Agriculture Minister Ravi Naik recently made a public appeal asking Goans to stop selling their land to outsiders. While this is an important concern in a small state like Goa, where the local population is limited, the issue goes much deeper. If this trend continues, Goans may soon become a minority in their own land, and Goa’s unique identity could be lost.
Many say that Goans themselves are to blame for selling land. But a closer look shows that several politicians, including ministers in the current government, are directly involved in large-scale land sales to outsiders. Unlike some other states like Uttarakhand, which have passed laws to stop the sale of agricultural land to non-residents, the Goa government has done nothing.
I urge the Agriculture Minister to stop making such statements unless he is willing to take real action. If he truly cares about Goa, he should: (a) Speak out against his own ministerial colleagues who are acting like real estate agents, and (b) Push for strict legislation to ban the sale of agricultural land to outsiders. This law must also close loopholes that allow land to be converted to settlement zones before being sold.
