by: Nav Jeevan

Goa Govt kickstarts Goa@60, Diamond Jubilee of Goa’s liberation, in Ahmedabad on Friday

  • Spanning three days, the celebrations in Ahmedabad will start on September 9 and will continue till September 11 at Nexus Ahmedabad One Mall, Vastrapur.
  • Ahmedabad Mayor Kiritbhai Parmar will inaugurate it at 11:30 am on Friday
  • Series of events and live performances will enable people to experience Goa’s
    culture & traditions

NE BUSINESS BUREAU

AHMEDABAD, SEP 8

With the twin objectives of wooing investments from business savvy Gujaratis and wanderlusts from the state to Goa, the Information and Publicity Department of Goa Government and Goa Tourism Development Corporation Ltd are kickstarting an extravaganza – ‘Goa@60’ – to mark the liberation of Goa from Portuguese rule as well as its multifold progress across all segments in Ahmedabad on Friday, said top officials of Goa Government.

Ahmedabad mayor Kiritbhai Parmar will inaugurate this cultural fiesta at Nexus Ahmedabad One Mall, Vastrapur at 11:30 am on Friday.

Speaking with navjeevanexpress.com, Kuldeep Arolkar, deputy director-administration, the Department of Tourism, Government of Goa, said, “Spanning three days, celebrations in Ahmedabad of Goa@60 will start on Friday, September 9 and will continue till Sunday, September 11 at Nexus Ahmedabad One Mall, Vastrapur. People will get a glimpse of Goa’s authentic cuisine, music, dance, culture and traditions through various live events. Main attractions of this event would be performances from Goa’s indigenous bands The Klixs, Steel as well as dance performances from Goan Dance Troupe. It will also feature the famous and cheerful parade of The King Momo – face of Goa Carnival.”

Thrust on hinterland tourism

Throwing more light on the efforts to boost hinterland tourism, Harish P Satelkar, manager-marketing, Goa Tourism Development Corporation Ltd, said, “Visitors to Goa arrive in millions every year but most of them prefer going to the beaches. The sun, sand, and the sea are what define their vacation in Goa. However, Goa is not just that. It is loaded with flora and fauna that resides in some of the more secluded regions. In an effort to boost the economy of the areas in the state that receive less footfall, and simultaneously, the employment for the locals in these less-visited regions, we are focusing on hinterland tourism. There are several things that one cannot see or experience at the beaches. The tourists under the monsoon trekking programme will get to visit a pristine environment with fresh air and river rafting. During a four-hour trek tourists will enjoy watching flora and fauna and how beautiful the hinterland is and water balloon activities will be launched in October. Plans are afoot to launch seaplane service and skydive soon.”

 

Commenting on the celebration, Chief Minister of Goa Dr Pramod Sawant states, “We are delighted to showcase the multifaceted achievements of Goa Government since Liberation of State. It has persevered and witnessed tremendous growth in various spheres ranging from good governance to sports, art and culture, tourism, education, healthcare and many more. Goa@60 is an initiative to attract more tourists and investors alike that will give further impetus to infrastructure, agriculture, tourism, transport, IT, safety & security among others which in turn will improve quality of life in Goa. With this, we aim to put Goa on the global map.”

The Government successfully celebrated the Diamond Jubilee of its Liberation with events organized since December 19, 2021, in the presence of the then President Ram Nath Kovind, followed by events presided over by  Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

After spectacular celebrations in Goa, Government of Goa along with the people of Goa are to take these year-long celebrations across the country. Including Ahmedabad, this nation-wide celebration is to take place totally in six different cities – Udaipur, Varanasi, Madurai, Thiruvananthapuram and Mysuru.

  • In Udaipur (Rajasthan) – September 16 to 18
  • In Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh) – September 23 to 29
  • In Madurai (Tamil Nadu) – September 30 to October 02
  • In Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) – October 07 to 09
  • In Mysuru (Karnataka) – October 14 to 16

Top officials from the Government of Goa will be a part of this celebration and address press conferences, interact with media and key officials from these six states. They will talk about the 360° progress of Goa through good governance, digitalization of services, enhancement of standard of education and a boost in industrial development and employment opportunities, efforts to protect and preserve the green cover, restore and conserve Goa’s heritage that have attracted more and more tourists from India and abroad.

The Government of Goa also intends to highlight its roadmap and vision for taking Goa to greater heights in the coming years by adding infrastructure like the new international airport at Mopa, developments in Information Technology, new services for tourism, better transport facilities and measures taken to enhance safety and security for local population and visitors to the State as well.

This event will also pay tribute and honour all those who fought for the liberation of Goa from Portuguese and also, those who worked to enable Goa attain Statehood, which holds in high admiration of the people of Goa.