Rally
in Panaji for 'Goans First'
Sandesh Prabhudesai
20 February 2003
The
Goa Hit-Rakhan Manch, a state-wide body of students and youth
committed to assert right of locals over Goan resources and
identity, will hold its first general public rally in Panaji
on 27 February, with a slogan - Goans First.
Addressing a press conference in this regard, the GHM spokesperson
Prashant Naik said around 3000 youth from all over the state,
especially from the hinterland, will gather in the capital
to assert their right over employment opportunities being
created in the state.
The GHM activists have been gheraoing the departmental heads
whenever the clauses of 15-year domicile and essential knowledge
of Konkani were deleted while inviting applications for government
jobs. "The trend still continues and we need to show
the wrath of the younger generation now", said Naik.
The need of the hour is therefore to sensitise the Goan youth
and make them aware of their rights and duties. At the same
time, the Government and the political parties should be clearly
told in one voice that now it is "Goans First" and
that the youth of Goa will not tolerate any attempts to play
with their identity, culture and economic interests, warned
Naik.
According to him, after 43 years of liberation, the youth
cannot tolerate that jobs in government, semi-government and
private sector are still denied to qualified Goans, to accommodate
outsiders. Priority for local youth in employment should be
the agenda of all the political parties and the government,
he added.
Purnanand Chari, the GHM convenor, alleged that politicians
and vested interests are continuing to divide Goans by raking
up the outdated language and religious controversies rather
than making use of Konkani as the official language to assert
our right over our own resources. If the youth is not oriented
and guided properly, then Goa and Goans will lose their right
on their land, language and resources while Goa will lose
its secular character and the tradition of communal peace
and harmony, he feared.
The rally is being organised, he said, at a crucial juncture
when around 15,000 government jobs are going to be created
by 2006, due to two VRS schemes and the general number of
retirement that is taking place for the first time after 40
years.
"Goans could not board the bus in '60s since the required
talent was not available, immediately after liberation. But
they should not miss the bus again due to faulty policies.
Even inviting industries without creating the required and
qualified local manpower would not benefit the state",
he observed.
A teacher by profession, Chari also observed that educational
curriculum is not designed to take care of manpower. Land
is a scarce input in Goa and hence needs to be used with care
and caution. Self-employment is another area, which the youth
should put to gainful use. There is a vast potential in agriculture,
horticulture, floriculture, handicrafts and traditional occupations,
provided they are properly motivated and guided by the concerned
state bodies, he opined.
Adding further, Naik also brought to the notice that some
politicians are once again digging the skeletons of Vishal
Gomantak while humiliating Konkani, Goa's official language,
calling it a dialect of Marathi. He condemned the government
for providing political and financial patronage to such attempts
of anti-constitutional and anti-regional elements.
The GHM, in the rally, would put forward the following demands:
1. Strengthen provision of 15-year domicile clause to avoid
bogus certificates
2. Evolve methods of oral and written examinations of Konkani
and appoint competent persons on interview panels to verify
candidate's Goan identity
3. Impose both the recruitment rules in all the semi-government
institutions as well as aided institutions, especially educational
institutions and Goa University
4. Create infrastructure to train local manpower simultaneously
in Goan-friendly industries, as soon as the work of constructing
the industry begins
5. Frame new Industrial Policy, Employment Policy and Education
policy that could plan out job-oriented education and Goan-friendly
industry in a co-ordinated manner
6. Evolve a well-knot policy, combined with actual execution
at production and marketing level, for restoring agriculture
and traditional occupations
7. Create self-employment and entrepreneurship avenues with
orientation set-up and infrastructural facilities
8. Enact Land Ceiling Act
9. Stop finances for any anti-national act that insults our
constitutional and official language as a dialect and creates
confusion that benefits the ongoing process of influx of outsiders.
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