Panaji: Goa Governor P Ashok Gajapathi Raju on Monday told the State Legislative Assembly that Goa’s economy continues to show a positive growth trajectory of 14.94 per cent, reflecting remarkable growth.
Raju was addressing the House during the first day of the Winter Session of the Legislative Assembly. This was his first address to the House after taking charge of the state in July last year.
He stated that Goa’s economy continues to show a positive growth trajectory of 14.94 per cent in 2023-24 (provisional), according to estimates from the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation.
The Governor said that the preparation of the Vision Document “Viksit Goa @ 2037” is in its final stages. He added that the document will act as an all-inclusive, long-term blueprint for transforming Goa into “Viksit Goa” in alignment with the vision of the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, of Viksit Bharat 2047.
He expressed confidence that, given the enthusiasm and dedication of the government, the targets of becoming a developed state will be achieved by 2037.
Referring to the creation of the third district, Kushavati, the Governor said that the new district is a notable step towards decentralization, good governance, and balanced regional development. The establishment of departmental headquarters and related offices will stimulate economic growth by generating employment opportunities and strengthening local businesses.
He added that the new district will ensure quicker access to district-level services for citizens, reduce travel time to district headquarters, enhance the effective implementation of welfare schemes, and allow more focused attention on local issues, including infrastructure development, environmental protection, and tourism in hinterland areas.
In his two-hour-long speech, the Governor thanked the Prime Minister for implementing the Next Generation GST reforms, stating that these reforms will bring more savings to households and strengthen ease of living as well as ease of doing business.
On the law and order situation, he said that Goa maintains high control, as reflected in the state’s 87.72 per cent crime detection rate, achieved through collaborative efforts of the Goa Police and other law enforcement agencies.
The Governor further said that Goa has achieved a significant milestone by becoming the first state in the country to operationalize Deen Dayal Upadhyay Grameen Kaushal Yojana 2.0 (DDU-GKY), successfully onboarding 15 Project Implementation Agencies (PIAs) to undertake high-quality skill development and placement-linked training for rural youth across the state.
He added that the state has executed non-financial MoUs with 12 employers, strengthening the placement ecosystem and ensuring better employment opportunities for trained candidates.
Finally, the Governor said that Goa has been declared a fully literate state, marking a transformative milestone under the New India Literacy Programme (NILP). This achievement reflects a dedicated, people-powered movement towards universal adult literacy, aligning with the National Education Policy 2020 and driven by the ULLAS – Nav Bharat Saksharta Karyakram.
