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Goa CM says it is a 'positive shock'

Sandesh Prabhudesai in Panaji

Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar on Wednesday described the Union Budget as an "unexpected positive shock."

He welcomed the intensive fiscal reforms announced by the Union Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha and promised to cut his government's administrative expenditure.

In Goa every 27th person is a government employee and over 50 per cent of the state revenues are spent on paying salaries and pensions.

Parrikar's predecessor, Francisco Sardinha, who headed a coalition government with the Bharatiya Janata Party, had announced an attractive voluntary retirement scheme for government employees.

Parrikar too has made his intentions to cut government staff by 2.5 per cent public.

The chief minister appreciated the excellent educational schemes announced in the budget and added that labour law reforms would help make the industry competitive and generate employment.

Luizinho Faleiro, the state Opposition leader, however, criticised the budget as "all cheers for the rich and tears for the poor."

"The Budget is anti-people, anti-farmer and anti-labour, benefiting only the rich industrial lobby," he said.

Faleiro said mere juggling of numbers is not going to benefit anybody. "The Budget will have a crippling effect on the economy and the common man will have to pay the price for this government's profligacy.

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