State will become ‘Viksit Goa’ by 2037, says CM Sawant

Panaji: A Rs 10-crore kunbi village at Sanguem, a target of 17,000 ‘lakhpati didis’, uninterrupted power supply, and a commitment to ensure that water from the Mhadei river basin is not diverted were among the various assurances made by CM Pramod Sawant in his address as the state marked the anniversary of its liberation from Portuguese rule on Thursday.

The CM said initiatives are being taken to help the state meet the Viksit Goa 2037 target. Fifteen industrial projects approved by the Goa Investment Promotion Board will see an investment of Rs 1,459 crore come into the state and create 1,894 jobs.

“For the industry, we have reduced 129 compliances as part of ease of doing business. This will benefit new industries that will come in,” Sawant said at the state level Liberation Day function.

He said Goa is the first Indian state to get ISO certification for all its industrial training institutes (ITI).

“For the first time, we have started disbursing loans without collateral to women self-help groups, which will help with women empowerment in a big way. We talk about ‘lakhpati didis’, and we are working to create more through the Goa State Rural Livelihood Mission. As of now, Goa has 8-10 lakhpati didis, and it is our endeavour to increase this number to 17,000. We want these women to come forward. We have also tied up with an e-commerce platform to enable women to market their handicrafts online,” said Sawant.

He announced that work on the kunbi village at Sanguem has commenced.

“To work towards Viksit Bharat 2047, stress is being laid on scientific rigour and temperament, and we are focusing on technology and scientific innovation. Goa has become a developed and progressive state and has been one of the leading states in socio-economic indicators,” said the chief minister.

Sawant said that all Goans need to protect and preserve the state’s culture, heritage, and pristine nature. “I urge all of you to take the pledge to make Goa 100% literate and to ensure that all children are educated and empowered,” he said while calling on locals to focus on green energy and climate resilience.


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