Panaji, March 7 -- Goa chief minister Pramod Sawant on Friday delivered his seventh consecutive budget with an outlay of Rs.30,195 crore for 2026-27, a 7.21% increase over the 2025-26 estimates, announcing a 200% hike in casino licence fees for operators seeking to set up new casinos in the state along with an increase in the fee for obtaining a new bar licence. In his budget speech, Sawant said he was leaving other taxes untouched but hoped to gain revenue from higher GST collections, resumption of mining, and the auction of leases and iron ore dumps. "The fee for establishing new casinos in the state will be increased by 200% over the existing fee during this financial year," Sawant said. He later clarified that the fee is only for those looking to set up new onshore casinos in the state and that no new offshore casino would be allowed. "I propose that the fee for a new excise license for opening liquor shops and restaurants be fixed at Rs.20 lakh. In addition, the fee for transferring an excise license without inheritance will be increased to Rs.25 lakh." Goa's Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) for 2026-27 is projected at Rs.1.31 lakh crore, while the per-capita GSDP is estimated at Rs.8.18 lakh, Sawant said. "The total expenditure estimate for 2026-27 is Rs.30,195 crore, which indicates a growth of 7.21% over the estimates of 2025-26. The total receipts projected for 2026-27 stand at Rs.29,181 crore with a projected revenue surplus of Rs.1,666 crores." Some of the significant proposals include the setting up of an AYUSH ministry under the health department, an urban renewal scheme for the town of Vasco da Gama and the development of a new 'city' in the vicinity of the New Mopa Airport. The Opposition said that the budget was a populist budget full of promises that would fall short of delivery because there was no money to implement them. "This is not a 'Ghatmut' (strong) budget, but a 'Jhutmut' (false) budget filled with empty promises," Leader of Opposition Yuri Alemao said. "Our youth are desperately searching for employment, while this government is busy searching for ways to loot."...