PANAJI: A six-year analysis of Goa’s night light indicates that while economic activity grew steadily in South Goa, it is not expanding to newer parts of the state. Night light is seen as a reasonable indicator to gauge economic activity.
The study by the Bharti Institute of Public Policy (BIPP) at the Indian School of Business (ISB) also found a significant pandemic impact in economic activity in 2020.
Spatial data of lights emanating from Goa at night and captured by satellites between 2015 and 2020 has been analysed by BIPP researchers to understand the overall development of Goa and the extent of economic development at the constituency level.
The data suggests that the change in total nightlight was highest in the constituencies of Siolim, Calangute, Cortalim, Nuvem, Benaulim, Velim, Curtorim and Canacona. Benaulim, Cortalim and Calangute showed the highest growth in night-time lights.
“The available data will focus on crucial indicators focussing on economic development and the impact of development schemes and their progress,” said executive director at BIPP-ISB professor Ashwini Chhatre.
Research has suggested that night-time light (NTL) can be used as a proxy for a number of variables, including urbanisation, density, and economic growth, with even the Reserve Bank of India noticing a “robust correlation” with GDP and other macroeconomic indicators like industrial production and credit growth.
“Twenty-four constituencies have shown a zero-point change in lit pixels from 2015 to 2019, signifying that economic activity is not expanding to newer areas in most of Goa. This also highlights the already developed status of the state,” said the BIPP nightlight report, which was recently released.
“Around 80%, that is 32 constituencies in Goa out of 40, do not show any changes in the lit pixels, suggesting non-expansion of economic activity to newer areas...indicating possible saturation in economic growth,” says the report.
As expected, the data showed a significant impact on night lights during the pandemic period with Cortalim, Nuvem and Calangute showing the most impact. Cortalim and Nuvem constituencies are largely industrial belts, which include the Verna and Sancoale industrial estates, while Calangute is the hub of Goa’s tourism activity.
“The perceptible pandemic impact on economic activity, and hence total radiance, is stark and evident. Total radiance in the state has declined from 25,728 to 20,025 pixels, suggesting the significant negative impact on the Goan economy,” the report said.
The report points out that Cortalim and Calangute had shown significant increase in total radiance from 2015-2019, and the pandemic effect in the year 2020 on these constituencies is highly evident.
