NT Reporter
Panaji
Exuding confidence that is government would get nearly Rs 4,000 crore from the Centre through various means under Union Budget 2026-27, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant Monday said the fund will also include money under the scheme for special assistance to states for capital investment, providing 50-year interest-free loans to boost state capital expenditure and infrastructure.
Briefing media at Mantralaya in Porvorim, the Chief Minister said that from the last Union budget, the Goa government was allocated Rs 1,291 crore under special assistance to the states. He said that till January 2026, Goa has drawn Rs 1,405 crore from the Centre, which, he said, is Rs 200 crore more than the allocation, with two months yet to go for the current financial year to end.
Sawant said that the proposal for special grants for promoting khazan lands in Goa is being prepared by the Goa University and the Indian Council of Agriculture Research to submit the same to NITI Aayog. “NITI Aayog has already approved our demand and the funds will be sanctioned once the proposal is submitted,” Sawant said.
Congratulating Prime Minister Narendra Modi for “a people-centric budget” and Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman for presenting the Union Budget for a record ninth time in the Parliament, the Chief Minister said that the budget will benefit Goa in sectors like coastal economy, tourism and wellness, fishing, cashew and coconut farming, MSME and infrastructure development.
According to him, the Union Budget will boost creation of jobs in the state’s tourism and hospitality sectors besides encouraging livelihood and coastal entrepreneurship. He said the special focus on cashew and coconut farming will also help the state in a big way.
When questioned how he expects to receive the central fund of Rs 4,000 crore, including Rs 500 crore for the newly created Kushavati district and Rs 1,000 crore for an industrial corridor, which were sought by him during the pre-budget meeting with the Union Finance Minister, Sawant said the state government will try to get the maximum fund through the scheme intended for special assistance to states.
Others present during the media interaction were cabinet ministers Mauvin Godinho and Subhash Shirodkar, Chief Secretary Dr V Candavelou and joint secretary (finance) Pranab Bhat.
