Panaji: Vice President of India M Venkaiah Naidu on Saturday asserted that after attaining significant progress, Goa is facing an equally formidable challenge to hold on to the position by avoiding any slippages.
Naidu was addressing Goa Legislators’ Day event at Porvorim near here in presence of Governor B S Koshyari, Speaker of Legislative Assembly Rajesh Patnekar, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and others.
“While it is a challenge to reach the pinnacle as Goa did, it is an equally formidable challenge to hold on to that position by avoiding any slippages. This is where the state faces news challenges,” the Vice President said.
Naidu said that Tourism and mining have been the main drivers of the Goa’s success story. Limitations of land availability, mounting ecological concerns and mining reaching its saturation are the big impediments for further industrial development of the state.
“I am told the agricultural productivity is an issue in the state. Goa has now to look for diversification of its growth engines by seizing the opportunities being offered by the ‘new economy’ in the domains of Information Technology, Bio-Technology, start-up entrepreneurship etc,” he added.
The Vice President added that all these require highly skilled manpower which the State needs to build in quick time. “I am sure the state government under the leadership of young Chief Minister Dr. Sawant is already seized of these challenges and working on appropriate solutions,” he commented.
He said “as Goa entered the 60th year of liberation, I take this opportunity to pay my homage to the leaders of the long drawn liberation movement and the people who had suffered the worst in their quest for freedom and for being the masters of their own destiny.”
“Goa is the smallest state in the country in terms of area and the fourth smallest in terms of population. I am glad to note on this occasion that Goa has been the front runner on the march of development with highest Per Capita Income and the best human development parameters,” he said.
“Goa is also the most urbanized State in the country with over 62 per cent of its people living in towns and cities. Known for its blue skies and the golden palm fringed beaches, Goa is also called as the ‘Pearl of the Orient’ and is rightly among the most preferred tourist destinations in the world.”
The Vice President complimented all the successive governments and the people of Goa for their remarkable journey since liberation and for being the most developed state in the country.
