Goa Seeks Four-Fold Increase in Share from Divisible Pool to 16th Finance Commission
The Goa government, in its presentation before the 16th Finance Commission led by Dr. Arvind Panagariya, has requested a significant four-fold increase in its share from the divisible pool. CM Dr. Pramod Sawant, accompanied by Tourism Minister Rohan Khaunte, Transport Minister Mauvin Godinho, Social Welfare Minister Subhash Phal Desai, and other officials, presented the proposal on Thursday at a prominent hotel in Dona Paula.
Goa has proposed increasing its share in the divisible pool from 0.386% to 1.76%. The state also requested funding for 13 major projects across various sectors, totaling Rs 32,706 crore. In addition, Goa suggested raising the Centre’s share to the state from 41% to 50%, a recommendation backed by many other states.
The Goa government further proposed reducing the “income distance” devolution from 45% to 30% and increasing the fiscal efforts criteria from 2.5% to 5%. These changes would significantly boost Goa’s share under the 16th Finance Commission, bringing it closer to a four-fold increase.
During the meeting, Dr. Panagariya emphasized that funds allocated for infrastructure must be used for their intended projects and not diverted for freebies. He stated that such decisions are ultimately made by the elected government, and citizens should decide whether they prefer better infrastructure or other forms of welfare.
