Centre to 'support' Convention Centre in Goa for IFFI under PPP

GOANEWS DESK, PANAJI | 10 July 2014 15:16 IST

Temporary hanger built for IFFI inaugural

A world class convention centre in Goa, especially to host International Film Festival of India, may finally become a reality as the union government has agreed to support it financially, while building it under Public Private Partnership (PPP).

A special mention in this regard was made today by union finance minister Arun Jaitley, while presenting his maiden budget in the Lok Sabha.

“Government of India will fully support this initiative to develop the facilities in PPP mode through the VGF scheme,” said Jaitley.

VGF means Viability Gap Funding Scheme, under which the central government provides financial support to the states to build infrastructure built under PPP.

“Goa has emerged as a major international convention centre. It has also been declared as the permanent venue for International Film Festival of India. There is an urgent need to develop world class convention facilities. This can best be done in close collaboration with the private sector”, Jaitley stated in his speech. 

While Goa has been announced a permanent centre for IFFI and has completed 10 years of its hosting, it still struggles to host the opening ceremony. It is nowadays held by erecting a temporary hanger, to accommodate around 3000 people.

The cinema auditoriums are also divided at three centres - Inox, Maquenez Palace and Kala Academy, making it little inconvinient for delegates, who are accommodated at different hotels, which are far away from Panaji city. 

The announcement of convention centre was made by chief minister Manohar Parrikar in 2004, when the 35th edition of IFFI was held in Goa for the first time.

Parrikar has now come to power once again since 2012 while his Bharatiya Janata Party has also come to power at the centre.

Though similar announcements were made by the erstwhile Congress government in Goa while the Congress was also ruling at the centre, the convention centre had not taken a concrete shape.

However, this is the first time the convention centre has been mentioned in the union budget, with a specific assurance to support it financially, while building it on PPP basis. 


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