Office of the Commissioner for N.R.I. Affairs (Cabinet Minister Rank) GOVERNMENT OF GOA September 6, 2011
Sir, We have seen recently in your esteemed website a statement by Mr. Aires Rodrigues under the caption "London Convention cost Goa tax payer over 12 lakhs". He claims that authorities have been unable to explain the cost of airfare of Hon. Commissioner for NRI Affairs. Mr. Rodrigues did not seek any clarification from any authority or from anyone else. Had he done so, he would have been told that the Hon. Commissioner travelled business class to the London Convention as per his entitlement which is the entitlement of all ministers, holders of ministerial rank and officials of the Government of Goa as well as of all States and Union Territories with grade pay of Rs.10,000/- and above per month. The hotel accommodation was arranged by the High Commission of India in London as per established procedure. The 14 member Cultural Group from Goa was sponsored by the Indian Council of Cultural Relations (ICCR). It was for the first time that ICCR sponsored a cultural group for a Goan gathering. The expenses incurred by the Goa Government on the last as well as previous Global Goans Conventions were, inspite of cost escalation and foreign exchange differential, far less than the expenditure on the Global Goans Convention held in Goa in 2007. The expenditure incurred by the Government of Goa on the Convention held in 2007 was about Rs. 40 lakhs (Rs.39,31,470). One of the reasons for holding the annual Global Goans Convention abroad thereafter was to reduce expenditure of the Government since part of the cost abroad is borne by the local organizing committee. The other reason was to obtain larger participation by holding the Convention in countries where expatriate Goans reside in significant numbers. As informed by the organizers, the total expenditure incurred with the Global Goans Convention held in London last July was about thirty five thousand pounds (GBP 34,941.11) whilst the total expenditure incurred by Government of Goa amounts to about seventeen thousand pounds. Mr. Rodrigues attended the Convention of 2007. At one stage, he insisted on raising an issue totally unconnected with the Convention and its agenda. He was repeatedly told that foreign diplomats representing countries with large Goan populations, the Chief Passport Officer as well as senior officials of the Ministry of External Affairs had been specifically invited to address the grievances of our NRIs at the Convention and that they would be unable to do so if interventions on unscheduled matters were permitted. Since Rodrigues did not pay heed to repeated requests, he was told to withdraw from the venue. Some months earlier, Rodrigues had sought accommodation at the flat of Mr. Eduardo Faleiro in New Delhi and had availed of Mr. Faleiro’s hospitality. Sd/- (Datta Pednekar) Office Secretary
