Goa seeks bigger share of fiscal pie

Finance Commission flooded with demandsPoliticians, parties put up State’s case

| JANUARY 24, 2020, 02:35 AM IST

the goan I network

PANAJI

A cross-section of people and pressure groups, including political parties and individual politicians on Thursday flooded the members of the Finance Commission with the State’s demands for a greater share of the Centre’s fiscal pie over the next five years.

The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Opposition Congress, the Goa Forward Party besides several other trade bodies including Goa Chamber of Commerce and Industry and also individuals met with the Commission members and placed before them memoranda which made demands citing the needs of various economic and social sectors.

The GCCI, which is Goa’s premier representative body of industry and currently headed by second-generation Goan entrepreneur Manoj Caculo, has demanded that Rs 2500 crore be allotted to the State for the express purpose of developing infrastructure which will spur industrial investment here.

The ruling BJP was represented by its recently appointed State president Sadanand Tanawade who presented a memorandum seeking an allocation of Rs 1300-crore as a grant for what the party termed was comprehensive development of the State.

The Goa Forward Party of former deputy chief minister Vijai Sardesai has laid the State’s claim to a one-time Rs 6000-crore relief as a package for compensating losses in revenues due to the Supreme Court imposed ban on iron ore mining.

The Congress, meanwhile, met the Finance Commission and staked claim to a 50 per-cent share saying half the money collected from the State in central taxes should be ploughed back in the State.

Opposition Leader Digambar Kamat who led the Congress delegation presented a detailed document running into nearly half-a-dozen pages which cited the logic that since the States and the Centre are equal partners in the progress of the State, the finances collected in the State through central taxes should also be shared in equal proportion.

Meanwhile, the Commission, tasked with the responsibility with assessing the fiscal health of both State and Central governments and also draw up the formula for sharing taxes, also held deliberations with top State government bureaucrats.

It is a body mandated by the Constitution of India and has gained greater significance after the abolition of the erstwhile Planning Commission which has been replaced by the NITI Ayog devoid of any say in financial devolution to States. It is headed by the BJP’s Rajya Sabha MP, N K Singh who is a former career bureaucrat.

GCCI: Wants Rs 2500 crore be allotted to the State for express purpose of developing infrastructure which will spur industrial investment

BJP: Seeks allocation of Rs 1300 crore as grant for comprehensive development of the State

GOA FORWARD PARTY: Lays claim to one-time Rs 6000-crore relief as a package for compensating losses in revenues due to the Supreme Court imposed ban on iron ore mining

CONGRESS: Stakes claim to 50 per-cent share saying half the money collected from the State in central taxes should be ploughed back in the State...

Digambar Kamat presents detailed document running into nearly half-a-dozen pagesCM holds pre-budget meet with babus

PANAJI: Chief Minister Pramod Sawant held a meeting on Thursday with the top brass of the bureaucracy in connection with preparations for the State’s budget for the 2020-21 fiscal.

Sawant held deliberations with Chief Secretary Parimal Rai, other secretaries, top central cadre police officials, forest officials and key Goa civil service officers at the State Secretariat in Porvorim.

Sawant said, the meetings were held to assess the State’s development needs for the next financial year.

“Held a pre-budget meeting with Chief Secretary, Secretaries, IPS, IFS & officials of State Govt to plan development programme for coming financial year,” Sawant tweeted from his official Twitter handle.