Panaji, Nov 28 (IANS): Instead of requesting Rs. 100 crore from the central government for celebration of Goa's sixty years of liberation from Portuguese rule, the Goa government should instead utilise the money to design an economic revival package to help people who have suffered on account of the Covid-19 pandemic, leader of opposition Digambar Kamat said on Saturday.

"The Goa government must first liberate the marginalised sector from huge financial burden and losses suffered due to outbreak of Covid pandemic and collapse of economy," Kamat said in a statement issued on Saturday.

"I demand that the Goa Chief Minister declare a Rs. 100 crore economic revival package proposed by the Congress to help the Common man of Goa," the former Chief Minister further said.

On Friday, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant had said that the state government would organise at least one event in every Indian state capital to celebrate the 60th anniversary year of the liberation of Goa from colonial Portuguese rule. Sawant said that he had requested the central government for Rs. 100 crore to conduct the yearlong celebration.

Goa was a Portuguese colony for a period of 451 years, before the region was liberated by the Indian armed forces in 1961.