Centre sanctions 300cr for capital projects in Goa

Panaji: Union govt sanctioned Rs 300 crore for state govt towards special assistance (loan) under part IX of the Scheme for Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment, 2025-26. It said the state must ensure there is no duplication in funding of the capital projects approved under the scheme, either with the funds provided by Govt of India or state govt.

“In case of unavoidable changes in the specific projects for which funds are being released, state govt shall seek the approval of Govt of India for the change. Funds will not be provided in case of unapproved changes,” Jitendra Kumar Verma, assistant director of public finance, said.

A capital project is a significant, long-term investment focused on building, acquiring, or improving physical assets.

State govt, in its letter, said it successfully onboarded the five centrally sponsored schemes: PM Usha, PM Abhim, RKVY, Krishionnati Yojana, and PM Matsya Sampada Yojana. Hence, Union govt requested the sanction of Rs 250 crore to Goa for successfully onboarding the five schemes.

Goa mentioned that the mother sanctions for seven centrally sponsored schemes are continuously being sought, but the same is awaited from the respective Union ministries. “Hence, we kindly request you to sanction an additional allocation of Rs 250 crore under part XI of the scheme as govt has already done mapping of all these schemes,” finance under-secretary Pranab Bhat, said.

Mother sanction is the first and foundational approval for a project or scheme.

In April, state govt had urged Centre to release Rs 300 crore in special assistance for capital investment as it successfully onboarded centrally sponsored schemes. Chief minister Pramod Sawant, in a letter to Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman, stated that Goa had successfully onboarded six centrally sponsored schemes and is eligible for Rs 300 crore as special assistance under the scheme.

The budgetary outlay for 2025-26 is Rs 28,162 crore, of which Rs 20,299 crore will go towards salaries and loan repayment, while just 26%, or Rs 7,863 crore, will be used to create new infrastructure. The budget estimates total receipts of Rs 27,994 crore, a 13% rise over the revised estimates of 2024-25, while total gross expenditure stands at Rs 28,162 crore, including Rs 7,863 crore for capital expenditure.

The govt’s substantial borrowing repayment of over Rs 3,500 crore began in the financial year 2025-2026.