This is a presentation made at the Executive Committee meeting of the Gomant Vishwa Sammelan by the undersigned members of the South Goa Public Interest Action Group a registered NGO with jurisdiction in the entire South Goa Parliamentary Constuituency. It may be noted that the undermentioned members have been appointed as Special Invitees in the Interaction Committtee of the Gomant Vishwa Sammelan to be hosted by the NRI Facilitation Centre. It is necessary that there are concrete proposals and not just talk shows. Hence the below mentioned is being circulated as abundant caution to the organisors.
****************************************************** Members of the Executive Committee (Gomant Vishwa Sammelan) 29/11/2003 - NRI FACILITATION CENTRE Kala Academy Campal, Panaji Goa, During the last convention on 29.12.2003 we had submitted the views collated from NRI (Goans) both in India and overseas. The Chief Minister of Goa had kindly refered the same for consideration of the NRI Facilitation Centre. Would the NRI Facilitation Centre kindly submit the Action Taken Report on the above. Meanwhile we are happy to note that the Union Minister of State for Finance , Mr Shripad Y Naik has succeeded in pursuading the Director General of Shipping to start the Medical examination at Verna Goa. As regards the present convention: Our observations are as under: It appears that the same personnel that have made their presentation at the last function ( albeit hurriedly) will now be repeating the same feat. There was a general resentment that there is too much of talk and no concrete proposals. We repeat our oft stated stand that the Secretaries to Govt of Goa, the Jt. Secretaries and the Directors of the respective institutions should be present at the function so that they can interact with the NRI (Goans ) directly and in a non formal atmosphere. The present list of Executive Members do not include such persons. HEALTH CARE First difficulty is that looking after senior citizens --- there is no policy of the Govt of Goa to have such homes in atleast Talukas in the Old Conquests. The few private homes at Ponda Rachol and now at Verna cannot meet this demand. The existing primary /urban community health centres and the District Hospitals besides the GMC need to be maintained clean and hygienically. The NRI Goans are not demanding the sky but the standards for which Goan culture is known for. CULTURE There are two schools of thought. One favouring the pre-Conquest era before March/November 1510 The other the new Society evolved with the influence of 451 years of Portuguese rule (east meets west) atleast in the Old Conquistas which is infact � d raison etre � for Goans being respected the world over as distinct from Indians. Thus while Bhajan Mandals are provided with musical instruments at the Taluka level by the Goa Government The Mandos, Dulpods, Dekhnis Dhalo and Fugdi do not receive state patronage to the extent it deserves. However the recent announcement of the Chief Minister to provide financial assistance was received well by the audience at the just held 37th Mando Festival. This issue should be settled before we evolve policies on this score. EDUCATION The number of jobs going to outsiders is a clear reflection of the failure of the present education policy which is a mismatch vis a vis industries requirement. One glaring example is that Dr Reddy Laboratories coming up at Pirni Verna will not meet its staff requirements from within because only 30 pharmacists pass out each year. Assuming that Goa has about 900 pharmacisits with the number of dispensing units opening up like �toffee shops� there is no doubt that the influx of outsiders will be there due to this vacuum caused by lopsided policies. The BITS (Pilani) at Sancoale Mormugao will also change the demographic composition as not many Goans will get opportunity, since admission is on All India Basis last year just one Goan student made it at Rajasthan. Was this Complex necessary or was it to appease the ZIL? INDUSTRY With much fanfare the policy was announced. However industrial policy has not made a single mention of role of NRI (Goans) In the era of globalisation when global tenders are floated would it not be appropriate to reserve a preference for our own Goans. AGRICULTURE The Tenancy Act was a good piece of legislation except that it should have left the Communidades untouched and the Land Ceiling Act should have preceded it . The mess that this legislation has created is reflected in the illegal encroachments . The Mayem - Evacuee property case is a clear pointer of how the State machinery for the sake of protecting the vote banks has leaned towards the encroachers, ant the erring officials going scot free. The pending litigations over twenty years and several instances of realtors taking their purchasers for a ride remain unsolved. The Inventory proceeding s do not have judges who understand the finer points of Portuguese Civil Code. The Government pays a pittance to services of judges requisitioned on contract . These are the problems ned to be solved. The Chief Secretary has before him a report --- which clearly points the blame to small holdings as responsible for the non implementation of Agriculture policies like the �Khamadenu� scheme. What is the message that the Government desires to give to the NRI (Goans) This Executive Committee may kindly deliberate on this issue. Meanwhile the website and the various links are not updated. The Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) promised in September has yet to take off now that just a month is left and the NRG (Indians ) have started arriving. TERENCE MAZARELO & MARIA SYLVIA DINIZ FERNANDES SOUTH GOA PUBLIC INTEREST ACTION GROUP (NGO) 1st Floor Benlix Bldg Opp Fatima Convent Margao Goa [EMAIL PROTECTED] HELPLINE 9822158584 (SPECIAL INVITEES) ________________________________________________________________________ Yahoo! India Mobile: Download the latest polyphonic ringtones. 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