Parrikar makes fuel cheaper, booze costlier

As a measure of his appreciation for the “kind mandate the people of Goa gave the BJP” Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar has cut fuel prices by Rs 11  a litre by abolishing VAT.

In his first budget presentation since his victory three weeks ago, Parrikar said the election result had made him “speechless” but it was time now for him “to speak and respond in multiples”.

And respond he did. Promising to stand behind every family in Goa “like the Rock of Gibraltar” Parrikar showered a host of sops, announcing a monthly allowance for housewives of Rs 1000 for families in the less than Rs 3 lakh annual income bracket. They will also pay the prevailing rate for gas cylinders for the next five years. Pizzas, burgers, cokes, chips, cigarettes and alcohol will cost more among others, to offset some of these costs.

The BJP government said all mining licences and leases issued in the last 10 years in Goa would be reviewed and referred to the Comptroller and Auditor General if necessary. It also proposes to apply the polluter must pay policy to recover costs for environmental damage and said 60 per cent of the royalty from mining would be ploughed back into infrastructure for mining areas. Goa earned royalty of over Rs 1000 crore from mining last year.