PANAJI
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Wednesday presented the State's budget for 2025-26, projecting a total government expenditure of Rs 28,162 crore and an income (revenue receipts) of Rs 27,993.97 crore, an overall deficit of Rs 168.03 crore.
In an over two-hour speech delivered mostly in Konkani but also interspersed with use of English, Marathi and Hindi, Sawant said the budget estimates a Rs 2,403 crore 'revenue surplus' and a hefty provision for repayment of principal amount to the extent of Rs 1,504 crore towards the State's open market borrowings done ten years ago.
This debt repayment provision is nearly Rs 700-odd crore more than what was repaid in the current 2024-25, he said.
NO NEW TAXES
The chief minister has also spared Goans of any additional or new taxation saying means adopted to block revenue leakages including sanitising rosters of beneficiaries various government welfare schemes of the bogus recipients of the doles is what will help the government achieve the revenue surplus.
Some of the major thrust areas highlighted by Sawant in the budget are tourism, education, public health and a new proposal whereby capital works worth up to Rs 100 crore can be proposed by each MLA for his constituency.
MARITIME BOARD
Sawant has provided a significant Rs 440 crore allocation to boost the tourism sector and has additionally proposed setting up of a Goa Maritime Board in a bid to prepare a maritime masterplan to tap the State's rivers and inland waters for tourism-related activities.
HEALTH
In the health sector, the chief minister has provided Rs 857 crore for the department and an additional Rs 900-odd crore for the Goa Medical College and Hospital.
He said, more ambulances will be bought and day-care centres will be set up for cancer patients in both the district hospitals. Also, a 120-bedded Chest and TB Hospital Block,100-bedded Critical Care Hospital, Center of Excellence in Endoscopic Skull Surgery and implementation of Hospital Management Info System at the GMC were some of the proposals highlighted by Sawant in his budget speech.
EDUCATION
For the education sector, Sawant has allocated Rs 2800 crore -- Rs 2,100 crore for school education and Rs 700 crore for higher education. Additionally Rs 119.99 crore is provided for technical education and another Rs 103.99 crore for Skill Development.
SOCIAL WELFARE
Social Welfare department is another portfolio that got a large allocation of Rs 562.60 crore, a large portion of it (Rs 400 crore) for the Dayanand Social Security Scheme.
The Public Works Department (PWD), the Electricity Department and the Water Resources Department (WRD) were three other major government departments which got gigantic allocations. The PWD has been allocated Rs 1,975 crore and an additional Rs 801.48 crore for the new bifurcated Drinking Water Department Sawant has proposed to carve out this year.
POWER
Sawant has allocated Rs 4,131.15 crore for the Electricity Department while the WRD has been allocated Rs 759.99 crore of which Rs 491.54 crore will go for capital expenditure.
Later addressing the media, Sawant said the process of creating a third district in the State will be completed this year and a special committee will be set up to promote the use of Konkani in the administration.
TCP
Also, the Steering Committee of the Town and Country Planning Department will be strengthened and be designated as the authority to approve mega housing projects, he said..
Another significant proposal mooted in the budget, Sawant said is the one to carry out an assessment of Goa's carrying capacity, which he said will help future planning.
LABOUR
Sawant said, the department of Labour and Employment will be renamed as 'Human Resource Development' under which a dedicated job portal will be launched.
"All companies operating in Goa will be able to post their job vacancies on the portal and simultaneously allow exclusive access to Goans only for the first seven days so that local talent gets first opportunity," he said at the post budget press conference flanked by Chief Secretary V Candavelou and Under Secretary (Budget) Pranav Bhat.
