PANAJI: Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has urged the Centre to consider extending Central Sector Scheme funding to the State on a 90:10 sharing basis, arguing that its geography, population profile and infrastructure burden justify an equity-based approach.
In his speech at the 11th Governing Council Meeting of NITI Aayog in New Delhi today, Sawant said, “I respectfully request the Government of India to extend CSS funding to Goa on a 90:10 basis, on the lines available to North Eastern and Himalayan States.” He said the appeal was not made as a grievance but as a question of fairness in allocation frameworks.
He explained that Goa carries a disproportionately high infrastructure load compared to its population. “Over 60% of Goa’s land is under forests, eco-sensitive zones, coastal regulation zones and the Western Ghats,” he said, adding that environmental restrictions significantly limit usable land for development while increasing compliance and project costs.
Sawant also pointed to tourism pressure, noting that the State receives “over one crore tourist visits annually,” which multiplies demand on roads, water supply, waste management and public services far beyond what a resident population of around 15 lakh would typically generate.
He said this combination of ecological constraints and high floating population results in higher per-capita service delivery costs, even as Goa is benchmarked under funding norms designed for much larger States. “Goa is assessed alongside States with populations of several crores under the CSS funding formula, resulting in lower per-capita expenditure allocations despite significantly higher per-capita service delivery costs,” he noted.
The Chief Minister also placed Goa’s development model within a broader human capital framework, describing the State as a “Human Capital Innovation Laboratory” aligned with the vision of Viksit Bharat.
He highlighted key interventions such as CARES (Coding and Robotics Education in Schools), which has reached over 3 lakh students, helping Goa surpass the national average in middle-school mathematics for the first time in PARAKH assessments. He also cited industry-linked ITI reforms, including partnerships with Tata Technologies and Siemens, along with training in AI, drones, EV mechanics and semiconductor-related skills.
Sawant further referred to digital governance reforms through the Samarth platform, which tracks students from pre-primary to university level, and the draft Goa AI Policy 2026, which proposes AI certification for all technical graduates by 2028 and development of a Konkani large language model through BHASHINI.
On healthcare, he mentioned integrative oncology initiatives at AIIA Dhargal in collaboration with Tata Memorial Centre, large-scale early lung cancer screening, and expansion of telemedicine across rural health centres. He also highlighted housing regularisation under the Mhaje Ghar scheme, covering over one lakh homes.
The Chief Minister said these reforms form part of the Viksit Goa @2037 vision, which aims to achieve developed state status ahead of the national 2047 target.
