NT NETWORK
PANAJI
Stating that Goods and Services Tax (GST) will benefit the small states, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national president Amit Shah on Saturday said that Goa will now receive its tax share with a 14 per cent increase from the central government.
“Irrespective of where the material is manufactured, in that your share is ensured. For five years, Goa will get its share of tax collection with an increment of 14 per cent. It is due to GST that the BJP has succeeded in bringing about uniformity where all states will get equal benefit,” said Shah while addressing the gathering of the newly-elected BJP-affiliated sarpanchas and panchas in Panaji.
He claimed that when Congress was ruling at the Centre, Goa’s share in central tax was Rs 3,791 crore for five years. However, under Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government, Goa’s share has been increased to Rs 14,910 crore, he added.
He said that grants for State Disaster Response for Goa government have been increased from Rs 12 crore to Rs 15 crore by the BJP government.
“Earlier the grants for local bodies were Rs 18 crore which were sanctioned by the central government for a period of five years and now we give Rs 354 crore,” he said.
He claimed that 28,637 toilets have been built by the BJP government in Goa and said that the Centre has sanctioned Rs 108 crore to the Panaji Municipality in the year 2016 under Smart City initiative.
He said that tourism in the state will get a boost with new Mopa airport as the flow of the tourists will rise from 8 million to 39 million per year.
Praising the Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, Shah said that Goa will emerge as a stronghold of BJP when Parrikar completes his five-year term. He said that the world has taken note of India’s military prowess after the surgical strike against Pakistan militants after the Uri attack.
“When there was an attack on Uri, it was Prime Minister who took a decision with a political will along when Parrikar as the Defence Minister that India is committed to protecting its self-respect. It was the first time after Independence when our Jawans entered Pakistan to take revenge and returned back safely,” he said.
He said that the pace of development of Goa will double and claimed that India has emerged as the fastest growing economy in the world during the last three years of Modi government.
He said that what Congress could not do in 50 years, BJP government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has done in the first three-year regime at the Centre.