Panandiker snubs govt, declines office

Panandiker snubs govt, declines office
Preetu Nair

PANAJI: V A Pai Panandiker, academician and founder president of the Centre for Policy Research, New Delhi, has declined an invitation to be a member of the Goa State Planning Board.

Citing his reasons, in a letter to the chief minister dated May 14, Panandiker noted that “the priorities and performance of planning have declined precipitously, especially in the 21st century” in Goa and that there is an “increasing dissonance between the priorities of the people and of the government”.

Panandiker also stated that “except for Goa’s real estate, there is no political constituency for the next phase of Goa’s evolution” and refused to sit on the Planning Board as it “does not serve any useful purpose and I certainly do not wish to impose my costs on the people of Goa”.

The planning board is the state’s highest policy advisory body, making recommendations on macro-economic policies and the implementation of development plans, and has the CM as its chairperson.

Chief minister Digambar Kamat, however, denied knowledge of the letter. “I am in Delhi at the moment and I don’t know about it,” Kamat told TOI.

In his letter Panandiker also states, “I do feel deeply concerned about the people of Goa, especially the young children who constitute our future. The political priorities being so different from what the people need or desire, there is an increasing dissonance between the priorities of the people and those of the government. This bodes ill for our future.”

20 May 2009, The Times of India, Goa edition