Only 31 pc of Goa budget spent in FY 19-20, says house panel

The Goa Assembly's committee on budget claimed on Wednesday that only 31 per cent of the budget was utilized in the financial year 2019-20. Chief Minister Pramod Sawant will be presenting the budget for 2020-21 on Thursday.

"Only 31.5 per cent of the total budget allocated has been utilized (in current fiscal)," said Goa Forward Party's Vijai Sardesai, who heads the committee, after its meeting here. In 2018-19 too about 30 per cent of allocations were spent, he added.

"So where is the money going? There is no answer. We asked the finance department to explain where the money is going. They said nobody ever got money for utilization," Sardesai said. "The budget exercise is futile. It is made to sugarcoat figures. Actually nothing happens because earnings are zero," he said.

Congress MLA and a member of the budget committee Aleixo Reginaldo Lourenco said while the 2019-20 budget size was about Rs 18,000 crore, the utilisation "will not cross even Rs 8,000 crore". Lourenco also claimed there was no proper audit of taxes paid by the casino industry. "The government accepts whatever money casinos deposit. There is no cross- verification of figures," he said..

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