Porvorim: Exactly a week after he was hospitalised in Mumbai’s Lilavati Hospital with pancreatitis and nearly five hours after he was discharged, Goa chief minister Manohar Parrikar rose to present his budget for 2018-19 in the assembly on Thursday. Parrikar flew in to Goa by a special aircraft of the Maharashtra government and after a brief stopover at his residence, drove down to the assembly to chair the cabinet before presenting his budget.Dressed in a crisp blue formal shirt, Parrikar strode into the House to applause and a standing ovation from the members. And at 3pm, Parrikar, who also holds the finance portfolio, started his six-minute budget speech “with all humility”, thanking “lakhs of Goan brothers and sisters including leaders of various communities and religions”.“I stand before this august House with renewed strength and confidence to present the annual financial statement for 2018-19,” he began, as he presented a Rs 144.7-crore surplus budget. “This year will be the year of employment. My government has given stress on generating local employment by providing nearly Rs 549 crore in the sectors of industry, labour and employment and information and technology,” Parrikar said.The chief minister is aware that one of the factors hampering employment is the gap between education and the skills required by the industry. Recently, Goa Chamber of Commerce and Industry warned that the disconnect between industry and academia could affect growth and job prospects.Parrikar appears to have taken note, as he acknowledged it. “I have understood the shortcomings of our educational system which needs to be tuned with the requirements of the industry, so as to increase the potential towards employment and self-entrepreneurship,” he said.“I have made adequate provision of Rs 2,245 crore in the total educational sector, including medical education,” Parrikar said.Given that the chief minister presented a vote on account for the first five months of the next financial year, the budget documents do not outline the strategy that Parrikar has in mind to achieve his twin objectives. Since 2014, Parrikar has repeatedly spoken about his desire to boost entrepreneurship and job creation.“It is the endeavour of my government to provide for and facilitate employment generation in all the sectors,” Parrikar said.The total budget allocation for 2018-19 is Rs 17,123.3 crores, a 7% increase compared to 2017-18. Though Parrikar indicated a 9% increase in government income through tax and non-tax revenue, there was no clarity on how the government aimed to increase its receipts. Parrikar further indicated that the government would earn surplus revenue of Rs 144.7 crore.“The government will definitely feel the impact in the short term from the mining closure. But the state will continue to see steady growth of 10%,” a top government bureaucrat said.Parrikar did not outline any tax proposals or budget schemes, but he did specify that he would announce the tax proposals and new schemes by March 31, so that they could be implemented in the new financial year.

Stay updated with all the Latest Goa headlines here. For more exclusive & live news updates from all around India, stay connected with NYOOOZ.