GOVERNOR EXTENDS GREETINGS ON GOA LIBERATION DAY

Panaji : December 18, 2023

Governor of Goa, Shri. P.S.Sreedharan Pillai has extended his heartiest greetings and good wishes to all the people of Goa on the occasion of Goa Liberation Day.

Governor Shri. Pillai in his message said that, 62 years ago, the people of Goa, with unwavering courage and determination, reclaimed their freedom, marking the end of centuries of Portuguese dominance. It is a day that symbolizes the triumph of the human spirit, the resilience of a people, and the relentless pursuit of justice.

The Governor said, while India gained its independence on 15th August, 1947 but Goa was still crumbling under 450 years of Portuguese rule. The Portuguese were among the first to colonize parts of India and refused to give up their hold over Goa and other Indian territories, even in the wake of India’s independence. Satyagrahis, journalists and even legendary artists fought for Goa’s independence. They suffered and sacrificed their precious lives for the noble cause of Goa’s liberation. The liberation of Goa was a moment of rebirth for a land that has since flourished in the spirit of unity and diversity. It is an appropriate occasion to recall all the efforts taken by our great freedom fighters and their struggles and sacrifices and also the hard work of the Army and express our gratitude to them. Let us all pay our homage to all those who laid down their valuable life for the freedom of Goa.

Over the years, Goa has transformed into a vibrant and progressive state, contributing significantly to the socio-economic fabric of our nation. The resilience and hard work of the people of Goa have turned challenges into opportunities, making it a shining example of development and prosperity.

Governor further stated that, the tourism sector is one of the main drivers of the Goan economy. Goa is renowned world over as a top tourist destination. Goa is endowed with rich flora and fauna. Besides, the State has vibrant culture and heritage. Further, the people of Goa are friendly and peace loving. Different communities in Goa have existed in complete harmony. This combined with Goa’s extraordinary beauty has made it a world famous tourist destination.

Under the young and dynamic Chief Minister of Goa, Dr. Pramod Sawant, Government has worked energetically for the development of the State by upgradation of infrastructure and this feat of engineering marvel now also ranks high in the major achievements of our State in the form of roads, railways, airports and bridges. The Governor highlighted that today the State of Goa have two operational airports. The first being Dabolim Airport at Dabolim and the New “Manohar International Airport” at Mopa which was built on the theme of sustainable infrastructure with modern amenities/technologies.

Another major achievement is the New Zuari Bridge with 8 Lane Cable, 4 Lanes on each side. It allows vehicles to cover the distance from Canacona to Panaji and vice versa within a short span of time. Further, the balance portion of the New Zuari Bridge is now also being opened soon for the regular traffic and will be a permanent solution to the traffic congestion.

State of Goa has stood as a role Model for the drinking Water Supply and to sustain it, number of initiatives are taken up to become a Smart Utility State.

The State of Goa has been awarded 1st place under the Small State Category in the ‘State Food Safety Index’ of the FSSAI for the 5th consecutive year.

The State of Goa today has become the front runner and best performing State in all the Sectors and the Government always stands committed for the overall development of the State and soon we will see our beautiful State achieve the distinction of becoming one of the few States in the country to become “SMART STATE”.

The State of Goa hosted several prestigious G20 meetings. The meetings covered various topics and every meeting was well-organised and successful in every aspect.

Goa is the only State to have a model Primary Health Centre (Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission compliant) fully digital and having end-to-end paperless process right from patient registration to medicine dispensing and has also received “Ayushman Utkrishtata Puraskaar 2022” for Top Performing State for Maximum Saturation in Public Healthcare Facility Registry. The State of Goa has also been appreciated by National Health Authority for being an early adopter State for initiating microsites under “100 Microsites Project”. Goa became a first State in the country to move to upfront molecular testing (NAAT) for all presumptive TB patients from Dec 2020.

Governor has further mentioned that, the State successfully hosted the 37th National Games 2023 from 26th October to 09th November, 2023. First time in the history of the Games, Goa secured the 9thposition in the Medals Tally winning a record 27 Gold, 27 Silver and 38 Bronze Medals.

Shri. Pillai informed that in order to help the underprivileged people of Goa, he announced various schemes of financial assistance from his discretionary fund and as part of these schemes, he visited many NGOs and disbursed financial assistance personally at the doorsteps of these institutions. During the “Goa Gram Sampurna Yatra”, he also undertook a whirlwind tour of villages of Goa and distributed financial assistance to dialysis/cancer/other patients from my discretionary fund. Furthermore, The Governor informed that continuing the financial assistance to needy dialysis/cancer/other patients, on various occasions, he distributed financial assistance to dialysis/cancer/other patients from his discretionary fund. ` he added.

Further, to help/encourage young budding writers who desire to get unpublished book published, the Governor introduced “Nayi Pahal” a book sponsoring scheme in May, 2023 and helped to get 12 books released of young writers.

The Governor informed that, Raj Bhavan has undertaken its mission with vision to expand new endeavours that would attract tourists in Raj Bhavan and therefore, on various occasions, Raj Bhavan opened various gardens such as Orchid Poly House, Jack Fruit Garden, Vaman Vriksha Kala Udyan, Aushadi Vatika, Rakta Chandan Udyan (Red Sandalwood Garden), etc. at Raj Bhavan Campus.

“Vaman Vriksha Kala” also popularly known as “Bonsai”. It is originally an Indian Art and there is need to revive and propagate it in the Indian Avatar. Besides, Raj Bhavan also started a “Gaushala” to protect, shelter and promote the indigenous local cows known as “Swetakapila”.

`On this memorable occasion let us all bow our heads to the memory of all the martyrs, freedom fighters. It is because of the sacrifices of these great souls that Goa today stands tall as a prosperous State.`he concluded.

DIP/NB/PN/SF/2023/ 2131