Panaji, February 8: Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari, released BJP’s election manifesto for Goa on Tuesday. The manifesto, titled Sankalp, comprises a total of 22 promises.
BJP will provide 3 free LPG cylinders to every household in Goa. It is also to provide quality housing for all Goans, and not to increase the state duties on petrol and diesel for next 3 years. It will also introduce Manohar Parrikar Kalyan Fund under which there will be a common development fund of upto Rs. 3 crore for every Panchayat and upto Rs. 5 crore for every municipality.
BJP will also introduce a homestay scheme which will provide an interest free loan of Rs. 5 lakh and training for the local residents of the state. It will double the number of annual tourist arrivals in the state in next 5 years, make Goa the MICE capital of Asia, restart mining within six months of returning to power, increase old age pension under DSSY (Dayanand Social Security Scheme) to Rs. 3000 and launch Mission Gold Coast to create an Olympic gold medalist for India from Goa.
The manifesto has promised to establish a brand new International Football Stadium and Football Academy, make Goa a USD 50 million economy, make Goa health and wellness hub of India, and also the hub for cutting edge research.
The manifesto said, "In an effort to support the women of the state, we will enable women self-help groups to establish Annapoorna canteens for affordable food, short-stay homes for working women and shops across the state to exclusively sell SHG products. Every GTDC (Goa Tourism Development Corporation) hotel will have these exclusive shops."
The party has also promised to reduce end-to-end travel time to less than an hour, by harnessing Goa's inland waterways for passenger and cargo transportation.