In my corporate career, I once worked with a senior manager who was very good at making impressive presentations and five- or ten-year business plans. But in reality, these plans rarely produced any real results. A lot of company time, money, and staff effort were wasted. The only person who truly benefited was the manager himself ” he kept getting promotions, better postings, and salary hikes, while his so-called visionary plans were quietly forgotten. It became clear to many of us that his strategy was all about show, not substance.
Looking at the Viksit (Developed) Goa 2037 campaign now being promoted by the BJP Government in Goa, I can’t help but feel it’s another similar gimmick. Take the example of the Smart City Panaji project ” thousands of crores have been spent, and yet the outcome is a mess. The SGPDA Margao Wholesale Fish Market, opened in 2025, is another example of poor-quality work done at huge cost to taxpayers. Many government buildings and facilities, like the Kala Academy, food markets, and the Mathany Saldanha Administrative Complex, are badly maintained, dirty, and falling apart. Garbage and sewage management remains pathetic. Public health centres and district hospitals are in poor condition. Law enforcement is weak and unreliable. There is rampant illegal environmental destruction. Corruption cases are at a record high. Unemployment has reached crisis levels. More and more Goans are migrating in search of better opportunities. And the list goes on.
Now, in 2025, the Government says Goa will be developed by 2037 ” just 12 years from now. Are we really supposed to believe that all these serious issues will be solved in that short time? Shouldn’t the government first focus on getting the basics right ” clean surroundings, functioning hospitals, reliable transport, effective policing, and job opportunities for locals? To me, Viksit Goa 2037 looks like yet another grand plan made to benefit the already wealthy ” politicians, crony capitalists, party donors and their close circles. It feels like a strategy to spend more public money on showy but unsustainable projects, real estate deals, and private gain.
I strongly urge the Goa government to stop making fancy promises and instead concentrate on solving the real issues Goans face every day. Development should begin with the basics, not with slogans.
