The President of India Ram Nath Kovind on Wednesday wished the people of Goa on the State Liberation Day.
Goa is celebrating the 57th Liberation Day. It was granted full statehood in 1987.
Goa was freed from the Portuguese dominion of 450 years through an extended freedom movement and Army operation on this day in 1961.
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The President tweeted, “Greetings to the people of Goa on Liberation Day. We remember all those who dedicated their lives in the struggle to free Goa from colonial rule. My best wishes to everybody in this beautiful state for a bright and prosperous future.”
Various functions were held across the coastal state to mark the occasion.
Speaker of Goa Legislative Assembly Pramod Sawant unfurled the national flag during a state function held in Panaji this morning in absence of ailing Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar.
On the occasion, the state government appealed to the people to make the coastal state free of plastic and pollution.
Lakhs of tourists visit Goa every year for its picturesque beaches. The problem of plastic items being dumped haphazardly by tourists at various beaches is a cause of concern for the administration as well as environmentalists.
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During his address, Mr. Sawant listed out various developmental programmes, infrastructural works and employment generating initiatives taken up by the BJP-led government with the help of the Centre.
Meanwhile, addressing a gathering in Margao in south Goa, GFP leader and state Town and Country Planning Minister Vijai Sardesai stressed the need to liberate oneself from “regressive ideas, pseudo activism, external interference and patronising attitudes”.
Underlining the need for “neo-liberation”, the minister said, “we need neo revolutionaries, neo-activists and neo-Goemkars (Goans)”.
