Panaji: The Congress on Sunday released its manifesto for the upcoming Goa Assembly elections with senior leader and former union minister P. Chidambaram promising the resumption of mining activities in the coastal state if his party comes to power.
The mining operations, one of the main sources of revenue for Goa earlier, came to a grinding halt in the coastal state earlier in March 2018 after the Supreme Court quashed 88 mining leases.
“We can start sustainable legal mining under the Supreme Court judgement. But we need to attend to the problems,” Chidambaram said, PTI reported.
Chidambaram, the Congress’ senior election observer for the Goa polls, said the problem for the state is not about finding resources, but the allocation of resources.
He said there are three avenues for the state budget - government's own resources, share of central government revenue and central government grants.
“The source of funds was never a problem, but the problem was with the allocation of funds. If wise hands and thinking minds can allocate funds, then all the issues highlighted in the manifesto can be achieved in five years, Chidambaram added.
The senior Congress while citing an example of how Goa’s resources can increase said if the state becomes an Information Technology and pharmaceutical hub then the resources will multiply.
“If one fails to attend to the problems, revenues are depressed,” he added assuring resumption of mining in Goa if the Congress is voted to power.
Responding to a poser, the senior Congress leader said the “disease of defection” should stop in Goa, adding it is only possible if the people decide to defeat the defectors during by-elections.
The Congress had emerged as the single-largest party by winning 17 seats in the 40-member House, while the BJP bagged 13 in the last assembly polls.
The Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party, (MGP), the Goa Forward Party (GFP) and the independents won three seats, each, while the NCP bagged one.
The BJP, however, joined hands with some regional outfits and independents to form the government in Goa in 2017.
Polling for the 40-member Goa Assembly will take place in a single phase on February 14.
The counting of votes will take place on March 10.