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Sponsor Noel as he climbs Mt. Kilimanjaro (5,882m or 19,298 ft)
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Activist Aires Rodrigues criticizes the Goa Government below for paying for
young overseas Goans to visit Goa under the KNOW GOA PROGRAMME at Goan taxpayer
expense when there are other critical needs which need to be addressed in Goa.
--- On Fri, 9/17/10, Aires Rodrigues <[email protected]> wrote:
We all know that the Digambar Kamat government has, for long, misplaced
priorities. It has always been able to find a way to squander money. The Chief
Secretary and other officers are duty bound to audit the plans and schemes the
politicians want formulated. Every paisa from the State exchequer needs to be
well spent and duly accounted for. It is very surprising that bureaucrats today
do not by way of fiscal responsibility raise any queries or objections on
public money going down the drain. An example at hand is the “Know Goa
Programme”.
The Department of NRI Affairs has just sent out invitations for this programme
which is scheduled to run from November 28 to December 12. Does it not know
that people overseas make their travel plans almost a year in advance? It
appears that the government has already finalized the list of those who will
holiday in Goa under this programme at the tax payer’s expense.
We are told that the scheme has been formulated for the benefit of youth of
Goan origin, in the age group of 18 to 28 years who are not Indian Nationals
and have not had the opportunity to discover their roots in Goa. Isn’t it the
duty of the families to give an opportunity to enable their children to
discover their roots? Why does the State of Goa have to take upon this
responsibility?
It is required that the aspiring candidates for this programme must have
distinguished themselves in various fields and have shown an abiding interest
in Goa. As to who will certify this is not known. If they have shown any
interest in Goa by now they must have rediscovered their roots anyway.
The government has stated that the participants will be taken to educational,
cultural, historical and industrial places of interest, besides interacting
with local youth and elected representatives of Panchayats, Zilla Parishads and
Municipalities and will meet State and Central Government officers. Has the
government realized that the authorities during those days will be busy with
IFFI 2010 and the feast of St Francis Xavier? The whole itinerary may be of no
interest to the visitors. It could all have been done over the internet and
video conferencing anyway. Unless the government wants the visitors to have a
first-hand look and experience of the mining ravaged parts of Goa, the heaps of
garbage lying everywhere and get a feel of the filth and stray dog infested
beaches.
The programme also includes a visit to Delhi. One fails to understand why the
government chose a trip to Delhi as part of the itinerary for the Know Goa
programme. Are they not exposing the visitors to a dose of dengue before
departing from India? It is also an irony that during the 14 day programme to
Know Goa the visitors will be spending six days in Delhi.
The Government of Goa will bear the entire cost of travel of the visitors from
their country to Goa and back including the travel to Delhi. Full hospitality
will be provided. Why should the government be so generous to bear all these
costs? People coming from abroad can afford to bear their own expenses. The
government could have at most guided the visitors to find their roots in Goa
with no financial implications to the State Exchequer.
All expenses on lodging and boarding will be borne by the State Government with
the participants being accommodated at Miramar Residency in Deluxe Rooms. In
addition to footing the entire expenses of the visitors, our so very generous
government also will dole out a further Rs. 250/- per day to each visitor by
way of pocket expenses.
2010 is the third year of this Know Goa Programme. In the first edition in 2008
the Goa government splashed Rs. 13, 47,689 on the guests. At the second round
in 2009 a further Rs. 14, 99,877 was splurged. Can we afford such extravaganza
when we cannot provide decent quality mid-day meals to our under nourished
school children?
Before hosting guests to visit Goa, the Government should first care to show
Goa’s children what remains of Goa. They may very soon not be able to see any
of it with the speed at which our once beautiful state is being ruined.
Very sadly within the mining dumps, concrete jungles and sewerage infested
wells, posterity may well have to track down their roots in what was once Goa,
the Paradise of the East.
Aires Rodrigues
T1 - B30, Ribandar Retreat
Ribandar - Goa - 403006
Mobile: 9822684372
