‘We have created massive infrastructure in the past six years.’

IMAGE: Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant addresses the Atal Asra Camp, an initiative to provide secure housing solutions for marginalised communities, offering support for home repairs, renovations, and new housing assistance, at Ravindra Bhavan Sankhali in North Goa, May 17, 2025. Photograph: ANI Photo

“For those who want to set up industry and want land, they will now have to file far fewer documents than before,” Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant tells Aditi Phadnis/Business Standard.

 

You must be a happy man today! Yesterday (August 18) Parliament approved reservation in Goa’s assembly for the scheduled tribes …

Yes, we’re happy. Tribals represent around 10 per cent of Goa’s population and there was no reservation for them. Now four seats in the assembly will be kept for them.

In 2021, you had brought the Bhumiputra Adhikarini Bill that enabled people living in Goa to own the land or house they had occupied, even if they could not prove ownership.
This was seen as a way to protect the land rights of Goans but also non-Goans. But there were a lot of legal infirmities with that legislation…

Actually, I have brought a new scheme called Majhe Ghar. The Goa assembly passed the Bills a few days ago.

This will give long-term residents legal land rights for the first time. It is a major step towards housing security.

This has seven components. Homes that had no number will be given a temporary number so that they are eligible for a light connection, water connection, and other facilities provided by the state government.

Then there is a Renovation Certificate. Panchayats are supposed to provide this so that people can renovate or rebuild their homes.

In most cases, panchayats are reluctant to issue these. So, we have announced that the power to issue these certificates will henceforth lie with the secretariat, not with the panch or sarpanch.

The home is mine, I have been occupying it for decades, I pay house tax. Don’t go by whom the land belongs to.

If an occupant is paying house tax and fulfills other qualifications, he should be allowed to renovate and rebuild his home.

Then there are problems when two families — say two brothers — lay claim to the same home. In Goa, this is called partition. Sorting out the claims can take years in court.

So, the new legislation allows two separate door numbers. They can have separate water, light, and sewerage connections.

We have mandated that the secretary must issue this separation certificate in eight days.

There are homes dating back to when the Portuguese were here. There is a house, it is on the plan, I am occupying it but I have no title documents.

District collectors have been authorised to issue these certificates. If the land is settlement land and the house is a legal one, the owner will get two certificates. This makes them legal owners.

Then there were many who had encroached on government land. This might have happened years ago. They were unable to build, get a house certificate, and faced a lot of legal problems, including from the leaseholder of the land.

We have removed the leaseholder from the equation. This applies to a maximum of 400 sq m of land, paying the circle rate of the time the house was acquired for regularisation.

So, housing and land claims have been simplified and made more transparent in a complement of seven schemes.

Many complain that in Goa, doing business is really difficult. What have you done for the ease of doing business?

In the industry, tourism and construction sectors, ease of doing business has been a major focus of my government over the past four years.

Earlier, for hotel or homestay registration, you needed at least 20 certificates.

You needed to visit 20 or 22 separate departments and beg them to give the certificates.

We have cut through all this and have reduced it to three documents.

They can come and directly register with the tourism department.

Second, the trade certificate — that allowed you to engage in a trade. You had to get one from the panchayat every year.

Recently, we enabled those who, say, want this certificate for five years, to pay the fee and get the certificate for five years, even up to 10 years. No need to keep running to the panchayat.

For those who want to set up industry and want land, they will now have to file far fewer documents than before.

They just have to go to the Industrial Development Corporation and register.

We have created the Investment Promotion Board (IPB).

Anyone who wants to set up an industry can apply directly to the IPB which will address their requirements through one window.

We have also recently simplified the Infrastructure Tax system so that you only have to pay at two stages.

Goa has a massive state debt. The Comptroller and Auditor General has flagged this in a 2023-2024 report that came out recently as unsustainable.
Goa has a lot of welfare schemes, but also a massive state bureaucracy.
Surely in this age of digital delivery of services, you could prune this?

We have debt, but we are spending on capital creation, not revenue expenditure. We have created massive infrastructure in the past six years.

Being a tourism-driven state, we want to create new infrastructure like roads and buildings.

But we also want to maintain our state very well. With the help of the Union government, we have built roads.

But other tourism-related sectors are our responsibility.

Since I became chief minister, through agencies like Sidbi and Nabard, we have taken loans at very low rates of interest.

Where there is so much infrastructure creation, there will be debt.

In Goa, with a population of around 1.2 million people, 60,000-70,000 are permanent government employees. I have created a Goa Human Resources Corporation.

This is a new agency that acts as a supplier of manpower needs — security, housekeeping, maintenance, etc.

Earlier, migrants were coming into the state. The corporation serves two purposes: It offers skilling and employment to locals, and it helps us outsource services, making them cheaper.

We don’t have to pay state government employees huge monthly salaries, pensions, etc.

What effect are the US tariffs going to have on Goa’s industry? For instance, pharma is present in Goa in a big way.
Although it is currently exempt from higher tariffs, this might not always be the case…

Yes, pharma is present in Goa in a big way. But these decisions (related to tariff issues) are taken by the ministries of external affairs and commerce and do not come under our purview.

I have called a meeting of stakeholders and will convey their views to the Union government.

We are committed to becoming an agri-commodity exporting state, especially horticultural commodities: Traditional ones like cashew but also fruits and vegetables, like pineapple.

Mining has restarted in Goa after a long hiatus. Vedanta has resumed mining in Bicholim. It has an environmental impact.

We have started sustainable mining that is well-planned and measured.

Of the 12 sites that were auctioned, operations have begun in three.

We’re getting good revenue from this. But we are watching carefully.

You have been CM for six years, the longest serving ever in the state…

Stability has a very important role in government. And we have enlightened leadership at the Centre.

Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff

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