Panaji: Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Monday said the state government has been pressing the Centre to consider Goa for the funding pattern of 90:10 like the northeastern and Himalayan states, under centrally sponsored schemes.
Speaking during a talk and discussion on the Union Budget 2026-27 at social media influencers and intellectual meet in Panaji, Sawant opined that the funding pattern of 90:10 for Goa should have been demanded soon after the Liberation.
“We have been consistently urging the Centre to consider the 90:10 funding pattern for Goa under centrally sponsored schemes, instead of 60:40. If this demand is accepted by the Centre, it will benefit Goa in a big way,” he said.
Although there are no specific provisions for the state in the Union budget 2026-27, the Chief Minister hoped that Goa would get at least Rs 1,500 crore from the Union Ministry of Roads, Transport and Highway in next financial year.
In the last financial year, the state received Rs 650 crore under various centrally sponsored schemes and Rs 654 crore from the Union Ministry of Roads, Transport and Highway for various projects, Sawant said. The devolution of tax share is 41 per cent for Goa under federalism cooperation, the Chief Minister said.
The state will receive tax share at the same average till 2031, he said.
According to him, the coastal state like Goa will benefit from enhanced support to coconut, cashew and coco cultivation and processing, as also from the push to blue economy, and the MSME and innovation sectors.
Sawant said Goa will also get a major boost in the research and development sector.
“We have 10 per cent of the pharmaceutical companies in Goa; out of it, 10 firms have already taken up research and development works in the state. We are proud that Goa is one of the largest pharma export states,” he added.
The Rs 7,500 crore budgetary allocation made for the double tracking of the Konkan Railway route will be beneficial for Goa, Sawant said, adding that the state has requested the Railways Ministry for faster rail connectivity from Goa to cities like Pune, Hyderabad and Bengaluru.
