PRESIDENT LAYS FOUNDATION STONE FOR NEW RAJ BHAVAN
Panaji, June 15 2022
The President, Shri Ram Nath Kovind today laid the foundation stone for the new Raj Bhavan (Annexe) at Dona Paula. He was accompanied by his wife Smt. Savita Kovind and Goa’s Governor, Shri P. S. Sreedharan Pillai.
Earlier, the President along with the Chief Minister of Goa, Dr Pramod Sawant, were present for the Bhumi pooja ceremony.
Present were MoS for Ports, Shipping and Waterways and Tourism, Shri Shripad Naik, Speaker, Shri Ramesh Tawadkar, Council of Ministers, MP, Shri Francisco Sardinha, MLAs, Chief Secretary, Shri Puneet Kumar Goel, IAS, Secretaries to Government, Collector(North) Smt. Mamu Hage, Director, DIP, Shri Dipak Bandekar, senior Government officials among others.
The Governor, Shri P. S. Sreedharan Pillai said that the present Raj Bhavan will be preserved as it is akin to a national monument which is very valuable to the history of Goa. No one can change it, he stressed. The Governor further informed that once the new Raj Bhavan premise is complete, the present Raj Bhavan would be thrown open to tourists and locals interested in visiting the historical place who until now are unable to due to security reasons.
The Governor narrated his experiences of travelling across Goa’s villages and said that Goa’s villages were beautiful and that the State had immense potential for spiritual tourism. The Governor further sought cooperation from the people, from the ruling party and the opposition to make Goa self-reliant.
The Chief Minister, Dr Pramod Sawant while welcoming the President said in his address that Goa was honoured to have him in our midst. He spoke of how the State government was implementing the Central Government’s Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan programme via its Swayampurna Goa initiatives towards making Goa and the nation self-reliant. The Chief Minister further said that they were implementing centrally sponsored schemes in Goa for the betterment of the common man. He gave an instance of how they plan to implement the recently launched (under the PM Shri Narendra Modi) ‘Agnipath’ scheme in Goa.
Principal Chief Engineer, Public Works Department, Shri Uttam Parsekar informed that the new premise will be built keeping in mind the Climate Change scenario and sustainability will be a key area. He said that the premise will incorporate the use of solar energy, rainwater harvesting and other elements of green energy.
Chief Architect, Shri Marwin Gomes making a presentation on the new Raj Bhavan said that the new Raj Bhavan will have elements of Goan architecture such as sloping roofs, plaster and stucco mouldings, heritage look and balcony design.
On the occasion, association representatives and officials who were crucial in obtaining Geographical Indications to five Goan products/produce were felicitated by the Chief Minister and Governor. There are Shri Gurudatta Bhakta (Feni), Shri Ratnakar Velip (Khola Mirchi), Shri Lavu Thakur (Harmal Chillies), Shri Ashok Dhawaskar (Mandoli bananas), Shri Rajaram Chanekar (Goan Khaje), Project Scientist, Goa State Council for Science and Technology, Saligao, Shri Deepak Krishna Parab and Director of Department of Science and Technology and Waste Management, Dr Levinson Jeronimo Martins.
DI/NB/AXP/CR/2022/578