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Goa opposition targets govt over ‘promotional’ expenses
Data placed before the Goa Legislative Assembly revealed that the state government has spent nearly ₹30 crore on promotional and publicity events
The opposition in the Goa legislative assembly on Wednesday targeted chief minister Pramod Sawant-led state government over the money spent on promotional and publicity events and accused the government of neglecting social sector spending and farmer compensation.
The Goa government has spent nearly ₹30 crore on promotional and publicity events, data placed before the Goa Legislative Assembly has revealed.
The opposition led by Congress legislator Carlos Alvares Ferreira accused the government of concerning itself with spending on publicity only.
“The data you have provided, which itself is incomplete, shows that you have spent nearly ₹30 crore on publicity. This includes ₹58 lakh spent on an event to commemorate chief minister Pramod Sawant completing two years in office. At the same time money is not reaching the people. Money to be disbursed under social sector schemes has not been paid in months,” Ferreira said.
As per the chief minister’s reply, the Goa government has spent around ₹13 crore on the opening and closing ceremonies to commemorate the 60th year of Goa’s Liberation, in which the Prime Minister and President were present, ₹9 crore on the national women’s parliament, around ₹6-crore on the recently concluded World Ayurveda Congress, ₹3 crore on a Save Soil programme organised by Sadguru’s Isha Foundation, among its main expenditures.
“These figures are so frightening. How many more events are you planning to hold and how much you intend to spend (in the remaining months of this financial year),” Ferreira added.
“In Delhi, the (lieutenant) governor raised an issue of spending public money on promotion of the government. Here we have a similar situation where the Goa government is spending money only on promotion while farmers and fishermen are yet to be given compensation for Cyclone Tauktae (2021),” opposition legislator Vijay Sardesai said.
“All these expenses are being approved as ‘ex-post facto expenditure sanction’. Does the government not know how to anticipate expenses,” he asked.
The opposition also pointed out that just six months prior to the elections, the government spent around ₹3 crore on outdoor advertising ostensibly to promote its achievements.
In response, chief minister Pramod Sawant defended his government saying spending money on promoting the government was “beneficial to the people.”
“We are providing a lot of services and schemes to the people. If we have to publicise these schemes we have to spend money. The people benefit from the programmes we are organising,” Sawant said.
