Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar on Sunday said his state Goa would receive Rs 350 crore from the Centre soon. The money, he explained, is the tax collected from mining and forest divisions. The funds will have to be used in eight talukas that constitute the mining belt in the state.
Parrikar was speaking at the Bharatiya Janata Party’s Vijay Sankalp rally at Sanvordem village in South Goa when he made the announcements. “There’s Rs 150 crore pending with Central government which will be released soon. This is the amount collected after levying 10% tax on the profits earned by mining firms,” he said, referring to the Goa Iron Ore Permanent Fund.
“Another Rs 50 crore is with the Central government after levying 10% tax on the fresh extraction,” Parrikar said. In addition to the Rs 200 crore that the state will get from the mining sector, it will also receive Rs 140 crore from tax on forest diversion, or diversion of such land for non-forest purposes, PTI reported.
The state will have its Assembly polls in 2017. The former chief minister said the Narendra Modi government at the Centre would develop Goa into a model state if they were voted back to power in the upcoming elections.
The administration is working towards making Goa the first cashless state in the country from December 31, Parrikar had said on Saturday. “One thing we decided is that whenever India becomes a cashless society, Goa will become the first. We have to support the prime minister’s dream,” the former chief minister had said.
The government said people would be able to purchase anything, including perishable items, through their phones. State Chief Secretary RK Srivastava told The Times of India, “The money on purchases will be debited to the person’s bank account.” People will be able to pay for all their needs by dialling *99# from their mobile phone, and the facility will not be restricted to smartphones. The government launched a campaign on Monday to spread awareness about the new facility in Mapusa and Panaji.
Aam Aadmi Party, which will also field candidates for the state elections, has promised to back Goa’s demand for special status if the party is elected to power. “Goa is a very important state. It should get special status. Once AAP comes to power in the state, our Chief Minister will raise this issue with the Centre,” AAP leader Kumar Vishwas had told PTI on November 26.
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