Panaji: Six Goa MLAs, three of whom are ministers, are being sent on a 10-day trip to Brazil to watch the football World Cup at a cost of Rs 89 lakhs to the state government in a decision that has kicked up a storm. The Opposition Congress called the trip a “wasteful expenditure” and sought PM’s intervention to “stop the junket”.
But Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar justified the “study tour” saying it will help in Goa’s preparations for the Under-17 Fifa World Cup in 2017 since the tourist state could be one of the venues. “They have been asked to go, not that they wanted to go themselves. Of course they were happy to go,” he said.
According to government sources, three ministers — Ramesh Tawadkar (sports), Avertano Furtado (fisheries, Milind Naik (power) — and as many MLAs will be undertaking the 10-day trip to Brazil starting from July 1 as part of the “study tour”. The accompanying MLAs are Carlose Almeida, Glen Ticlo (both BJP) and Benjamin Silvea (Independent).
