‘State economy continues to show positive growth trajectory of 14.94%’
Special Correspondent
Panaji: Governor P Ashok Gajapathi Raju on Monday quoting the estimates from the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, announced that Goa’s economy continues to show a positive growth trajectory of 14.94 per cent, reflecting remarkable growth.
He said the government is in the process of preparing a first-of-its-kind Happiness Index for Goa, as also launching a new Android & IOS app for general public to register their grievances/complaints directly through their smartphones.
Delivering the annual, customary address before the state MLAs on the first day of the winter session of the state legislative assembly, the Governor said the Happiness Index will assess the well-being of the residents of Goa across health, education, environment, culture, community life, etc.
“By embedding happiness at the base of our Viksit Goa Vision, the government aims to ensure that growth is inclusive, sustainable, and deeply connected to the well-being of every resident,” he added.
Raju said the new Android & IOS app will include functionality of location, photographs, and videos.
This is in addition to the existing facilities of registering public grievances.
“This app shall be made available to the general public, in addition to the existing online services,” he noted.
Delivering a record over two-hour speech, the Governor also maintained that the new district – Kushavati – has been formed by keeping in mind the identity, culture, rich heritage and aspirations of the Goan community, so as to ensure inclusive development, focused administration, and preservation and promotion of their unique social and cultural legacy.
“The creation of a new district is a notable step towards decentralisation, good governance, and balanced regional development,” he observed, adding that “Overall, it would reinforce transparency, and citizen-centric administration, in line with Goa’s vision for Viksit Goa @ 2027.”
The Governor further said, “The government has amended Section 38-A of Goa Land Revenue Code to provide one-time measure for the regularisation of encroached land on which the dwelling houses were constructed prior to February 28, 2014.”
He also maintained that this measure is a humanitarian intervention to address the plight of landless persons in longstanding occupation of such land.
Stating that the law and order situation in Goa is under control, Raju said this has been proved by the fact that Goa maintains a high crime detection rate of 87.72 per cent, ensuring that individuals involved in criminal activities are apprehended through collaborative efforts of the Goa Police and other law enforcement agencies.
The House was also informed that the Cybercrime Centre is being further strengthened with an AI-based investigative intelligence tool, which helps officers trace identities using structured identifiers such as mobile numbers, UPI IDs, PAN numbers, and vehicle registration data.
“It has been instrumental in expediting the profiling in cyber and financial fraud cases,” the House was told.
The Governor revealed that the preparation of the Vision Document ‘Viksit Goa @ 2037’ is in its final stages.
“The document will act as an all-inclusive, long-term blueprint for transforming Goa into ‘Viksit Goa’ in alignment with the vision of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi for Viksit Bharat 2047,” he noted.
The Governor also informed that Goa has achieved a significant milestone by becoming the first state in the country to operationalise the Deen Dayal Upadhyay Grameen Kaushal Yojana 2.0, successfully onboarding 15 project implementation agencies to undertake high-quality skill development and placement-linked training for rural youth across the state.
Raju addressed the House for the first time since taking over the gubernatorial post.
