Special Correspondent

Panaji

For the second consecutive day, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant called on Union ministers and senior government functionaries to get Goa-related pending issues addressed including the dual citizenship issue, ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.

During the day, he also met Union Minister of State for External Affairs Minakshi Lekhi and Vice Chairman of NITI Aayog Suman Bery, and discussed with them several Goa-related issues.

Sawant urged Lekhi to look into the issue of Goans facing difficulties in obtaining OCI cards after surrendering their passport.

The Chief Minister met Lekhi along with Minister for Environment Aleixo Sequeira and other state government officials.

The delegation discussed the issues as regards revocation of passport of Goans acquiring Portuguese citizenship. The Goa team also urged the Union minister to find a solution to the issue so that there is no problem for those seeking to obtain OCI cards.

In the budget session of the Goa assembly earlier this month, the House resolved that due to the peculiar circumstances by which Goa, Daman and Diu came to be liberated from the Portuguese regime and subsequent conferment of Indian citizenship on those nationals, the government of India be requested to permit dual citizenship to those covered by the Goa, Daman and Diu citizenship order. Sawant had assured that he would take up the matter of dual citizenship with the Centre.

Earlier in the day, the Chief Minister discussed with the Vice Chairman of NITI Aayog, the revival of khazan areas in Goa and socio-economic traditional knowledge in the renewable energy sector.

He spoke about the Greener Goa project involving restoration of protective bunds for revival of khazan areas and revival of socio-economic traditional knowledge based practices and initiatives in the renewable energy sector.

In a bid to revive agriculture in khazan land, the Goa government last year submitted a proposal of Rs 340 crore to the central government for rejuvenation of khazan land across the state.

Sawant informed that his government has planned the Blended Finance Facility, with the support of the World Bank for a Climate and Disaster-Resilient Greener Goa projects.