We all know that the Digambar Kamat government has, for long, misplaced priorities. It has always been able to find a way to squander money. The Chief Secretary and other officers are duty bound to audit the plans and schemes the politicians want formulated. Every paisa from the State exchequer needs to be well spent and duly accounted for. It is very surprising that bureaucrats today do not by way of fiscal responsibility raise any queries or objections on public money going down the drain. An example at hand is the “Know Goa Programme”.
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| Social Activist & Advocate Aires Rodrigues |
The Department of NRI Affairs has just sent out invitations for this programme which is scheduled to run from November 28 to December 12. Does it not know that people overseas make their travel plans almost a year in advance? It appears that the government has already finalized the list of those who will holiday in Goa under this programme at the tax payer’s expense.
We are told that the scheme has been formulated for the benefit of youth of Goan origin, in the age group of 18 to 28 years who are not Indian Nationals and have not had the opportunity to discover their roots in Goa. Isn’t it the duty of the families to give an opportunity to enable their children to discover their roots? Why does the State of Goa have to take upon this responsibility?
It is required that the aspiring candidates for this programme must have distinguished themselves in various fields and have shown an abiding interest in Goa. As to who will certify this is not known. If they have shown any interest in Goa by now they must have rediscovered their roots anyway.
The government has stated that the participants will be taken to educational, cultural, historical and industrial places of interest, besides interacting with local youth and elected representatives of Panchayats, Zilla Parishads and Municipalities and will meet State and Central Government officers. Has the government realized that the authorities during those days will be busy with IFFI 2010 and the feast of St Francis Xavier? The whole itinerary may be of no interest to the visitors. It could all have been done over the internet and video conferencing anyway. Unless the government wants the visitors to have a first-hand look and experience of the mining ravaged parts of Goa, the heaps of garbage lying everywhere and get a feel of the filth and stray dog infested beaches.
The programme also includes a visit to Delhi. One fails to understand why the government chose a trip to Delhi as part of the itinerary for the Know Goa programme. Are they not exposing the visitors to a dose of dengue before departing from India? It is also an irony that during the 14 day programme to Know Goa the visitors will be spending six days in Delhi.
The Government of Goa will bear the entire cost of travel of the visitors from their country to Goa and back including the travel to Delhi. Full hospitality will be provided. Why should the government be so generous to bear all these costs? People coming from abroad can afford to bear their own expenses. The government could have at most guided the visitors to find their roots in Goa with no financial implications to the State Exchequer.
All expenses on lodging and boarding will be borne by the State Government with the participants being accommodated at Miramar Residency in Deluxe Rooms. In addition to footing the entire expenses of the visitors, our so very generous government also will dole out a further Rs. 250/- per day to each visitor by way of pocket expenses.
2010 is the third year of this Know Goa Programme. In the first edition in 2008 the Goa government splashed Rs. 13, 47,689 on the guests. At the second round in 2009 a further Rs. 14, 99,877 was splurged. Can we afford such extravaganza when we cannot provide decent quality mid-day meals to our under nourished school children?
Before hosting guests to visit Goa, the Government should first care to show Goa’s children what remains of Goa. They may very soon not be able to see any of it with the speed at which our once beautiful state is being ruined.
Very sadly within the mining dumps, concrete jungles and sewerage infested wells, posterity may well have to track down their roots in what was once Goa, the Paradise of the East.
Aires Rodrigues
T1 - B30, Ribandar Retreat
Ribandar - Goa – 403006
Mobile: 9822684372
These are not flawed priorities but deliberatele flawed priorities. Dig-gobor (ash) Cow-muth(urine) is a big chor and is trying to play games with the Goans. I agree with Aires. There is also benefit for Cow-muth in this and that is why he is behaving this way.
ReplyDeleteVery brilliantly brought out by Aires. Go on exposing these Crooks. Niz Goenkar is the right platform for social activists like Aires Rodrigues to bring up all the evils of the society and the harm done by the crooks and corrupt politicians. Well said Aires, Well said indeed!
ReplyDeleteThese politicians with their donkey leader Cowmuth should be laid naked flat on ice blocks till they bleed to death. Our tax money will be spent for these so called excursions like Aires Rodrigues said. Mining is their source of income to their secret Swiss Bank accounts Aires. I think you have hit the nail right in the centre of the target.
ReplyDeleteThis is nothing but lootmari of the peoples hard earned money. The tax collected from us is just wasted away over luxuries for these ministers headed by the said CM Dig-gobor Cow-muth. This is indeed a perfect name for him. Thanks for baptising him again Sandesh. Instead of giving to the visitors Rs 250/- let the ass...le cow-muth give to the deserving poor goans per day Rs 100/- till the time it is described above. Cow-muth baldy go to hell along with your other thieves.
ReplyDeleteWell written Mr Rodrigues! I too, did could not understand this program, but dismissed it as I felt that some rich sucker in Canada or England was paying for it...little did I know that the poor Goa Government is paying for it! How stupid! The Goa Government cannot provide for it's own youth in Goa...they are desperately trying to run away to other countries to make a living. I cannot understand the stupidity of this Goa government. Let the people in these foreign countries pay for this trip. They make a lot more money then the poor Goan folks in Goa. I lived all my life overseas, but my parent always taught us about Goa, speaking Konkani at home, eating only Goan food, and partaking in Goan cultural events. We children were make to learn a musical instrument so as to play for Goan cultural events...It is the parents fault these children don't know their roots. Do any of the overseas organizations are doing anything for the plight of Goa, with its excess mining, concreting, hill cutting and land filling and looting???....they are still planning their big parties and picnics on their websites. Why don't they do more for Goa with the serious crises we have now? I see why the people of Goa feel they are being betrayed by the overseas Goans. When I went to school in Africa, my Goan friends would tease me for being Goan….ie carrying Goan food for lunch or if they heard my parents speak Konkani. It's their fault they didn't teach their children right. Now that they are suddenly so lost they need to discover their roots. Forget it! Stop this nonsense. Give the money to a poor Goan family in Goa. Idiots!……..Mr Rodrigues, please continue to bring these issues to the forefront…..one day we will find a way to end all this. You are a very intelligent person and are aware of how the system works. We need to use the system to work for us, to bring pride and peace to our beautiful Goa. Please continue to do what you do in your own way to save OUR GOA. We are losing OUR GOA.We are going to need all the help to turn things around to turn things around.
ReplyDeleteI admire the youth of Today's Goa living In Goa , who put up with the sad state of Goa. Compared to the youth that are born and bred in Europe and North America, Goan youngsters are "living martyrs". It is these youngsters of Goa that could do with the pocket money mentioned for a better life. There are many youngsters in Goa due to lack of financial backing cannot pursue their education beyond secondary school. When I travel with my family to Goa (thanks to God)I can afford to bear the cost of the pocket money for the family. I am sure there are many others too. But these youngsters from abroad would rather travel to places that are safer and un corrupt and garbage controlled.
ReplyDeleteDear Adv. Aires,
ReplyDeleteIt was pleasure reading your write-up for which thank you for bringing it to our notice through this forum. It is a privilege for us to have you such caliber over here. Yes Adv. we need your help and courage to stand against these corrupt politicians. It is leading us to nowhere and day by day the common people are suffering and getting poorer and poorer to cope up with the daily chores whereas these scoundrels are enjoying at our cost. Forgive me Adv. Aires if I am wrong, because my instincts carry me away from many thoughts that you may also be playing a bit of politics on this forum. You may be trying to flare up and try to test our brains in small instances like this whereas the big cases are just being left unattended and unnoticed. I have never come across you personally, but I have heard about your portfolios that you falter in some areas of work when dealing with the common issues and hence make me a bit wither as how you have landed on this forum. It may not be true but a little bit of doubt could be cleared if you put some light on these thoughts.
Goa government priorities is to loot the Goans and make their accounts unshakeable. Cowmuth is the best dummy we can have.
ReplyDeleteI must say I agree with Franco. Yes I too doubt Aires. Like franco said I know that Aires has faltered in some portfolios. There are lot of talks about him. But let us see how he clears Franco's doubts.
ReplyDeleteAires sometimes do good things by exposing the thief running our State but majority including his colleagues from elswhere Progresive Students Union consider him as man who lives on dirty people breadcrumb.
ReplyDeleteLet's get back to the main point please.Seems to me the Goa CM has a lot of relatives abroad who are living off on charity.So to give them a holiday he has this plan/Scheme in place to help his relatives.
ReplyDeletePeople who have distinguished themselves in various fields do not need to find their roots at the expence of the Govt.They may as well spend their own money and develope their roots.
This is a sure waste of the tax payers money and clearly only the Cheap Minister and his Beggar family is enjoying the benefits.
@Annonymous ... Aires was never with the PSU (Progressive Students Union). He was with the AGSU (all goa students union). The leaders of PSU believed in ideology and one of them, Bernedatte Gomes, even had the courage to disrupt the assembly proceedings by throwing pamphlets in the well of the house in demand of making Konkani the official language of Goa. When I was in Dhempe college, I knew a lot of these PSU student leaders. They were genuine and fought for the cause of students. Sadly, they never were publicity seekers. Some of them were Rodney, Mehta, Joseph Marques, Shaikh Nooruddin, Sunil Shetye, James Paes, Lester Fernandes, Prashant Naik... Guys, where ever you'll are, I wish you'll the best.
ReplyDeleteI do remember that Aires was in Dempo College at Lyceum square if my memory has not failed and so was the editor of this site Menino de Valpoi. Menino was my classmate and we had that time the leaders who were Avinash Bhosle and gang. Yes bebdo is right Aires was in AGSU. But the topic brought out by Aires is good and has very good points in it.
ReplyDeleteAN APPEAL
ReplyDeleteI am very happy to note that the hits to this site is improving. At last count, I saw there were nearly 3,000. The moment we cross, say 25,000 hits or so, then the fence-sitting Goans and the 40 chors will take us seriously.
SO PLS FORWARD THE LINK OF THIS SITE TO AS MANY GOANS AS POSSIBLE.
Advocate Aires, we need you to come clean from the allegations that you sided with some of the politicians. Be with the NIZ GOENKARS, bring a change by being with every niz Goenkar and we want to see that. We know you suffered, suffered physically but you still stood up and we believe you will. Come clean on Rohit Monster Rat's rape case and we will salute you. Did you take money and got out of it? Clarify and we will believe you. Let us lead from here.
ReplyDeleteYou are an unfotunate set of angry people. The future of Goa is ultimately in the hands of the current residents. By increasing awareness abroad to those who still avidly cling to their Goan heritage they are only benefiting Goa's future.
ReplyDeleteWhy not create this awareness amongst the youth in countries besides india who are educated and show interest in their roots. Who would gladly help the situation, but who can only really understand it after seeing it first hand. What they will see will be a reality check they can bring home, and spread to those who are in their Goan overseas programs. THAT will touch more than an angry article.