was banned. Instead, it has transformed its junior partner into a by getting it to employ KPMG “ a firm which ran Modi’s election campaign “ to broker land deals and the nationalisation of our waterways with no consideration for the sentiments of the sons of soil. The remote control for Goa is in New Delhi; it is dangerously close to becoming a Union Territory again “ literally.
Leave alone the that were supposed to come, even the refuse to go away. Demonetisation is a well-intentioned move, but it has burdened the back of the common man even more. Essential commodities such as medicines have suddenly become out of reach, and the government has shown no signs of cracking down on hospitals refusing to accept old notes. It has the audacity to compare standing in line at the bank to queueing up for a movie ticket. Mr CM, watching a film is a choice and a luxury, waiting for hours and hours to be allowed to withdraw only a fraction of one’s own hard-earned money is an undeserved punishment!
Time and again, I have named and shamed this government’s blunders. Despite this, rumour mills suggest I will join the BJP. Does this make any sense?
I’m confident Goans will bring about a of government by ousting this government.
