Panaji: Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar Wednesday said he was jealous of the principal of a government college at Sankhalim.
"I was jealous. Usually I don`t get jealous but looking at her cabin, I was jealous. I told her that her cabin is double the size of my cabin," Parrikar said, speaking in the legislative assembly.
The Chief Minister was responding to the allegation by opposition that government was ignoring the infrastructural needs of educational institutes. The house was discussing demands of grants for the education department.
Parrikar said his government had sanctioned Rs 123 crore for the infrastructure of educational institutes. "Sankhalim college is one of the best. We have also taken up up-gradation of infrastructure at colleges in Margao, Pernem and other places," he said.
Accordingly, government spent Rs 38 crore last fiscal, while Rs 40 crore have been earmarked for this year.
The Chief Minister also said that education department would review the mid-day meal scheme at schools after the Ganesh festival.
"We will improve the food quality and increase the price paid to self-help groups (which provide meals)," Parrikar said.
He rubbished the allegation that the food provided under the scheme was substandard. "There were six instances of food poisoning....But there was nothing objectionable in most cases. Almost 50 percent of the food poisoning cases were not real but psychological. There was no problem with the food," the Chief Minister said.
