Special Correspondent
Panaji: Praising the Budget presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, the state unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) said that although there are no direct Goa-specific financial provisions, the state can receive indirect budgetary funds for its various projects and that the Chief Minister’s Office is currently studying such proposals under different sectors.
State BJP president Damodar Naik, addressing a press conference at the party’s headquarters along with Health Minister Vishwajit Rane and Tourism Minister Rohan Khaunte on Monday, said that the Budget is not state-specific, and hence opposition leaders should not raise questions about budget’s direct benefit to Goa. He also said that the new Income Tax Bill to be presented in the Parliament next week will simplify the tax regime, thus making it understandable to taxpayers. Rane said that establishment of Day Care Cancer Centres in all district hospitals around the country over next three years is the best budgetary health facility by the Modi government to cancer patients. He also informed that the new cancer hospital will be commissioned in Goa by December 2026.
Rane said that efforts to establish an AIIMS hospital in Goa will continue, even though the parameters of the central government for the proposal are arduous.
The Health Minister also said that specialist doctors are conducting a gap analysis for the disparity that exists between Goa Medical College and Hospital, and the five district hospitals that include those in South and North Goa as well as at Ponda and Tuem.
The Tourism Minister said that the Budget will be beneficial for the state’s tourism and IT sector. He said, that the Budget will supplement the Ekadash Teerth scheme as regards spiritual tourism.
It was also said that Goa has been included in India’s top 50 tourism destinations for special funding and infrastructure upgrades, in partnership with the states.
Replying to a question as regards Goa possibly missing out on additional budgetary funding for infrastructure expansion of the IIT-Goa campus, the state BJP president said that the Chief Minister’s Office is studying a related proposal.
