Mumbai: Only those who have multiple wives, have an issue with Uniform Civil Code, said Goa’s Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, pressing for a nation-wide implementation of UCC. At the ninth global annual conference of the World Hindu Economic Forum organised in Mumbai, Sawant said that Goa was the first state to implement UCC and none of the communities have faced any issue with it.
Just a day after the union cabinet approved the much opposed ‘One Nation One Election’ bill, Goa’s CM reiterated the need of nation-wide implementation of UCC, another widely opposed scheme being planned by the Centre. Sawant said that Goa was the first state to implement UCC and all the communities including Hindus, Catholics and Muslims have never faced any issue with the uniform code from 1961.
Goa CM Pramod Sawant At World Hindu Economic Forum In Mumbai | File Photo
Sawant reiterated the widely popular ‘Ek Hain To Safe Hain’ slogan and added that a person should only have one spouse, adding that those with three and four wives face issue with UCC.
“We all know who has a problem with nation-wide implementation of UCC. Post marriage, both husband and wife get equal share in property due to UCC. If I have only one wife, I will not face any issue with property division since I do not have to share it with three or four wives,” said Sawant.
Addressing the global conference at Mumbai’s Jio World Convention Centre, Sawant reflected on ‘Goa Advancing Towards Vikasit Bharat’ and said that Goa is leading among the small states in terms of GDP and the central government’s 13 flagship programmes although it got freedom 14 years later than the entire country. He claimed that Goa has achieved complete implementation of 80% of those flagship programmes.
Goa CM Pramod Sawant At World Hindu Economic Forum In Mumbai | File Photo
Sawant said that Goa’s economy is based on tourism and apart from sun, sand and sea, tourists are also visiting Goa for spirituality. He said that the state government is working to reskill and upskill the youth to help them in the hospitality business.
“Tourists have started coming to Goa to visit temples as it is rightly called Dakshin Kashi (Southern Kashi). Through international film festival and annual carnivals, the state government is trying to promote Hindu culture to attract tourists,” he said.
Sawant claimed that there is a stark difference between the governance in the first fifty years after Goa’s independence and the last ten years. He said that the double engine growth in the last ten years has focus on infrastructure projects like port, rail and roads. He also mentioned that while mining industry was affected in the last few years due to leagal issues, Goa will soon be the hub for exporting iron ore.
Sawant said that due to PM Narendra Modi’s vision of Aatmanirbhar Bharat, Make In India, One District One Product and Vocal For Local, Goa’s state government had launched Swayampurna Goa (Self-reliant Goa) which helped the state’s economy during the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Earlier we were ependent on neighboring states like Maharashtra and Karnataka for basic things but we propelled in agriculture, hotriculture, fishiculture and the dairy industry. Now Goan youth is self-dependent and has doubled its income,” he said.
He also mentioned that the pharma industry in Goa has flourished as around half of the drugs manufactured for India are manufactured in Goa due to its conducive environment for the industry. He also mentioned about Goa’s ship building industry including the country’s first marine cluster established in Goa and expressed hope that it will boost the country’s ship building industry.
Sawant also remembered Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Sambhaji Maharaj for bringing an end to Portugese’s conversion of Hindus and demolition of temples in Goa.
“After a contract with the Portugese, demolition of Hindu temples had stoped. Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj had rebuild the Saptakoteshwar Temple and I am proud that I got the same temple rebuild during my tenure and even inaugurated it. Alike Maharashtra, Shiv Jayanti and Shiv Abhishek are celebrated with equal respect in Goa as well,” added Sawant.
