Goa CM Sawant meets PM Modi in Delhi

Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on Monday. Details of the meeting was not disclosed by the Chief Minister's Office (CMO). Sawant is in Delhi on an official tour along with a delegation of state ministers. After the meeting, Sawant tweeted, “Called on the Hon'ble Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi ji in New Delhi today.” Earlier in the day, a delegation comprising Sawant, Goa Deputy Chief Minister Chandrakant Kavlekar, Assembly Speaker Rajesh Patnekar, Rajya Sabha member Vinay Tendulkar, state Social Welfare Minister Milind Naik, and PWD Minister Deepak Prabhu Pauskar met Union Minister for Tribal Affairs Arjun Munda over the issue of inclusion of the Dhangar (shepherd) community in the Scheduled Tribes (ST) category.

In a media statement released here, the CMO said the minister promised to take up the issue and discuss it on priority with Union Home Minister Amit Shah. “In a long and detailed discussion, the Minister for Tribal Affairs was convinced and assured to include Gouly-Dhangar community in the ST category,” the CMO said. It also said the minister expressed displeasure over the issue pending for last 30 years, despite (Dhangars) being the ''most deserving community''.