A campaign aimed at creating awareness about locals selling off their land to “outsiders” is picking up steam in Goa, even as the state government announced separately that it planned measures to block foreigners from buying properties in Goa.

The campaign to collect signatures was started in South Goa villages against the Goa Property Show being put up by Times Business Solutions in Delhi.

Finance Minister Dayanand Narvekar announced earlier this week that the government planned to amend Section 22 of the state’s Registration Act 1908 to ban foreigners from buying land.

Over 400 property deals involving foreigners have been referred to the RBI. A total of 480 cases of FEMA (Foreign Exchange Management Act) violations in land deals had been referred to a three-member committee set up by the state government.