BY A GT REPORTER
PANJIM: Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, yesterday in an interaction with the state's intelligentsia spoke at length of the issue of granting special status to the state. He however stopped short of giving his word on special status for the state. All he instead assured was that the Government of India was committed to make Goa a 'model' state.
He said that the Centre had directed the Planning Commission to identify the special problems being faced by various states especially small ones including Goa, who had been demanding special category status on the lines with with North-Eastern states and to initiate corrective measures to address them.
Interacting the audience comprising of industrialists, economists and politicians at the Cidade de Goa Resort, Mukherjee said that the Planning Commission has a formula on the basis of which special category status was granted to seven sisters of the North-East, Sikkim, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir and now Uttarakhand.
"Among the criteria in deciding the special status was the number of people living in that region, per capita income of the people and special problems in communication and transportation,"he said.
"Not only Goa but various other states were demanding special category status to get the incentives under the Gadgil formula," he added.
Mukherjee said that small state like Goa had excelled in some of the areas, highest per capita income, better health indicators and social sector, high literacy and environment protection which could become a model state.
He said that the Centre was aware of the shortcomings and certain measures were called up.
Planning for Goa
Speaking of finaces, he said, "Goa missed the First and Second Five-Year Plan and the Centre would definitely keep this in mind, while helping Goa emerge as a model state in the country.
The Union Finance Minister said the empowered committee of state finance ministers was examining the issue of introducing GST in the country. He hoped it won't be a major problem as there were many convergent views but limited divergent views on the subject.
NREGS
Regarding wages fixed under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, he said that the Centre cannot accept an open ended wage since minimum wages were decided by respective states. The Centre can not pressurise the states for more wage even as Centre had fixed it at Rs 100 per day.
Financial situation
He said that India and China were adversely affected by the global economic recession but India was somehow able to sustain a modest way of growth during the last financial year. He said that with the injection of three stimulus packages, the economy started showing results and hoped that a full picture on the economic status will be available by September 2009. He said that he had taken up certain measures and stepped up the rural economy.
Earlier, Chief Minister Digambar Kamat in his welcome address urged Mukherjee to help Goa if it fell short in the proposed ambitious Dona Paula to vasco sealink project announced in the additional budget. later, Chif Secretary S Srivastava proposed a vote of thanks.
