Panaji, Jul 25 (IANS): The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Goa on Saturday slammed the decision of the BJP-led coalition government to go in for a facelift of the state assembly complex at a cost of Rs 7 crore. It urged Chief Minister Pramod Sawant to instead spend the money on setting up online education infrastructure for students.

In a statement Rahul Mahambre, spokesperson of the party's Goa unit, said that the money earmarked for the assembly facelift could instead be utilised to underwrite social welfare schemes for people who have lost their livelihood on account of the pandemic.

"Not only in remote rural villages, but even in cities like Mapusa many students are deprived of education as their families cannot afford a smart phone. Although NGOs like Rotary Club and others have stepped in and assisted the students by providing them refurbished phones, many students still need these devices," Mahambre said.

"Spend Rs 7 crore to provide smartphones to school students instead of thinking about the facelift of the assembly," Mahambre said, adding that thousands of students would benefit from smartphones, which can be utilised for online education.

Schools and educational institutions in Goa continue to be closed on account of the COVID-19 pandemic and a sustained spike in the number of active cases in the coastal state.

Sawant, however, said that online education for students was not a practical option, because of low to minimal network coverage in several parts of the state, especially the hilly areas in the hinterland.