Panaji, October 10, 2015 … Chief Minister Shri Laxmikant Parsekar has invited captains of business and industry as well as budding entrepreneurs to come to Goa, a state which on the move, and see for themselves the advantages that are offered by the state
Chief Minister reiterated satisfaction in being adjudged to be the most competitive state in financial conditions, incentives and strategy and I would like to credit our enlightened and talented human resources, huge natural resources with air, rail, road and port connectivity, progressive government policies, pollution free environment, and pleasant year-round climate for this achievement.
The Government he said is committed to further expand efforts to boost job opportunities, entrepreneurship and economic growth while continuing to strengthen inclusive social security in the state.
The Chief Minister was addressing after receiving Mint Competitiveness Awards 2015 at New Delhi recently.
This he said is a result of the sustained efforts put in by the Government to not only improve infrastructure and skill development areas but also our emphasis on the social sector, particularly education, health and social welfare, including hand holding of people facing distress due to sectoral problems like the ones we faced due to the complete ban imposed on mining in the year 2012.
Speaking further Shri Parsekar said that in fact, Goa’s per Capita income is now amongst the highest nationally and our Human Development Indicators including literacy, education, maternal and infant mortality, and life expectancy at birth are more impressive vis-à-vis other states and much ahead of the national averages.
We have indeed come a long way since our liberation from the Portuguese colonial rule in December 1961 and being deprived of the initial fruits of national development, having joined the national mainstream, 14 years after India’s independence .When Goa liberated form Portuguese in 1961, it barely had any industrial base except iron ore mining, however, today it has 22 industrial estates; some of them are among the best in the country.
The Chief Minister said to improve transport linkages to the State, in addition to the existing international airport in Goa, we are undertaking construction of a Greenfield International Airport at Mopa in the State on PPP basis at an estimated cost of Rs. 3,000 crores. Hon’ble Railways Minister has also been requested for double gauging of the Konkan Railway track in State for faster travel within the state between homes and placed of work. Speaking of Goa would be incomplete without mentioning tourism, which has seen Goa evolve as a strong international brand in its own right. He thanks the PM’s vision the E-Tourist Visa facility at Goa Airport, has been extended to foreign nationals of around 113 countries, which has seen a huge increase in tourists availing of this benefit. Within the last 9 months more than 17,200 foreign tourists have visited Goa by availing the ETV facility. We are very focused on improving the Goa Experience by providing a clean and safe environment and have launched the Clean Goa, Beautiful Goa campaign as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan aimed at a comprehensive beach cleanliness management system.
Goa is now the permanent venue of the international Film Festival of India and we are planning to build a befitting international convention centre at Panaji to host not only Film Festival but many of our other year round festivals and national/global conferences.
