Page 11 - Goa

Efforts to set up delimitation commission for Goa seats for ST quota: CM

Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has said that efforts are on to form a delimitation commission before the upcoming Lok Sabha polls for reservation of some of the Goa assembly seats for the Scheduled Tribes (ST) community members. Talking to reporters in Porvorim near state capital Panaji on Monday evening, Sawant said he would make detailed statement on the issue in the House on Saturday during ongoing budget session. As of now, no seat in the 40-member Goa assembly is reserved for the ST community, one seat is reserved for the Scheduled Castes (SC) community. The ST community has been demanding that four out of the 40 seats in the Goa assembly be reserved for them during the 2027 state polls. The community members held a protest in Panaji on Monday after which the chief minister met a group of their leaders. "A delegation of the ST leaders met me. I have given them the assurance," Sawant said. He said the file on the issue of reservation of seats in the Goa assembly is pending

Italian ambassador's wife injured in fireworks, FIR against Goa hotel owner

The Goa Police has booked the owner of a resort after the wife of the Italian ambassador to India suffered a head injury due to fireworks set off from the beach-facing facility, an officer said on Saturday. The incident occurred on January 1 during the New Year celebrations at Ashvem beach in North Goa. "Police registered an FIR on Friday (February 2) after Honorary Vice Consul of Italy in Goa, Shrinivas Dempo, lodged a complaint. The case was registered under section 338 (Causing grievous hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others) of the Indian Penal Code," the police officer said. The accused rashly and negligently allowed the launching of fireworks from the premises of the resort. Paola Ferri, wife of Vincenzo de Luca, the Ambassador of Italy to India and Nepal, suffered a head injury after she was struck by fireworks, as per the FIR. "We will record a statement of the victim and initiate further process. We are yet to arrest the owner of the resort," the officer

Goa will remain preferred destination for global investors, says CM Sawant

Goa will remain a preferred destination for global investors across all sectors, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said on Monday. "We will remain a success story in the country and a preferred destination for global investors across all the sectors," he said at the Invest Goa 2024 summit here. The chief minister also said that the coastal state has benefitted from the support of the central government. "Under the leadership of PM Narendra Modi, India is now the fastest growing economy in the world. Goa has benefitted considerably due to the support of (central) government and state government," he said. He further said that his government has "given maximum attention for upgradation of skills of our young workforce through constant academia, industry dialogue and the newly launched apprentice scheme". Former Union minister Suresh Prabhu in his address said that Goa can become a hub of research and development considering a robust presence of pharma industries in the state. He said th

States' loan guarantee more than triples since FY17 to Rs 9.4 trn in FY23

The total loan guarantees extended by 17 major states to their entities have more than tripled to Rs 9.4 lakh crore by FY23 from Rs 3 lakh crore in FY17, says a report. While guarantees are contingent liabilities, they may pose a risk to states' fiscal health if a substantial proportion of the stock needs to be serviced by them, warranting robust guarantee monitoring and prudent extension of guarantees in the future so that the financial system as a whole remains resilient. States often sanction and issue on behalf of their various enterprises, cooperative institutions, and urban local bodies guarantees in favour of their lenders which are generally banks or other financial institutions. The total loan guarantees extended by the 17 major states to their entities have more than tripled to Rs 9.4 lakh crore as of FY23 from Rs 3 lakh crore in FY17. This is equivalent to the entire increase in such guarantees of these states during FY2017-22, Icra Ratings chief economist Aditi Nayar sai

Ram mandir: These states have declared a holiday on January 22. Check list

Several states have declared a public holiday or half day on January 22 in honour of the 'Pran Prathishtha' ceremony for the Ram mandir in Ayodhya

Passenger who slapped IndiGo pilot after 13-hour flight delay arrested

In a statement, the airline said a passenger "assaulted" the co-pilot and that the matter had been referred to an independent internal committee for his inclusion in the "no-fly list"

Goa govt introduces regenerative tourism to focus on 11 spiritual sites

The Goa government has introduced the concept of regenerative tourism, which will revolve around 11 places of worship in the coastal state. Talking to PTI on Saturday, state Tourism Minister Rohan Khaunte said the concept of regenerative tourism will redefine the approach towards travel and tourism. Our model of regenerative tourism will revolve around eleven spiritual sites or Ekadasha Teertha, he said. By involving local communities, especially women and youth, in exploring, understanding, and projecting their culture, cuisine, and lifestyle, Goa tourism aims to harness the commercial and economic potential of their history and heritage, the minister said. Regenerative tourism isn't a luxury but a necessity, a transformative approach that transcends the limitations of traditional tourism models, he said. This type of tourism isn't just about safeguarding the environment; it is about fostering a deeper connection between travellers and the places they visit, he said. It encourag

Goa murder: Was not allowed to meet son for five weeks, husband tells cops

The estranged husband of Suchana Seth, the AI start up CEO accused of killing her four-year-old child, on Saturday told Goa police she had not allowed him to meet their child for the past five Sundays. Venkat Raman arrived at Calangute police station in the afternoon from Bengaluru to record his statement as part of the probe. Seth allegedly smothered her son to death in a service apartment in Candolim in north Goa, packed his corpse in a bag and hailed a taxi to go back to Bengaluru but was arrested mid-way on January 8 in Chitradurga in Karnataka, as per police. While Raman refused to speak to the media before going to meet the investigating officer (IO), a senior police official told PTI he was giving a detailed statement. Till afternoon, a fair part of his statement had been recorded, with Raman rejoining the IO post lunch, the official added. Raman told police divorce proceedings between him and Seth were underway in a family court in Bengaluru, the official said. Raman clai

Bengaluru CEO not cooperating in probe, 'note found': Things we know so far

Suchana Seth, the CEO of 'MindfulAI Labs' startup, allegedly killed her son at a rental apartment at Candolim in Goa and later stuffed the body in a bag and tried to carry it to Karnataka via taxi

Investigation underway in murder of 4-yr old boy: Goa CM Pramod Sawant

On Tuesday, the CEO of a start-up company in Bengaluru identified as Suchana Seth was arrested for allegedly murdering her minor son at a hotel in Goa

Sugar factory lying shut in Goa to resume in one year, produce ethanol: CM

A state-run sugar factory, which has been shut in South Goa since 2019, would resume operation in the next one year and produce ethanol from sugarcane, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has said. The Request For Qualification (RFQ) has been invited from the eligible bidders to re-start the Sanjivani Sugar Factory to produce ethanol from the sugarcane available in the surrounding talukas, he told reporters on Tuesday. The assurance was given as the sugarcane farmers were protesting since January 2, demanding resumption of operations at the factory, located at Usgao village in South Goa district. The state-run factory, which was started in 1974, produced sugar by procuring sugarcane from farmers till 2019, before it was shut due to the mounting debt. Sawant said the farmers need not protest as they are already being offered compensation for the last four years due to closure of the factory. He said the farmers have been cumulatively paid a compensation of Rs 30 crore by the state ...

Who is Suchana Seth, startup CEO held for murder of four-year-old son

Suchana Seth, 39, checked into a rental apartment in North Goa with her four-year-old son on Saturday, where she allegedly killed him and carried the body to Karnataka in a taxi

India reports 115 new JN.1 cases, marking highest single-day detection

These cases have been found across ten states and union territories, with Kerala reporting the maximum cases at 147. Goa (51 cases) and Gujarat (34 cases) followed Kerala

Covid sub-variant JN.1: Insacog says 196 cases detected in country

A total of 196 cases of COVID-19 sub-variant JN.1 have been detected in the country so far, with Odisha joining the list of states that have detected the presence of the variant, according to the INSACOG's data updated on Monday. Ten states and Union territories have so far detected the presence of the JN.1 sub-variant of the virus. These states are Kerala (83), Goa (51), Gujarat (34), Karnataka (eight), Maharashtra (seven), Rajasthan (five), Tamil Nadu (four), Telangana (two) Odisha (one) and Delhi (one), according to the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG). The INSACOG's data showed 179 Covid cases recorded in the country in December had the presence of JN.1, while 17 such cases were detected in November. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has classified JN.1 as a separate "variant of interest" given its rapidly-increasing spread, but said it poses a "low" global public health risk. The JN.1 sub-variant of the coronavirus was previously classified as a variant of ..

Goa's health dept creating awareness about Ayushman Bharat scheme: Rane

Goa's health, and women and child departments are creating awareness about the Centre's Ayushman Bharat scheme through camps and drives, said cabinet minister Vishwajit Rane on Saturday. The health minister of the coastal state wrote on X, ABHA #AyushmanBharat is a revolutionary initiative modifying healthcare access in India. The Health Department and Department of Women and Child Development are collaboratively working to ensure its successful implementation, paving the way for a healthier and more empowered future for all. The Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri-Jan Arogya Yojana aims to provide free and cashless healthcare services up to Rs 5 lakh per family per year to over 10.74 crore poor and vulnerable families with the number of beneficiaries running up to more than 53 crore. Rane further said, ABHA facilitates every woman and child to have access to quality healthcare services, regardless of their location or socioeconomic status. The health minister said that the Directorate

Indira Gandhi and the case of overly ripped Goan papaya breakfast

The papayas from Mumbai were too squishy, the chef raced through the streets of Goa in a police jeep to look for fruit ripened just right only to have security personnel puncture many a hole through them a new book recalls in detail the struggle to procure and plate perfect papayas for Indira Gandhi during a CHOGM meeting in 1983. The then prime minister's demand for the humble papaya for breakfast during the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting retreat sent the entire Taj Hotel into a tizzy, chef Satish Arora recounts in his book "Sweets and Bitters: Tales from a Chef's Life". It was a "uniquely Indian, very local" battle that he and his team at Taj Goa were fighting, Arora writes. It was November 1983 and the late Gandhi was hosting high-profile leaders from more than 40 countries for a 48-hour retreat that was aiming to put Goa on the world tourism map. There was a flurry of activity -- roads were widened, jetties and bridges built, street lights revamped and the airport .

63 cases of JN.1 variant detected in country till Sunday, highest from Goa

They said of the total cases of the JN.1 variant, 34 are from Goa, nine from Maharashtra, eight from Karnataka, six from Kerala, four from Tamil Nadu and two from Telangana

Midnight masses, celebrations on beaches mark Christmas festivities in Goa

Prayers, midnight masses and carols sung in praise of Lord Jesus ushered in the Christmas festivities in Goa where several people gathered at churches and beaches for the celebrations held throughout the night. The streets of capital city Panaji were crowded with people who participated in the celebrations till the early hours of Monday after attending the midnight masses in churches. The famous Church Square in the heart of Panaji turned into a sea of people, as a large number of tourists have also arrived for the Christmas and New Year celebrations in the coastal state, which has about 30 per cent Christian population. Keeping with the festive spirit, Goans decked up their houses in colourful lights and put up beautifully decorated cribs, depicting the birth of Lord Jesus. At Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception Church in Panaji, devotees started gathering from 11 pm on Sunday to attend the prayers. With the ringing of bells at midnight, the birth of Lord Jesus was celebrated a

Link road to Mopa airport to be completed by April: Gadkari in Goa

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Saturday reviewed the progress of various infrastructure projects in Goa. Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, several MLAs and senior state government officials were present in the meeting chaired by the Union minister of road transport and highways. "During the meeting, it was decided that a major link road to Manohar International Airport at Mopa will be completed by April 2024. Work on the six-lane elevated corridor at Porvorim, the foundation stone of which was laid by Gadkari on Friday, will begin in January," a senior official said. "The road connecting the highway to Mormugao Port in Vasco town would be completed by April next year. The new bridge across Zuari river in Borim village has been granted tentative approval by National Highway Authority of India," he added. The Union minister reviewed the appointment of a consultant for a 'Ring Road' to curb congestion on the Goa stretch of the Mumbai-Kanyakumari and Goa-Hyderabad highways, he said.

India Energy Week 2024 to be held in Goa, 35,000 participants expected

The debut edition of IEW was held in early 2023