Posted on : 16-05-2020

47 days into the national lockdown and a week after Dr. Pramod Sawant hastily declared Goa COVID-19 free, today we stand at the cusp of a unique opportunity. We are the first state to be marked completely green and the entire country is watching how Goenkars are taking on life in the post COVID world!

For the last few weeks, I have been voicing out how we need to jump-start our economy and get our education system back on track. Our approach to the schooling system must be fundamentally different. The safety of the teachers, students, and the other staffers needs to be a cornerstone of how we design our education policy. “Health is wealth” is an English idiom often memorized by children in schools, the policymakers could benefit by learning this mantra by rote as well.

Multiple flip flops on the dates of exams have left children and their parents confused. With repatriation efforts underway, there is a possibility of fresh cases of COVID-19 in the state. It is extremely foolish for the government to conduct exams at this stage and risk exposing the children and in turn their parents. Dr. Pramod Sawant seems to be ignoring the mantra of “Jaan hai toh Jahan hai!”

Children from class 3 to 8 can be promoted without exams, priority is to keep them engaged and focus their energies on learning at this time. Foundational literacies such as basic Math concepts and languages can be enriched. Our teachers should be actively involved in finding solutions to teach virtually by leveraging technology. 

Maximizing learning and minimizing physical presence while using the latest technology should be our goal! 

During my tenure as the minister for IT, we made several efforts to boost the internet connectivity in each household of the state through the Fiber To Home initiative. While physical infrastructure still needs to be put in place, that cannot be a handicap at such times. We MUST adapt quickly to the changing times! 

There are existing E-Learning Apps and Platforms that many students across the state use free of cost, the government should explore collaborations with these providers proactively!

Other states are using innovative techniques such as Interactive Voice Responses along with older, time tested technologies like Radio and TV to reach out to students. Some schools have independently started sending Physical training workout lessons to keep their students fit while staying indoors. If our best minds – from educators to eminent professors and teachers can work on this problem together, I am confident that Goa can be the next Education Hub!

Currently, our government seems to be making a lot of committees and coming up with stop-gap solutions every now and then, but these are pointless and a complete failure if the larger vision is lacking. 

The same appears true when it comes to jumpstarting the economy of the state.

The central govt has so far announced an aid that corresponds to 0.8% of our GDP! This is woefully inadequate if we are to even survive with a reduced growth rate this year. With the BJP government in the center and the state, Dr. Pramod Sawant should start Dhan ki Baat with PM Modi and secure funds for Goa.

Goa Government must step in immediately and offer relief to the different sections of the people that are suffering. Before being hit by the Corona Crisis, we already had the highest unemployment rate in the country. This number is expected to go higher unless there is a serious intervention from the state and central governments.

Temporary relief measures like deferred payment on Electricity and Water bills, a moratorium of at least 6 months on loans to self-employed, unemployed, and small businesses will go a long way in boosting consumption locally. Of course, the state government can’t take all these calls on its own, but if there is enough willingness, they must talk to the Centre and get it done.

Small and Microenterprises, that employ a significant number of people, paying salaries and utility bills are basic concerns in times of no cash flow. Interest-free loans to pay salaries should be provided. The government can reimburse the base interest to banks at the base rate. 80% of salaries to employees of Goa-based enterprises should be reimbursed for the next three months. In my tenure as the IT minister, we had offered a similar incentive for startups in Goa and it had proved to be quite effective in generating employment. 

Presently, we have talented IT professionals and entrepreneurs who can contribute to the state with a focus on the health sector as well as resolving the unemployment crisis. 

Medium and larger enterprises should be offered low-interest loans for working capital in the next few months. It is imperative that the consumption doesn’t drop any further and unemployment is contained!

The Chief Minister has been making statements about bringing industries from China to Goa, but not a single word on how the existing industries that are suffering can be helped! Such knee jerk reactions appear to be only for the sake of grabbing eyeballs instead of a long term vision. 

Tourism, one of our major sources of revenue has been affected, and given global trends, it will stay low for the next few months. Taxi drivers, shack owners, small business owners in the coastal belt have taken a big blow from the lack of tourism. Tax relaxations for all stakeholders in this sector are key. One can’t expect a shack owner or a taxi driver to pay license fees and RTO fees right now. Providing relief in times of external crisis is a fundamental role of the government and it must not fail the citizens at such times!

Looking beyond the next three months, we should plan with the intent of raising revenues in the medium to long term. Tourism needs to be bolstered while making sure that we don’t inadvertently import COVID 19 cases into the state. Goa government must actively look at measures such as travel bubbles, lowering VAT on ATF, COVID Free passports, and ramping up medical facilities for inbound tourists. As a beach paradise, we are very well poised to be an attractive tourist destination with enough social distancing measures in place.

It is time for us to focus on new economies and revive traditional occupations like Pisciculture and Agriculture that used to fare so well in the Portuguese era. Presently, we are dependent on Belgavi and produce from other states to feed our people. Now is the time for the government to prove that they mean business with khare Goenkarponn and develop these crops in Goa. In the last few days as Revenue Minister, I had proposed two bills about Ban of sale of agricultural land for Non Agricultural purposes and contractual farming. These bills are still pending action, and also any intention of clearing it.

To paraphrase a recent op-ed in Washington Post by renowned filmmaker Christopher Nolan, “in uncertain times, there is no more comforting thought than that we’re all in this together” And together we shall overcome these times!

 

Editorial by:
Rohan A. Khaunte
MLA – Porvorim Constituency
Ex-Minister for Revenue, IT, Labour & Employment, Planning, Statistics & Evaluation