Summary:
Samantara, Goa Small and Medium Hoteliers Association president Serafin Cotta and Meenakshi Martins said Goa’s tourism sector was on an unsustainable path which did more of a disservice to Goa’s culture.“Because of corruption in politics, Goa has fallen behind,” Kunkolienker said. Tourism needs to be developed in the hinterlands too, and not just on the coasts.” “Tourism industry should add value to people’s lives and Investment Promotion Board has a very significant role to play here, but the political will is lacking. PANAJI: With Goa’s culture and environment under threat, the state needs to adopt strategies for sustainable development including a specific policy for natural resources , said stakeholders.“There is considerable inequality in the world today with a gender pay gap, livelihoods of farmers being threatened, laborers constantly migrating for work,” finance and mines secretary Daulat Hawaldar said.Advocating for the upliftment of those who face inequality in the state, Hawaldar said the Permanent Iron Ore Fund deposits could be used to assist low-income groups in the mining sector, which has come to a halt after the Supreme Court directed the cancellation of 88 mining leases last year.“Mining is an exhaustible resource, and hence suggestions have been made to utilize the Permanent Iron Ore Fund deposits to help people with low-incomes associated with this industry,” he said during a candid discussion session organized by Goa Livelihoods Forum at Kala Academy.Prafulla Samantara, winner of the 2017 Goldman Environmental Prize , also known as the Green Nobel, however, emphasised on the dire need for the introduction of growth with sustainability and advised the Goa government to have a natural resource policy, which could usher in a new era of development in the tiny state.Samantara said, “It is of utmost importance that the development of agriculture and indigenous practices should be pursued conjointly to diminish the inequality in Goa.” He emphasized on ‘responsible industrialization’ and conscious development.Manufacturers’ Association for Information Technology (MAIT) president Nitin Kunkonliekar, speaking about the state government’s policies, pointed out that though Goa had rolled out an information technology policy and a startup policy, both remained merely on paper with no significant change in the state’s IT sector.The discussion soon veered towards tourism and its harmful effects on the state, especially the coastal belt..