Goa’s Hon. Chief Minister, Dr. Pramod Sawant had visited Mushtifund Aryaan Higher Secondary School on 11th December. It was an inordinately enlightening interaction between the students and the revered Chief Minister.
Vyankatesh Prabhudesai, the director of the institution was additionally present, overseeing the event and guiding the students during it. There were many questions that were asked during this edifying and technical verbalize by our Chief Minister.
The questions along with their responses are as follows:
1) Goa Board has no fail policy till 8th std. Don’t you think the level of education at the primary and secondary level has gone down due to this and also isn’t it affecting the performance of good students too?
ANS: The Chief Minister had the same views as ours and had discussed this , and additionally he also said that this policy would be discontinued from the next academic year itself in Goa.
2) Science and Maths is not a cup of tea of every student. Hence shouldnt the seocondary education be made more flexible so that students are allowed to study subjects of their interests right from secondary level? Goa being a small state why cant we take this initiative?
ANS: He said that there are many Government schools that are offering courses from 8th standard onwards. This can be attended by the students along with their normal school. After 10th standard, vocational courses are available in many institutes along with courses in the ITI’s.
3) The Government recently acquired land for IIT Goa. There are reports of AIIMS coming to Goa, land for which is yet to be acquired. After that, building the infrastructure will take a few more years. Don’t you think initial batches of students will suffer due to this?
ANS: The Chief Minister said that they have provided the IIT’s and NIT’s with a temporary location in the Goa Engineering College Campus. He also said that the land for IIT’s has been acquired in Valpoi, and the construction for NIT’s has already begun and that the Government has done the
most it can by providing the land for these insititutes. He further added that the decision for an AIIMS Goa is still in process, and that they have decided to welcome any educational institute in the state.
4) Mhadei Issue.
ANS: The Chief Minister said that his Government has spoken with Prakash Javadekar, the Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change on this issue. He believes that he will find a solution.
5) Your views on declining GDP. Did GST/Demonetization contribute?
ANS: The Chief Minister said that he doesnt feel that the demonetization and GST has had any direct impact on the GDP of the nation.
6) Road construction and influx of tourists causes a lot of jamming of traffic in the evening due to which we students get stranded for 2-3 hours sometimes. Isn’t there a solution?
ANS: He said that the Government is trying it’s best and nothing much can be done as the bridge is still under construction. The issue will soon get sorted as the bridge will get completed in 1 years time.
7) We have a very bad public transport compared to many states. Can something be thought of exclusively for students traveling long distances?
ANS: The Chief Minister said that he will talk with the Kadamba authorities and also asked our Director to talk to them about the arrangements that could be made for the students.
8) Status of 2nd Medical College in Goa.
ANS: He said that the State Government is in the process of opening a Private Medical College, but it is not feasible for opening a second Government Medical College.
9) What steps Goa is taking for women’s safety in particular. Is Nirbhaya fund for Goa utilized?
ANS: Our CM said that Goa is a very safe place for women and also assured us that there is a helpline number that can be used in case of distress and that the police will reach within 10 minutes of calling. He said that the Nirbhaya fund has been used for helping the rape victims and also used to fund a NGO which works on the issue of women safety in the State.
10) Your views on coalition politics and defections. Also shouldn’t the number of parties be reduced to 3 or 4 and should no one be allowed to change the party as it means cheating the voters?
ANS: The CM said that “this is a democracy, and that anything can happen in a democracy”. Also he briefed us about the “ANTI-DEFECTION LAW”, which states that if 2/3rds of the elected members of a party decide to change their parties, then it is allowed legally, and similar cases happened in Goa and Karnataka recently. The same was challenged in the Supreme Court, then the Supreme Court allowed the members to contest in the elections.
11) Your views on recent encounter by Hyderabad police.
ANS: He said that because of his position he wasnt allowed to comment on this topic. But he also said that it shouldnt happen and that the mentality of the people has to change, and the Government is doing its best to fasten the legal proceedings. He further expressed his concern about it and said that all the criminals who attempt to rape should be hanged and given strict punishments.
12) Steps taken be you to curb corruption.
ANS: He told us that from the first day of his office, he has followed our honourable Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi ji’s principle of “main na khaunga, na khane dunga” .
13) In Goa activists are rampant. They always come in the way of any good project. How do you handle them?
ANS: He stated that the Government was carrying out these projects for the betterment of Goa and its people but was fighting a lone battle against these activists, and that not many people support the Government in any good projects. Even in the Atal Sethu project there were many people who opposed the project, and it was delayed by a year. He encouraged the young people to support the Government projects.
14) Recently during Monsoon due to closure of roads, vegetable and milk supply was affected badly. Any measures taken by the Government to deal with such things in the future?
ANS: Our CM said that Goa has always been a dependent state, and has always depended on out neighbours for electricity, fruits, meat, etc. It is not that Goa doesnt have the capacity to produce its own food, and he encouraged us to atleast grow enough to feed ourselves. He has also taken the initiative to open his own dairy farm. He informed that there were subsidies upto 70% in the Dairy Sector and many more subisidies for the farmers.
15) Could you please throw some light on the benefits of this for budding Entrepreneurs of Goa. ANS: Our CM said that there are many benefits available for these startups offered by the Government,
and that they encourage many young companies, and also said that if the Entrepreneurs invests 25 lakhs in the business, then the Government invests 10 lakhs in the business which the Entrepreneur doesnt have to pay back.
16) You have medical background. Over so many years how is GMC which is the only medical college in the state catering to the medical emergency of our state population?
ANS: He said that not only GMC deals with the emergencies, but also we are one of the only states to deal with emergencies in all talukas, at the taluka primary health centres, which are very well equipped.
17) Will there be a day when we will not see Casinos in Goan water?
ANS: Our CM said that it is very difficult to say when this will be possible as the investors in this business have invested large amounts of money in it. With the closure of mining, it is one of the very few sources of income for the Government and they can only ask them to shift, if they have any alternate option for them, but currently the Government has none.
18) We notice that roads are dug almost every year for gas pipeline and sewage lines. Other than the hindrance for traffic, this increases the cost of the project drasrtically. Cant we have better planning?
ANS: The current roads that are being built are designed with very high quality material and with provisions for efficient sewage lines and gas pipelines. Also to drastically improve the quality of current roads, we have decided to switch to concrete roads. But this shift will take a lot of time and money.
19) The people of Dodamarg and Karwar want to be merged with Goa. Do you think this will happen in the future?
ANS: Our CM said that this is not possible and that Goa is only for Goans. He gave us the example of the protests for the merger of Belgaum with Maharashtra, which has been pending in the court for the past many decades.
These were the questions asked by the students to the Chief Minister, which were very well answered and all the students enjoyed the company of one of the youngest Chief Minister Goa has ever had. We at Aryaans were indeed lucky to be visited by such an eminent personality.
– Prepared by Mrugank Pednekar, Student of STD XI, MAHSS