Panaji, Jan 19 (PTI) The four-day Goa carnival will begin on February 10 with a float parade in Panaji, state Tourism Minister Rohan Khaunte said on Friday.
Talking to reporters after chairing a meeting of the empowered committee of the tourism department, the minister said the carnival float parade will start from Panaji on February 10 followed by other cities on subsequent days.
A curtain-raiser event for the carnival will be held at Porvorim near here on February 9, he said.
After Panaji, float parades will be held at Margao on February 11, Vasco on February 12 and Mapusa on February 13, he said.
Municipal councils have been asked to ensure that the traditional fervour of the carnival is highlighted during the parades, Khaunte said.
Foreign and domestic tourists will arrive in Goa to witness the carnival, and they should get a glimpse of the traditional festivities, he said.
Similarly, the Shigmo festival will be held in the coastal state from March 26 to April 8.
“The parades would be held at 18 different places. We will soon announce the calendar of the event,” he said.
The government has boosted infrastructure to host Shigmo and increased the prize money, the minister said.
The prize money for the first-place float has been increased from Rs 35,000 to Rs 75,000, while the prize for Romtamel (folk dance) has been hiked from Rs 35,000 to Rs 75,000, he said.
He further said the state will celebrate the upcoming Shiv Jayanti on a larger scale.
“The state tourism department has provided the municipal councils and their respective committees in Panaji, Margao, Mapusa, Mormugao, Sankhalim and Ponda a one-time grant of Rs 5 lakh each to celebrate Shiv Jayanti,” Khaunte said.
The government is celebrating 350 years of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s coronation. The main event will be held on February 19 at Bicholim (North Goa), he said. PTI RPS ARU
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