Our CM was mercilessly trolled by his critics for bandying about ' bhivpachi garza na' ( no need to worry) even as the state crumbled under the onslaught of two waves of Covid. He was charged with failing to grasp the enormity of the situation and taking the deadly pandemic lightly which resulted in the Grim Reaper cutting a wide swathe through our state. However a confident Sawant turned the Konkani phrase on it's head during his presentation of the budget, and patted himself on the back, falsely congratulating himself for steering the state through the choppy waters of the pandemic. His speech ended with a strong enunciation of ' Swayampurna Goem' and for added effect he emphasised BGN, in many ways reinforcing that he is in total control now, not hamstrung by carping opposition from within his own party. The budget size of Rs 24, 467 crores with a revenue surplus of Rs.434 crores is high on hope with education, industries, power, healthcare, agriculture and fisheries set to receive a significant boost. But the worrisome aspect that was glossed over was the state's public debt of Rs 20, 825 crores which works out to @Rs1,23,000 per capita, the highest in the country. We should give the government time and evaluate their proposals objectively before rushing forward in blanket criticism of the CM.
