Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Tuesday paid floral tributes to Bharat Ratna Dr. B.R. Ambedkar on his 135th birth anniversary and virtually laid the foundation stone for the Ambedkar Bhavan in Porvorim, announcing that the facility is expected to be completed within a year. The initiative was launched during a state-level programme aimed at highlighting the government’s focus on social welfare and empowerment of marginalised communities.

The proposed Ambedkar Bhavan project is being developed by the Directorate of Social Welfare in coordination with the Goa State Scheduled Castes and Other Backward Classes Finance and Development Corporation. Officials said the facility is designed to function as a centre for community engagement, welfare activities, and intellectual exchange, with the government targeting its completion by the next Ambedkar Jayanti.

Addressing the event, Sawant said the Bhavan would be dedicated to the public within a year and reiterated his government’s commitment to Dr. Ambedkar’s vision of education as a key instrument of social transformation. He emphasised that strengthening educational access remains central to the state’s governance approach, particularly for historically disadvantaged communities.

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As part of the programme, the Chief Minister also felicitated meritorious students from Scheduled Caste and Other Backward Class communities. He encouraged them to pursue competitive national-level examinations such as NEET and JEE, and highlighted the availability of multiple scholarship schemes designed to ensure that financial constraints do not hinder academic aspirations.

Sawant further underlined the state’s broader development strategy under the ‘Swayampurna Goa’ mission, which aims to extend welfare schemes to grassroots levels and ensure last-mile delivery of government services. He said the initiative is intended to make governance more inclusive and responsive to the needs of all sections of society.

The Chief Minister also pointed to several welfare measures implemented by the state, including financial assistance schemes such as ‘Kanya Dhan’ for the marriage of daughters from SC and OBC families and the ‘Griha Aadhar’ scheme for women from lower-income households. He added that the government has streamlined caste certification processes and expanded credit support through state finance institutions, while also increasing budget allocations for social welfare programmes supporting housing, vocational training, and entrepreneurship development.

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