Rupesh Samant

Panaji, Dec 12: Pressing for tabling and passage of a bill that would entitle benefits in government schemes and jobs only to those whose ancestors were living in Goa before Liberation, Revolutionary Goans has decided to hold a march criss-crossing the entire state.

NGO Revolutionary Goans on Tuesday announced ‘POGO Yatra’ seeking benefit in various government schemes and jobs to only those whose ancestors were living in Goa before 1961, when the state was liberated from Portuguese rule.

“POGO stands for Person of Goan Origin and we have specifically defined that those whose ancestors were living in Goa before Liberation of the State can be classified in that category,” Manoj Parab, who heads Revolutionary Goans (RG), told reporters in Panaji.

He said that the yatra will begin from Benaulim Assembly constituency in South Goa and will travel throughout Goa creating awareness amongst the people on the Bill.

“Our demand is that state government should pass POGO Bill in the Assembly in which reservations would be only to the genuine Goans,” Parab said.

He said that POGO should be entitled for hundred percent reservation in government jobs, various welfare schemes, plots in Housing boards and others, while there should be 80 per cent reservations for Goans (POGO) in private sector.

Parab said that RG had submitted memorandum to various members of legislative assembly urging them to pass POGO bill on the floor of the House.

“None of the MLAs had courtesy to table the Bill. We had prepared the draft of the Bill and handed over to them. Now we are trying to create pressure on the government through this yatra,” he said.

As per government figures, Goa had a population of around five lakhs during the Liberation in the year 1961, which has increased to more than 15 lakh as per the current census.