2-day meet for ministers from today, CM to review performance of depts

PANAJI: To review the performance of government departments and provide inputs to ministers on improving governance, chief minister Pramod Sawant will hold a two-day ‘Chintan Shivir: Goa’s vision 2047’ in South Goa from Friday.

Experts have been invited to attend the programme with the objective of guiding ministers on introducing reforms to enhance facilities for citizens.
Vision for rural development, Goa’s role in Viksit Bharat 2046, Parivar Pehchan Patra, good governance reforms in the industrial sector, road safety and traffic management, harnessing Goa’s export potentials, use of Gatishakti and IT in infrastructural projects, doubling farmers’ income, use of smart meters for revenue enhancement, etc are some of the issues that would be discussed at the shivir.
All ministers will be present at the shivir to discuss various issues pertaining to the development of the state, particularly the health sector.
Sawant took over the reins of the state last year, and this will be the first meeting with ministers to review the performance of all departments.
During the meeting, Sawant will outline his ‘Vision 2047’ for the state.
Ministers will be given presentations on how to implement budget allocation in their departments.
Health minister Vishwajit Rane will brief ministers under the health sector for all programmes.
While explaining the health scenario of the state, Rane will highlight the steps initiated by his department to provide better health facilities. Dean of Goa medical college and director of health department will also make presentations.
GIS-based house tax collection and simplification of house construction permit process will be discussed in length.
A senior BJP functionary said that there are many instances where local governing bodies have failed to collect house tax on time which results in loss of revenue to the panchayats and municipal councils.
“During the session, it would be explained to ministers that new technology should be adopted by the government to collect house tax without hassle,” he said.
He also said there have been many complaints and suggestions over the need to simplify the process for issuing construction licences as the state is losing out on revenue due to the mushrooming of illegal houses.
There will also be an open house discussion among ministers on revenue potential, as well as ease of doing business, tourism-related, and land revenue reforms.