The Central BJP government in Delhi has introduced the ‘One Nation, One Ration Card’ scheme. This allows people to take ration from any fair price shop in any State where they are staying temporarily for work. However, this scheme is being misused by outsiders. According to the Civil Supplies Department in Goa, only four Goans have used this scheme, while 119 people from Maharashtra, mostly from Sindhudurg and Kolhapur, have benefited from it while living in Goa.
This raises a serious question: if the scheme is mainly benefiting people from other States and not Goans, then who is it really helping? Outsiders in Goa are already enjoying dual voting rights and access to Goa’s government schemes. Now, with this ration scheme, they will benefit even more. Meanwhile, Goans will be left waiting in long queues, and if demand increases, the ration mafia may take advantage of the situation to hoard or overcharge. The money of Goan taxpayers ends up benefiting outsiders, not the sons and daughters of Goan soil.
Many people from Maharashtra have already settled in Goa in large numbers. Instead of speaking Konkani, they are demanding Marathi. They protest loudly for Marathi and for statues of Shivaji. But if Maharashtra is so dear to them, why leave their own State and settle in Goa? In Maharashtra, they do not easily accept people from other states on their land, yet they come and demand special treatment here. The same way people of Maharashtra fight for Marathi, we Goans will fight for Konkani ” it is the lifeline of Goa and Goans. Please do not create unnecessary noise in Goa. The BJP government is creating confusion and problems with schemes that look good on paper but end up fooling the citizens and hurting the locals.
