'Focus on jobs, stop wasteful expense'

Panaji: While stating that tourism will return to normal once the pandemic is over, governor Satya Pal Malik on Friday urged the people of the state to look at traditional sectors like agriculture and fishing to tide over the fall in their incomes.

Malik said that the government needs to provide stimulus and incentives to industries, manufacturing and other job-creating sectors of the economy and cut down on wasteful expenditure and focus on resource mobilisation.

The governor said Goa is capable of becoming self-sufficient in agricultural production and the government should remove all bottlenecks in resurrecting the sector.

In his Independence Day speech, Malik said that tourism is considered the backbone of Goa’s economy. The state attracts a large number of domestic and foreign travellers. But the Covid-19 pandemic has deeply impacted Goa’s tourism sector. “Every effort is being made by the state government to revive this sector, however, the fact is that it will only come back once the pandemic is gone. I think it is time that people across the state have to begin to fall back on more traditional occupations such as agriculture and fishing in a bid to tide over the fall in their incomes and the state economy,” Malik said However, he added that agriculture used to be the main occupation of Goa in earlier days. With the growth of tourism, mining, industries, manufacturing and service sectors, it gradually came to be neglected.

He said that the Covid crisis has made us realise that there is a dire need of revival of the agricultural sector in Goa.

Malik urged people to cherish the values of democracy, rule of law, secularism, pluralism, universal brotherhood, social harmony and foster scientific temper and spirit of enquiry. “Let us strive to make our country a better and safe place by following the values and principles taught by our great leaders. Let us spread awareness, knowledge and values,”he said.