The truth is only Diaspora Goans seem to care and be concerned about what local intellectuals like VM write, however brilliantly and with painstaking research about.
Local Goans except for a few and now in increasing number non-Goans who have the vote will continue to vote to power, ignorant, corrupt and greedy politicians who care nothing beyond the money flowing into their personal profits. Goa has no chance of becoming a decent land again. Roland. Toronto. > On Jun 25, 2023, at 12:42 AM, V M <[email protected]> wrote: > > http://epaper.heraldgoa.in/articlepage.php?articleid=OHERALDO_GOA_20230625_6_2&width=377px&edition=oHeraldo&curpage=6 > > Parashuram and Portugal are reliable distractions in India’s smallest > state, where governance has effectively collapsed, and the economy is > unable to provide decent jobs. Unemployment crested to nearly 17% in > January, and it still remains double the rate of the rest of the > country. Rule of law is conspicuously absent in the crucial aspects of > any functioning society. Meanwhile, an extraordinary onslaught on the > environment is personified by the ongoing brutalization of the > once-lovely Mandovi riverfront of Panjim. Now we have learned even the > Gods won’t be spared, as we see with the hasty installation of an > incomplete statue of Gomantabhoomi Janaka Parashuram to preside over > the torn-up landscape and vulgar casino blight. It is a fitting symbol > of the veritable Kali Yuga in contemporary Goa. > > There’s an extreme cynicism to the recent unveilings in the capital, > where an entire mountainside of rocks has been dumped to overwhelm the > riverside ecology, and hundreds of trees were bulldozed to lay down an > elevated concrete promenade. There was no public consultation, no > approval process, no environmental assessment, and no response to > agitated appeals from concerned citizens. On the contrary, there have > been only insults to public intelligence, like naming the grossly > illegal bridge across the St. Inez creek as “Yog Setu”. As the Roman > historian Tacitus wrote about the worst plunderers over 2000 years > ago: “they make a desolation, and they call it peace.” > > It is the job numbers that truly indicate the depth of Goa’s crisis. > On the one hand, higher than average literacy and education levels > prevail when compared to the rest of the country. Yet, when it comes > to learning outcomes, all the surrounding states are far better: > Maharashtra, Karnataka, and especially Kerala. That is one clear > indication of mismanagement, which shows up even more starkly when it > comes to jobs. There is no other explanation other than comprehensive > failure of governance for why Goa’s unemployment remains three times > higher than every one of its neighbours, year after year without end. > > To learn more about this predicament, I reached out to Dr. Nilesh > Borde, the professor of finance and strategy and Vice Dean (Academic) > of Goa Business School at Goa University, who told me that > “unemployment data is a good indicator of what the economic situation > in Goa is, but the methodology has to be sound. The ways these surveys > are conducted are questionable, with skewed or problematic samples. > Having said this, there surely also exists disguised employment, such > as engineers working as data operators, and an alarming quantum jump > in forced entrepreneurs.” > > All this is crucial evidence that Goa is failing to nurture an > economic model where its own citizens benefit, and instead trapping > most young people into underemployment, which Wikipedia describes as > “the underuse of a worker because a job does not use the worker's > skills, is part-time, or leaves the worker idle.” Borde says “in my > opinion this happens when decisions taken are haphazard, and there is > lack of vision or strategic intent in policy makers.” > > Borde explained further: “the construction industry needs unskilled > and uneducated labour, and obviously an educated and socially > conscious Goan will not work there. When it comes to casinos, an > educated Goan will not work there either, but there is a gradual > change, as 12th standard or recently graduated kids are seen joining > this because of the money. but it thwarts the intellectual growth of > Goa as a state. So, what is needed is a strategic vision to help Goa > plan out the type of industries that it needs, and focus on what's > needed to develop them. All policies and planning should revolve > around that. Or else we will come to a state like today, where we wish > to make Goa a tourist capital but the construction industry is > destroying the hills which is actually detrimental for the growth of > tourism.” > > I am connected on Facebook to Borde, and have noted palpable anguish > in his recent posts about the Mandovi riverfront. Earlier this week, > he posted pictures of the wholescale destruction heading across the > dunes towards Caranzalem, and asked, “What will happen to Goa? Is > anyone really bothered? This is Miramar getting butchered and abused > under the name of development and beautification. Sad, very sad.” > > Via email, he elaborated “as a Ponjekaar I am really upset at > concretisation of Goa, whether it is the widened roads without > planting enough good quality trees, or excess construction at the cost > of butchering hills, the so-called “beautification” of naturally > beautiful beaches, or building of the walkway on the river. It is not > good for Goa. We are killing the natural biodiversity and dangerously > playing with nature.” > > Another huge problem in the grotesque concretization is the > abandonment of half-finished “infrastructure” to the utter lawlessness > that now characterizes Goa. Borde posted about an illustrative > incident recently, when a number of people parked their bikes right in > front of a board prohibiting parking. He wrote: “From where do they > gain so much power to completely disregard law? What gives them this > sense of entitlement? What makes them believe they can do what they > wish? Did I tell them? Yes I did? Did I call Police? Yes I did, but to > no effect. There is a pink police vehicle there, and they too don't > show interest. I asked one fellow and he said "te aamche kaam nhu. > Traffic polishek saang". Apart from the fact that law is not getting > enforced, as a teacher I feel sorry in terms of what citizens are we > churning out?” > > Borde told me his rueful conclusion that “as for Goans, I think we are > a confrontation fearing society. And thus, we seem to ignore all the > wrong things happening around us, while becoming increasingly selfish. > We say "this is not bad for me, it doesn't concern me, I don't want to > shift my focus, I am busy with my work, etc etc" so we are least > bothered about what is good for the state. The silence of the citizens > is considered as an approval by policy makers, and that explains the > policies being implemented.” > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "Goa-Research-Net" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > To view this discussion on the web, visit > https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/goa-research-net/CAN1wPW6JoY8rM5C_enzqjQ1GK%3DogWpM9mQ77WstxG60%3DzUjZqQ%40mail.gmail.com. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Goa-Research-Net" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion on the web, visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/goa-research-net/C0556DB9-90BB-4310-94E9-1622DB50F508%40gmail.com.
