Goa gears up to put economy on fast track: CM

Goa is gearing up to put its coronavirus-hit economy on the fast track by promoting exports of agri-produce and manufactured products and developing the logistics sector, among other initiatives, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said on Thursday. Sawant said that 2020 has been a challenging year for the state due to the COVID-19 pandemic and no mining activity.

Goa is gearing up to put its coronavirus-hit economy on the fast track by promoting exports of agri-produce and manufactured products and developing the logistics sector, among other initiatives, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said on Thursday. Sawant said that 2020 has been a challenging year for the state due to the COVID-19 pandemic and no mining activity. ''The COVID-19 pandemic has affected our lives badly this year. It has affected our businesses badly and so many people have lost jobs and are struggling to bring their lives back on track.

''Governments have huge challenges to face in bringing about normalcy. While all efforts are being made to tackle the pandemic and reduce the number of casualties, the news about the vaccine has been much awaited. We have survived the worst and now it's time to work to achieve our best,'' the chief minister said. He was speaking during the ASSOCHAM Foundation Week.

The Goa government is prepared to face the challenges and is geared up to put its economy on the fast track, he said. Goa, he said, is proud to be the permanent venue of the International Film Festival of India and the 2020 edition which could not be held in November will now be held in January 2021.

A new export policy for the state is also being prepared to promote exports of manufactured goods and surplus agriculture produce, the chief minister said. The state, he said, is in the process of developing the logistics sector in Goa by forming a special logistics group. We are constructing several bridges to address the existing deficiencies regarding logistics and warehousing.

In 2019, Goa witnessed arrivals of 70 lakh plus domestic tourists and nine lakh foreign tourists. In 2020 the numbers would be on the lower side due to the pandemic, he said. The state government has prepared a roadmap for the future.

''Our aim is to develop Goa as a skill intensive hub of economic activity where the systems of production are enmeshed with ecological protection to ensure a quality of life that is sustainable,'' he said. Industries like tourism, mining and pharmaceuticals have been a great success for the state in the past and going forward, it is important to focus on other sectors. However, of late, there has been a substantial challenge of availability of land for industrial expansion, the chief minister explained.

Infrastructure projects taken up by my government is definitely going to make Goa more attractive for Investors as well as for tourists. The state government is taking many steps to boost ease of doing business in Goa.

An amended Investment Promotion Act will soon be passed in Goa to facilitate investments in key focus sectors like IT, education, films, entertainment, tourism etc. ''To facilitate the tourism industry, extension of licences and amendment in Excise Laws to make it more simpler and remove some provisions like requirement of police clearance every year has been done,'' he said.