Tourism accounts for a major share in Goa's revenues, but the State is also a growing centre of other environment-friendly industries.
in PanajiENTREPRENEURSHIP moves hand in hand with fun and enjoyment in Goa, "the Paradise on Earth". While sunny beaches, palatial Portuguese-era houses, impressive churches and temples and dense woods create a spectacular ambiance suitable for tourism, there exist a number of professional, educational and research institutions. Excellent infrastructure - the Dabolim international airport, the national highways, the railway network and the Mormugao port - and the availability of abundant power and water enable entrepreneurs to realise their dreams.
While the Western Ghats with its evergreen rainforests guard this tiny State, spread over an area of 3,702 square kilometres in the east, the waves of the Arabian Sea sweep its shores in the west. Though the cultural influence of neighbouring Maharashtra and Karnataka can be seen in the lives of Goans, they maintain a distinct identity, greatly influenced by the Portuguese who ruled the area for over fourcenturies. The territories of Goa, Daman and Diu were liberated from Portuguese rule in 1961 and Goa attained statehood on May 30, 1987.
The State is a tourist's delight and people come from all over the world, attracted by the world famous beaches at Calangute, Anjuna, Vagator, Varca, Colva, Betul and Palolem; world heritage monuments such as the Basilica of Bom Jesus and the Se Cathedral at Old Goa; the Mangueshi and Shantadurga temples near Ponda; the Dudhsagar falls; and the Bondla, Cotigao and Netravali wildlife sanctuaries.
Tourism has grown rapidly over the years and accounts for a major share in the revenues generated by the State. The number of tourists visiting the State during this year's tourist season touched 20 lakhs, compared to 16 lakhs in the previous year.
The tourism sector has been accorded "industry" status. Hotels, resorts, motels, arts and crafts villages, amusement parks, heritage hotels, and convention centres will be included in this category. Also included are the development of hill stations and "projects approved by the classification committees of the tourism department of the Government of India or the State government".
However, Goa is more than a tourist destination. There is a committed emphasis on setting up environment-friendly industries, which offer gainful employment to the local people and boost the State's economy. New thrust areas in biotechnology and Information Technology (IT) have been identified and very soon the State will become an important hub for these sectors. There has been a sea change on the industrial scene in Goa since its liberation, when there were not many industries and the economy was regarded as a "money-order economy". Today, the State has emerged as a prime industrial centre on the western coast, thanks to rapid developments that have taken place in the fields of infrastructure and education.
Goa at present has 20 industrial estates and around 6,700 small-scale and over 147 large and medium-scale industries, employing more than 50,000 people. Many established industries owe their existence to the timely help rendered by the Economic Development Corporation (EDC).
Though it is the service and IT-enabled sectors that are the obvious growth areas - because they largely employ skilled manpower and are eco-friendly - there has been immense growth in the pharmaceutical sector. Some of the world's most reputed pharmaceutical companies have a presence here. The new industrial policy lays down guidelines for sustained development for the benefit of all sections of society. It aims to accelerate industrial development, ensure balanced regional growth and create sustainable employment opportunities. All these have helped Goa touch an average growth of 11 per cent per annum and a per capita income of Rs.61,301 per annum.
Many incentives have been offered to investors in the new industrial policy in order to promote a healthy growth of industries. They are the capital contribution scheme, the interest subsidy scheme, interest-free loans to export-oriented industries, and so on. The government would also provide subsidies on the interest payable by new small-scale units in the manufacturing sector. Apart from incentives from the government, there are other advantages to setting up a business in the State. Goa has literate and disciplined manpower, and political stability, and a government that has a vision and a plan of action for growth and social harmony.
One should appreciate the fact that despite rapid industrialisation, little harm has been caused to the environment, and more than 1,400 sq km of the land area is still covered by forests. This has been possible as industrial development was specially focussed on non-polluting sectors such as electronics, pharmaceuticals, engineering and ready-made garments. The development in the pharmaceutical sector, with a production capacity worth over Rs.1,00,000 crores, speaks volumes of the environment-friendly approach of industries.
GOA is blessed with one of the best natural ports in the country - the Mormugao port, which has contributed a lot to the economic growth of the State, by way of both trade and employment generation. With the saturation of the Mumbai and Nava Sheva ports, the Mormugao port, commanding a strategic position on the coastline of the region, is poised to become a major transit point for trade in goods originating from or destined for central and north-central India. At the time of its commissioning in 1888, the Mormugao port comprised three berths and a breakwater with a length of 358 metres. By 1922, Berths 4 and 5 were built and the breakwater was extended to its present length of 522.40 m. A mole of 270 m was added.
With the emergence of mining as a major industry in Goa, Asia's first Mechanical Ore Handling Plant (MOHP) at Berth No.6 was constructed by M/s Chowgule & Co in 1959 with the help of various iron ore exporters. However, it was decommissioned in 1992. With new berths constructed over the years, the Mormugao Port Trust registered a recorded handling of 27.87 million tonnes of cargo during 2003-04.
To supplement the operation and management of shipping and other industries, Goa has excellent institutions in professional education. The Institute of Maritime Studies, sponsored by the Shipbuilding Industry Society of Goa and situated at the port town of Vasco-da-Gama provides excellent pre-sea training to engineering graduates and diploma holders. Though the institute does not assure one a placement, all its alumni have been well placed in Indian and foreign shipping companies.
The Goa Institute of Management (GIM), one of the oldest management schools of the State, situated at Ribandar near Panaji, provides the best of managers to industries. Established in 1993 as a centre for excellence in management education and research through the initiative and support of some prominent citizens and industrialists and with the encouragement of the State government, the GIM has made its own niche in the corporate world, with its alumni joining leading industrial houses not only in Goa, but also throughout the country and abroad. The Goa Medical College, the Government Engineering College, the College of Pharmacy and other professional institutions run by the government and private managements also impart professional education.
India's only ocean research institute - the National Centre for Antarctic and Ocean Research (NCAOR) - situated at Vasco-da-Gama has been the pioneer in ocean research and Antarctic expeditions. Scientists of the centre as well as its associate research institutes have researched in depth climatic changes as evidenced by the ice cores of the Antarctic region. The Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC), the premier oil explorer of the country, shifted its Institute of Petroleum Safety, Health and Environment Management (IPSHEM), exclusively dedicated to health, safety and environment training, to Betul in South Goa in 1997. The establishment of the institute embodies the ONGC's commitment to the environment and to safer standards of operations through ethical practices. The National Institute of Oceanography (NIO), under the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), was established at Dona Paula on January 1, 1966. It is the largest formal oceanographic laboratory and research institute in the Indian Ocean region.
The Union government has declared Panaji, the capital of Goa, the permanent venue for the International Film Festival of India (IFFI). More than 3,000 delegates from across the country and abroad are participating in the festival, being held between November 29 and December 9. The government has given a facelift to Panaji by constructing a new four-screen multiplex, upgraded the roads and restored heritage structures. Also, the 16th Solemn Exposition of the Sacred Relics of the 16th Century Saint Francis Xavier, which began on November 21 and will continue till January 2, has attracted a large number of devotees irrespective of religion, from across the globe. The peak of the Exposition will be on December 3 when the Feast of the Saint would be celebrated.
