Staff ReporterMapusaThe contribution of former defence minister late Manohar Parrikar to our country and state will always be remembered and will be an inspiration to everyone, said Mapusa MLA Joshua D’Souza after paying floral tributes on the occasion of the third death anniversary of late Manohar Parrikar at BJP officein Mapusa.Joshua said, “Manohar Parrikar has reached one of the highest positions in the country and his contribution towards Goa will always be remembered. He was a true Goan and his contribution towards development of Goa is incomparable with the simplicity he had.”
Panaji: The state led by caretaker chief minister Pramod Sawant paid tributes to former chief minister Manohar Parrikar on his third death anniversary at his memorial at Miramar. Parrikar was the longest serving BJP chief minister of Goa and he represented Panaji constituency. Sawant said that Parrikar will always be remembered for the infrastructure development in the state. He said that it had been three years since Parrikar passed away but “we remember him due to the work done by him”. The caretaker chief minister said that Parrikar will continue to remain in the hearts of the people because of his work and due to the third Mandovi bridge. Soon the third arm of Atal Setu will be completed, he added. Sawant was accompanied by Panaji MLA Atanasio Monserrate, Parrikar’s son Utpal, Tivim MLA Nilkant Halarnkar, Bicholim MLA Chandrakant Shetye and BJP state president Sadanand Shet Tanavade, among others. Monserrate said that he had come to pay tributes and pray that Parrikar’s soul rests in peace. Later, Valpoi MLA Vishwajit Rane also paid tributes. Rane said that Goa misses Parrikar who helped BJP rise in Goa.
Panaji: BJP on Tuesday promised not to increase state duties on petrol and diesel for the next three years, give three free LPG cylinders a year to every household in Goa, and increase the pension under the Dayanand Samajik Surkasha Yojana (DSSY) to Rs 3,000. The assurance on fuel comes in the backdrop of severe criticism BJP is facing over the increase in prices of LPG cylinders, petrol, and diesel over the years, and also that the Congress manifesto promises to cap petrol at Rs 80 per litre. In what could be termed as old wine in a new bottle, BJP has once again promised to resume mining activities within six months of forming the government. “Within six months of forming the government, we will revive mining in the state through the Goa Mineral Development Corporation and undertake the auction of iron ore blocks through transparent leasing and following due process of law,” the 22-point manifesto, released by Union transport minister Nitin Gadkari, said. With its manifesto, BJP has tried to reach out to all sections of society—women, government employees, sportspersons, police, persons with disabilities (PwDs), senior citizens, entrepreneurs, farmers, fishermen, and youth. The manifesto also promised to provide “good quality housing” for all Goans in the next five years by providing home loans for deserving families at an interest rate of 2% for women and 4% for men and developing and providing residential plots. To boost infrastructure, BJP promised to introduce the Manohar Parrikar Kalyan Fund, which will provide for a common development fund up to Rs 3 crore for every panchayat and up to Rs 5 crore for every municipality. BJP also promised to double the number of annual tourist arrivals in the state in the next five years by harnessing the potential for inland tourism, medical tourism and promoting heritage and spiritual tourism, while augmenting the current infrastructure around adventure sports and beach tourism. “We will introduce a homestay scheme which will provide an interest-free loan of Rs 5 lakh and training for local residents of Goa wishing to provide homestay facilities. We will make Goa the meetings, conventions and exhibitions hub (MICE) of Asia, further boosting the tourism sector,” the BJP manifesto said. The party has also promised to propel Goa to a growth trajectory that will enable the state to become a $50 billion economy in the next 10 years. “We shall build a world class eco-friendly transportation infrastructure for Goa. We will reduce end-to-end travel time to less than an hour by harnessing the state’s inland waterways for both passenger and cargo transportation,” the manifesto said. BJP also promised to establish a new international football stadium and a football academy with a world-renowned coach in the state and host the FIFA U-20 World Cup in the coming years. In all, BJP had received 10,000 suggestions for preparation of the manifesto, of which 8,500 suggestions were received through SMS. “We will be able to fulfil former chief minister Manohar Parrikar’s dream of ‘Golden Goa’ through this manifesto,” state president Sadanand Shet Tanavade said. Chief minister Pramod Sawant said BJP has fulfilled 80% of the assurances given in earlier manifestos. He said BJP will try to provide alternate sources of fuel so that there will be no need to reduce prices on petrol and diesel, or even use them. Sawant also challenged former Congress chief minister Digambar Kamat to submit a report card of the assurances given in Congress’ manifesto in 2007. “We will complete Sankalp patra and submit a report card of the same to the people,” Sawant said. Gadkari said the manifesto promises to make Goa carbon neutral. “It is important to make Goa free from water, air and sound pollution,” he said. Reacting to Congress’ promise to cap petrol and diesel prices at Rs 80, Gadkari said, “Congress is trying to mislead people as in the coming days, all vehicles will be on a flex engine and they can use ethanol, which is around Rs 62 per litre, and Congress will not require to cap petrol at Rs 80.” Gadkari said the BJP manifesto targets doubling the number of tourists visiting Goa, which will provide employment to everyone. “Everyone will have their own houses and American-standard road infrastructure,” Gadkari said.
Panaji: BJP Goa desk in-charge C T Ravi said here on Saturday that Congress should reduce fuel rates in states it is already governing before promising to bring petrol and diesel prices under Rs 80 per litre in Goa. Ravi said that a litre of petrol costs Rs 107 in Rajasthan, Rs 98 in Jharkhand, Rs 102 in Chhattisgarh and Rs 110 in Maharashtra. “In all these states, Congress is in government. First, Congress should reduce fuel prices in these states and then in Goa,” he said. Ravi also said that PM Narendra Modi is likely to visit Goa on Friday to campaign for the party. He also said that Union home minister Amit Shah would arrive in Goa on Tuesday, and that BJP national president J P Nadda and defence minister Rajnath Singh would also come to Goa. Ravi said that BJP is missing former chief minister Manohar Parrikar during campaigning. “Parrikar was a great leader. There is no alternative to Parrikar,” Ravi said. Ravi also said that TMC, AAP and NCP are all against BJP. “They are all B-teams of Congress, only BJP is a nationalist party, all other parties are working only for votes,” he said. Union minister for state Shripad Naik said on Saturday that the Union government would take steps to reduce fuel and cooking gas prices. Naik said that a lot of jobs would be created in the next few years, including at the Mopa international airport and Ayush hospital.
Staff ReporterVasco/Sanvordem/PondaAssuring Goans to restart mining within six months of forming government in the state, the Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday said the Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has been following up the mining issue with the central ministry. He said Goa will soon see one of its most important industries restarting.Speaking at a meeting in Vasco on how the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will benefit Goa with its double engine government, Shah said, “Congress can give government to Goa but only a corrupt family government. On the other hand, a government by BJP is based on patriotism. Goa will become world famous as a tourist spot. The Prime Minister Narendra Modi took steps like holding a BRICS summit in Goa and made it popular across the globe. The infrastructure being put in place here will attract more international tourists to Goa and it will benefit Goans at large.”Shah said Goa is important to BJP, as Modi was nominated as the prime ministerial candidate in the state and his phase of success started from this place. Talking about making Goa an educational hub, Shah said, “We have to understand the geography of the state and then formulate programmes. The BJP government will come up with higher education and technical education centres, which will help the youth in getting employment.Goa can have qualified sailors by obtaining education from its shipbuilding and marine colleges.”He said, “Political tourists who have come to Goa are promising many things, as they know that not a single candidate fielded by them will get elected and they will not have to fulfil their promises. But, BJP is a party, which keeps up to its assurances and fulfils them.”The Union Home Minister paid tributes to former chief minister late Manohar Parrikar.Recollecting his efforts in building BJP in Goa and giving it a solid platform, Shah said the BJP is in Goa to take the vision of Parrikar ahead. During his virtual interaction, he conversed with a representative each from different towns of the state. Top leaders of BJP from Goa were present on the occasion.Earlier, addressing party workers in Sanvordem, Shah said the BJP will retain power by winning more than 22 seats at the February 14 assembly elections.He said the party has made good progress in the last ten years by increasing the number of colleges, police stations, police personnel and school teachers in the state. He said the state government has also renovated many religious places and cultural centres and added that the state has made remarkable progress by reducing the crime rate by 50%. The Goa government also deserves a pat on its back, as Goa has been the first state to achieve the target of 100% vaccination against COVID-19, he said.Shah, along with others leaders of the party, also visited some local houses in Sanvordem and interacted with the people after distributing the party pamphlets.Earlier in the day, Shah addressed a public meeting in Ponda where he said the BJP is working on fulfilling the ‘Golden Goa’ dream of former chief minister late Manohar Parrikar.Criticising the Congress party and its senior leader Rahul Gandhi, Shah said Goa is only a tourist destination for the Gandhi family, which, he said, visits the state often. “But the BJP is focusing on fulfilling the dream of late Manohar Parrikar,” he said.Shah said that in the year 2013-14, when Congress-led government was ruling at the Centre, Goa received a fund of only Rs. 432 crore, while during Modi’s tenure, the state received Rs. 2,566 crore as fund last year for various projects.Claiming that Rahul Gandhi is suffering from ‘Modi-phobia’, Shah said Gandhi posts only negative thoughts on social media. “People of Goa need to choose between BJP’s ‘golden Goa’ and Congress’ ‘Gandhi parivar ka Goa,’” Shah said.Prior to the public meet, Shah offered prayers at the Sai Baba Temple in Borim. He was accompanied by top leaders of the party from the state.
Panaji: Union home minister Amit Shah on Sunday said that within six months of forming the government, BJP will resume mining activities in Goa through e-auctioning of iron ore dumps in a transparent manner. “I want to say that after the election, through e-auctioning in a transparent manner, Goa’s mining industry will function with double force,” he said, adding that this mining promise would find a place in BJP’s manifesto. Addressing a public meeting in the mining belt constituency of Sanvordem, Shah said that after examining the SC order, CM Pramod Sawant visited Delhi four times. “Mines minister Pralhad Joshi and I held several meetings with the attorney general and solicitor general, and found a way. For this, the government of India came out with a special dumping policy, and after that Sawant has already formed the Goa Mineral Corporation,” Shah said.
Pauskar too quits party; Parsekar on the way outPanaji: Utpal Parrikar, the son of the former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and ex-chief minister late Manohar Parrikar, on Friday resigned from the BJP and announced that he would be contesting the forthcoming state assembly election as an Independent candidate.“My father was continuously voted as an MLA by the Panaji voters not because he was Manohar Parrikar but since he had some values and he stood by them till the end,” Utpal stated, adding that he too would stand by these values.“The workers who toiled with my father to expand the BJP in Goa, and who were responsible for bringing the party to its present state, are all with me,”he claimed.Addressing a press conference in the city, Utpal said that the BJP leaders did give him two other options as regards the constituencies, for contesting the state assembly polls, if he agreed to give up his desire to contest from Panaji. “However, my aim is not to just become an MLA or a minister, but to provide a clean option to the Panaji voters,” he said, pointing out, “I wanted no options from the BJP, but wanted to give an option to Goans through my Panaji contest.”Stating that he was never interested in negotiating with the BJP as regards any post or position, Utpal said that he is taking a high risk by making a difficult choice. “Therefore, any support coming from any political party is welcome, as I have to contest against a candidate, about whom even speaking has become a matter of shame,” he said.Speaking further, Utpal said that he was not seeking the BJP candidature from Panaji because he is the son of Manohar Parrikar. “If that was the case then I would have demanded the BJP candidature for the Panaji bypoll, immediately after my father’s demise,” he noted, retorting “I never wanted anything on a platter from the BJP and, therefore, I am fighting it out.” On a parting note, Utpal said that the entry of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s Panaji candidate into the party was an entry of opportunism. “The BJP will always remain in my heart,” he said, further stating, “You have to, however, ask the party if it has discarded me.”Meanwhile, former chief minister and the founding member of BJP in Goa, Laxmikant Parsekar, on Friday said that he will soon be resigning from the BJP and contesting the state assembly elections as an Independent candidate from Mandrem.A day after the BJP denied him a ticket from the Sanvordem constituency, Minister for Public Works Deepak Prabhu Pauskar on Friday resigned as MLA and also quit the party. He tendered his resignation letter to the Legislature Secretary Namrata Ulman at the state legislative assembly complex in Porvorim.Pauskar is likely to contest the upcoming assembly elections as an Independent candidate from Sanvordem.Speaking to the media after tendering his resignation, Pauskar said that despite being a minister, the party and the government neglected him and did not allow him to work freely.Stating that the issue of a job scam in the PWD was a conspiracy planned by the BJP to deny him a ticket, Pauskar said, “I was the only minister, who provided jobs in all the 40 constituencies unlike the other ministers, who filled the vacancies with candidates from their respective constituencies only.”Blaming the Chief Minister Pramod Sawant-led government for failing to resolve the mining issue, Pauskar said, “In March 2019, the Congress party was trying to form a government with the help of Goa Forward Party and Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party. At that time, Deputy Chief Minister Manohar Ajgaonkar and I took the lead and saved the Sawant government by joining the BJP.”“I am confident that the people of Sanvordem will reelect me and I will be a part of the next government, irrespective of whichever party comes to power,” he said.
Panaji: BJP’s Goa desk in-charge C T Ravi on Tuesday hit out at opposition parties for “instigating” former chief minister Manohar Parrikar’s son Utpal to contest the assembly election, and said he would stay with the party. “Some parties are using Utpal as a tool against BJP, and I am confident that they cannot do so,” Ravi said. Opposition parties have been cornering BJP over the issue of a poll ticket for Utpal. Shiv Sena MP and its Goa desk in-charge Sanjay Raut on Monday urged all opposition parties to support Utpal in case BJP doesn’t give him a ticket to contest from Panaji. In a tweet, Raut said it would be “a true tribute” to Manohar Parrikar if all non-BJP parties including AAP, Congress, TMC and GFP support Utpal’s candidature and not field a candidate against him. AAP national convener and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Sunday that he is ready to welcome Utpal into the party. However, BJP state president Sadanand Shet Tanavade refused to comment on Raut’s statement. “We have already cleared it. Utpal is a member of the party and not a party leader,” Tanavade said.
