This is an attempt to cull out some quotes from the Seminar Issue on Goa to see if we can get some useful background from it on the IFFI initiative of the government.
FOUR decades after Liberation, Goa stands acclaimed as being among the best developed states in the country. It has been described as one of India's ten most global non-corporate brands, second only to the Indian film industry and Bangalore's Silicon Valley .. Yet public perception across the European world and in the imagination of many others has linked Goa in the last three decades with Kathmandu, Bali and Ibiza. Goans battle environmental pollution, drug traffic and paedophilia...The Goan experience of colonialism and decolonization sets it apart, making problematic its harmonious integration into national life .. In subsequent decades, tourism has also contributed to mobility in ways that have not been matched in other parts of the country. [The Problem, Maria Aurora Couto] ---- Soscgado, blissful ease, as a popular description of Goan character, appears to contradict the competitive performance of the Goan economy. It does, however, indicate that Goa's economic strengths derive from sources outside narrow definitions. .. Credit, however, must be given to the professional analysts for relying on criteria that gave greater regard to education, health, governance and infrastructure. It is in this wider context that Goa with an area of 3702 sq kms, the smallest state after Delhi, has attained benchmarks of human development that have made its economy among the best performing in the country...Though Goa entered the Union framework only in the middle of the Third Five Year Plan (1962-1966), the situation was more than made up by liberal funding and decisiveness of the Planning Commission and the Central government...Another milestone was reached in 1983 when Prime Minister Indira Gandhi held the Retreat of the Commonwealth Heads of Government in Goa. Significant and productive investments were made for roads, telecommunications, water supply, electricity transmission and distribution, the international airport terminal, and by the private sector for hotels and tourist attractions of Goa's unrivalled beaches of sun, sand, fronting calm seas and fringed by sand dunes and coconut palms. It also served as a demonstration of the joy of the Goan way of life - its cuisine, song and music and social harmony - an object lesson to some of the Commonwealth Heads uneasy about the military action of 1961...The financial resources to meet the challenges of development need a fresh look. A provision of central assistance on a formula based only on an increase in population and poverty penalizes states for performance. For Goa the reduction in central assistance from an average of 80% of the state plan outlay during the union territory period to the current 15% has led to increased borrowings, raising the dangers of a debt trap...Goa has much to show in the management of its resources. Not only is the per capita income the highest in the country but so also is the per capita realization of state revenue mainly from sales tax, water and electricity charges. The state budget estimates for 2004-2005 and the revised estimates for 2003-2004 provide for substantial funding for further initiatives in employment, agriculture, infrastructure and social welfare. The revenue expenditure is estimated at Rs 1584 crore and capital expenditure at Rs 597 crore, with a plan outlay of Rs 915 crore. Both the revenue deficit of Rs 7.95 crore and the fiscal deficit of Rs 506 crore are manageable. Evidently there is a case for enlarged central assistance that rewards performance and efficient management of the economy...In Goa, the foreign exchange earned from the export of iron ore of 23.5 million tonnes, was Rs 1200 crore, an all time high for fiscal 2002-2003; the foreign exchange from tourism in Goa is estimated at Rs 1500 crore during an average year and is expected to go up to Rs 2000 crore in 2004-2005. Only two percent of the royalty charges for mining and nothing for the foreign exchange earned from exports of Goan ore and tourism is received from the central government...There is need to revise the interest rate on Central loans, especially since external assistance on very low interest and other concessional terms is given by international funding agencies and bilateral donor countries. Such assistance is usually given for social sector projects like water supply, sanitation and rural development. Even if the foreign exchange is not passed on to the state governments, the rupee loan for such projects should be on low interest and long repayment periods [The Goan Economy. Alban Couto] ---- There is much talk about Goa being one of the preferred tourist destinations. I do not subscribe to this view for a very good reason. Infrastructure is lacking. This is because neither the central nor state governments have introduced a 'hands on' tourism policy in India, even less in Goa! Not so long ago, the administration reportedly decided to send a 14-member delegation to promote tourism in Australia of all places! Coincidentally, most of the delegates had relatives in Australia.. If only the government demonstrated its sincerity and willingness to take tourism seriously, Goa would thrive as a tourist paradise. .after nearly 450 years of Portuguese dominance there has been a steady loss of identity, particularly among Hindu Goans, leaving them almost totally 'divorced' from the mainstream of the Indian way of life. It manifests itself in many ways. The tactile components of culture, art and architecture in particular are an essential fabric of Goan life. Yet very few Goans appreciate these aspects of their heritage. Evidence of this for example, is that traditional Goan music, folk art, literature, oral histories and theatre are relegated to the fringe of Goan society...Goans are very musical - be it jazz or Bach. It gave me great satisfaction to organise a performance of the Choir of Trinity College, Cambridge, in the winter of 2002. It was an enormous success ..There is another strange phenomenon, and this is particularly evident in restaurants and shacks. Practically all through the season, Indian tourists are ignored, as the staff is inclined to hover around their European clientele. This is ironic, because there is a steady and increasing inflow of Indian tourists visiting Goa throughout the year and it is they who spend a great deal more money on food than overseas visitors...Another charming aspect of life here is that Goa essentially lives in its villages. A large number of citizens employed in the four big towns, stream in and out in buses that service the most remote villages in the countryside. It is probably this phenomenon that is the root cause of the blurred conservatism that prevails in Goa. ..I am no supporter of any political party or the BJP for that matter. But as an outsider and with no axe to grind, I will say that a sense of good order prevails in Goa today. Decisions taken, good or bad, have been or are in the process of being implemented. [An Outsider in Goa, Bal Mundkur] What does the foregoing suggest about the Goa government's core competence(s) of the Goa government? About its strategic intent vis a vis Goa as an entertainment hub? About the chances of its making a success of IFFI as a "permanent venue"? Any other thoughts, comments or suggestions?