Progress unmistakable despite the deficiencies
Eduardo Faleiro
Former Union Minister and current Hon. Commissioner for NRI Affairs,
Govt of Goa
Goa’s public administration system is not geared to deal promptly and
efficiently with the multifarious tasks before it. Steps are needed to
impose discipline and create a work culture, feels Eduardo Faleiro.
Goa was a Portuguese colony until 1961. It has achieved remarkable
progress since Independence particularly in the core sectors such as
Education. The literacy rate in Goa then was 30 percent and it has now
expanded to 85 percent. In 1961, in my own village, there was just one
primary school with about 100 students. Today, we have in the village,
several primary schools and high schools with thousands of students in
their rolls. Great strides have been made in the field of education but
this has been mainly due to private institutions. Government school
themselves are in an apalling condition. As a result, only those who
cannot afford to enroll their children in private schools send them to
Government schools. The Fundamental Right to Education for all children
upto the age of 14 years is enshrined in our Constitution. “Free
Education” should mean not merely free from tuition fees but quality
education in Government schools, adequate classrooms and teachers, free
uniforms, text books and other educational material for the children of
the poor and needy. Inequalities in education will be accentuated in the
Computer Age. The dangerous “Digital divide” can only be prevented if
necessary steps are taken right now.
The Goa University was established in 1985. It offers both graduate and
post graduate studies and research programmes. The University ought to
be a centre of academic excellence. It should enable the youth of Goa
and of the country at large to deal with and thrive in today’s
increasingly competitive world, the global “knowledge society” where
education is the key to success. I have requested the Union Minister for
Human Resources Development to establish a Centre for Diaspora Studies
at the Goa University. The Minister responded enthusiastically and in a
very positive manner. Indeed, the study of migration in all its diverse
aspects in one of the most fascinating areas of research in present
times. Several Universities in major countries study this subject.
However, though the Indian Diaspora has significant communities
worldwide none of our academic institutions has facilities for focussed
research and teaching in this discipline. The Goa University authorities
should pursue the matter with the Ministry of Human Resources
Development so that we do not miss this opportunity to upgrade our
University.
Significant headway has been made in the fields of healthcare and
development of infrastructure such as electricity and water supply,
roads and other forms of communication. There are obvious deficiencies
in all these sectors but the progress is unmistakable. The greatest gain
of Independence has been the feeling of self respect regained, of
Liberation, the opening of the portals of opportunity to the vast mass
of people who were denied upward mobility over the centuries and perhaps
the millennia.
In the Sixties, Tourism was identified as a key sector for Goa’s
development primarily because of its potential to generate employment in
a State with an increasingly educated work force and limited industrial
growth. The objective of employment has been achieved to a large extent
inasmuch as about 30 percent of Goa’s population is employed in tourism
related activities, directly or indirectly. However, Goa being a small
State its carrying capacity in terms of its size, facilities available
and ecological fragility need to be considered. Large influx of
foreigners may pose serious problems. Recently, the Philosophy
Department of the Rachol Seminary published a Report under the caption
“Claiming the Right to say No”. It is a comprehensive study of Israeli
tourist behavior in Goa. It speaks of the growing tensions between
tourists and local people. It observes that “many other tourist groups
defined by nationality, such as Russians, are also making headlines
because of a situation of conflict and tension with the local
communities”. Tourism ought to be managed in a manner that benefits our
people not just in the short term also in the long run. The economic
benefits as well as the social costs need to be evaluated. It is also
necessary to formulate a development strategy which provides employment
to the local people whilst being less dependent on tourism.
Over the last few decades there has been influx of people from other
States who come here mostly for employment. Replacement migration
happens when it meets the requirements of the local community, the
locals not being available in sufficient number either because they
themselves migrate to other parts of India or abroad or because they do
not possess the required skills. Several laws, both Central and State
legislation, enjoin builders and labour contractors to provide
residential accommodation, sanitation and other facilities to migrant
workers engaged by them. The Inter-State Migrant Workmen (Regulation of
Employment and Conditions of Service) Act, 1971, the Contract Labour
(Regulation and Abolition) Act, 1970 and the Goa Daman and Diu
Inter-State Migrant Workmen (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of
Service) Rules, 1982 are some such laws. This legislation however, does
not appear to prevent effectively the various malpractices indulged in
by labour contractors and migrant workers. Much of migrant labour lives
in slums under the most unhygienic conditions and this poses major
health hazards to the migrant as well as to the local population.
Our system of Public Administration is not geared to deal promptly and
efficiently with the multifarious tasks before it. Immediate measures
need be taken to impose discipline and create a work culture in
Government offices. The Chief Minister in his Budget speech, last March,
proposed to establish an Institute for Administrative Careers. This is
an excellent initiative and it should contribute significantly to
improve our Administration. Whilst the Institute is being setup and as a
first step, rules may be prescribed on how to deal with files, time
limit at various stages and a system of accountability. Periodical
Refresher courses should be conducted for all staff on behaviour,
motivation, and other aspects of Public Administration.
At this point of time, the Government and the people of Goa face several
challenges. We ought to confront them with courage and determination,
with a rational outlook and commitment to a value system anchored on
work ethics and the quest for excellence. (ENDS)
----------------------------------------------------
First published in the Times of India, June 24, 2010
