Page 14 - Goa

Goa govt to rope in satellite imagery firm to map out CRZ violations

The Goa government will engage a company with expertise in satellite imagery to map structures that existed on the state's shoreline before 1991 to understand the extent of the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) violations, a senior official said on Monday. During a public redressal meeting in North Goa on Monday, State Environment Minister Nilesh Cabral said the state government will file an affidavit before the Bombay High Court listing out the structures that existed before 1991, a cut-off date as per the CRZ regulations. The Goa State Coastal Zone Management Authority (GSCZMA) had issued show cause notices to 275 structures, giving them time to respond with documentation to prove that they existed before 1991. The notices were issued after the October 2022 order of the High Court against the gross violations in CRZ areas, the senior GSCZMA official said. Speaking at the meeting, Cabral said the state government will engage a company with expertise in satellite imaginary to map the a

Gallery by Mario Miranda's kin threatens to sue Goa govt, G20 organisers

The kin of celebrated painter late Mario Miranda have threatened to sue the Goa government and the organisers of the G20 meetings in the coastal state for allegedly using his art works without taking permission, a senior official said on Sunday. The family of Miranda in 2011 set up Mario Gallery, which looks after his legacy in various ways like publishing books, organizing exhibitions, selling original paintings, authenticating pictures, giving permission for usage, taking legal action against violators, said its curator Gerard D'Cunha. "Mario Miranda's artwork was used during the G20 event without permission from the gallery. The organisers have used a Miranda painting on a tile, which is used inside a miniature window and it is being given as a gift to VIPs," he said. "In another violation, 16 life-size fibre glass statues were displayed in Old Goa and Dona Paula. These statues are copied from figurines developed by the late Miranda. Mario Gallery will issue a legal notice to sta

Youth registered for apprentice scheme can join depts by July 15: Goa CM

Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has said that 5,000 youths who register for the National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS) will be able to join the state government departments directly by July 15. Addressing a virtual event on Saturday, the chief minister said the central government has been focusing on skilling, reskilling and upskilling youths. Five thousand youngsters who register on the NAPS portal will directly join various departments of the state government as apprentices by July 15, he said. As of now, only 1,200 applicants have registered on the portal, Sawant said, appealing to youngsters to take advantage of the opportunity. There are openings for jobs in data entry, accounting and for drivers, cleaners among other sections, he said. The chief minister further said that panchayat members and municipal councillors should take over the work of registering youths for NAPS.

Moderate to heavy rainfall likely in Goa in next 4-5 days, says IMD

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Thursday informed that several districts in Goa are very likely to receive moderate to heavy rainfall in the next 4-5 days."In continuation of the previous forecasts with active monsoon conditions persisting over Goa, moderate to heavy rainfall is very likely at most places over North Goa & South Goa districts of the state on June 29, 30 and July 1, 2 and 3, 2023", said an IMD statement.The release further stated, "Heavy to very heavy rainfall is very likely at a few places over North Goa and South Goa districts of the state on June 30, 2023 to July 3, 2023."The monsoon, which is now in its advanced stage is active in the country according to the weather department in India and several states are expected to receive heavy rainfall in the coming few days.Naresh Kumar, senior scientist at the India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Thursday said, "Monsoon is in its advanced stage and is active. We can see clouds over Kokan, Goa, ...

Goa beaches shut for monsoon, but tourists still flock to seafronts

The onset of monsoon in Goa has prompted authorities to close the beaches for any kind of activities, but tourists still flock to the seafronts, though in lesser numbers. Beach shacks were dismantled in the last week of May, while water sports activities were also closed by the State Tourism Department. Tourists, however, have continued visiting the beaches, though in a lesser number. Hardly 20 per cent of tourists arrive here during the monsoon. There is no activity happening here. Warnings are also issued against swimming in the sea due to high waves, said Abdul Shaikh, a tourist taxi operator from Colva Beach in South Goa. He said that the tourist season has almost closed down with no business for taxi operators. At Colva Beach, tourists were seen enjoying the rain on Wednesday, while the private lifeguard agency engaged by the state government deployed its manpower to the fullest to ensure that there were no untoward incidents. Kanwaljeet Singh from Ambala in Haryana who is i

Goa's first Vande Bharat will help in faster connectivity, trade: CM Sawant

The Mumbai- Madgaon (Goa) Vande Bharat Express- which is Goa's first semi-high speed train, will operate between Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus and Goa's Madgaon station

G20 events will boost tourism sector further in Goa: CM Pramod Sawant

The G20 events hosted in Goa has offered the coastal state an opportunity to showcase its natural beauty and rich cultural heritage to the world which will boost its tourism sector in the long run, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has said. Dubbed as 'Pearl of the Orient', Goa's scenic beaches, sunny skies and sand draw tourists by hordes from various parts of the country and abroad. The coastal state just hosted two back-to-back crucial G20 events -- fourth Tourism Working Group (TWG) meeting (June 19-20) and Tourism Ministerial meeting (June 21 -22), taking the total number of G20 meetings hosted so far in Goa to seven, while two more G20 events are slated to take place here in July. "We are hosting altogether nine meetings of the G20, Sawant said in an interaction on the sidelines of the meetings. Addressing a gathering of G20 delegates here in the inaugural session of the fourth and final TWG meeting of the influential bloc, he said the crucial meeting would ensure in shaping a ...

'Work from Goa' to make state creative capital of India: Minister Khaunte

Addressing the G20 Tourism Working group meeting near here, he said tourism plays a vital role in Goa's economy by creating jobs and boosting sectors such as hospitality, transportation, handicrafts

G20 tourism working group, tourism ministers' meet in Goa on June 19

The concluding and fourth meeting of the G20 tourism working group and tourism ministers' meeting will begin in Goa on Monday. Addressing a press conference here on Sunday, V Vidyavathi, secretary of the Union tourism ministry, said the working group will pass the Goa roadmap for tourism as a vehicle for achieving sustainable development goals (SDGs). The ministers' meeting will have G20 tourism ministers' declaration, she said. The ministry of tourism has made positive progress on finalising the two key deliverables of the tourism working group, the official said. Three meetings of the working group have already been held in the past, she said. The meeting in Goa will be held from June 19 to 22. Under India's G20 tourism track, the tourism working group is working on five interconnected priority areas of green tourism, digitalisation, skills, tourism MSMEs and destination management, Vidyavathi said. These priorities are key building blocks for accelerating the transition of th

Goa Oppn members boycott LS Speaker Om Birla's address in state Assembly

Opposition parties in Goa on Thursday boycotted Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla's address in the state Legislative Assembly with the Congress questioning why he was not giving a chance to party leader Rahul Gandhi to represent himself over his disqualification in a defamation case. Birla addressed members of Goa Assembly on the topic "Vikasit Bharat 2047" this morning. Assembly Speaker Ramesh Tawadkar, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and other members of the ruling parties were present for the function. However, opposition members - those from the Congress, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), the Goa Forward Party (GFP) and the Revolutionary Goans Party (RGP) - skipped the function. Leader of Opposition Yuri Alemao said the entire opposition decided to disassociate itself from the event as a mark of protest. Talking to reporters at the entrance of the Assembly complex, Alemao said that they protested against Birla for not giving Congress leader Rahul Gandhi a chance to represent himself in the Lok

G20: Side events on cruise tourism, circular economy of plastics in Goa

Promoting cruise tourism as a "model for sustainable and responsible travel" will be one of the focus areas among the side events at the two crucial G20 meetings on tourism next week in Goa, officials said on Wednesday. The fourth G20 Tourism Working Group (TWG) Meeting and the G20 Tourism Ministerial Meeting are to be held in Goa from June 19-22. Interacting with reporters here, Union Tourism Secretary V Vidyavathi said while India's G20 Presidency is only for a year, a "dashboard" is also being developed through which good practices and case studies on sustainable tourism by participating countries will be shared. "It will be a dynamic dashboard which will serve as a learning platform for various countries, and these case studies will continue to be uploaded on it for the next three years," she said. The official reiterated that there will be two key deliverables after the Goa meet. "At the end of our working group meeting and the ministerial meeting, we are going to declare a G

Goa to host 3-day meet of audit institutions of G20 nations from tomorrow

Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India Girish Chandra Murmu will deliver the inaugural address for the three-day conference of the Supreme Audit Institutions (SAI) of G20 countries, which begins in Goa on Monday, an official said. Murmu is the chair of the SAI20 engagement group under India's G20 presidency, a government spokesperson said. The SAI20 summit will take place in Goa from June 12 to 14. CAG Girish Chandra Murmu will deliver the inaugural speech on June 12, the official said. Delegates from SAI20, guest SAIs, invited SAIs, international organisations, engagement groups and other invitees will attend the summit, he said. SAIs of Australia, Brazil, Indonesia, Republic of Korea, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Trkiye, Bangladesh, Egypt, Mauritius, Nigeria, Oman, Spain, UAE, Morocco and Poland will be participating in-person, he said. Under the guiding philosophy for India's Presidency of G20, Vasudhaiva Kutumbkam, i.e. 'one earth, one family, and One Future', CAG had propose

Reeling under Rs 24,000 cr debt, Goa fails to disburse financial aid

The ruling BJP government in Goa which is dependent on borrowing loans to carry out developmental works in the coastal state, is reeling under a Rs 24,175.93 crore debt

Goa to host three-day meet involving audit institutions of G20 nations

A three-day meet of the Supreme Audit Institutions (SAI) of G20 countries will be held in Dona Paula in Goa from Monday, an official said. The SAI20 Summit 2023, which will have a main meet and four side events, will hold discussions to form a consensus document, or communique, a state government spokesperson said. The SAI20 Engagement Group of G20 was established during 2022 during Indonesia's presidency of the G20, he added. The engagement group's website informed that the constitution of SAI20 stems from a recognition of the role of SAIs in promoting efficiency, accountability and transparency of public administration as well as supporting Sustainable Development Goals. "This mandate is achieved through engaging actively and effectively with the entire spectrum of stakeholders, from audited entities and governments to media and the civil society. Such effective engagement shall serve as a barometer of the expectations of the society," as per the website. This engagement group i

As Goa loses tourists to Malvan, state police cracks down on touts

Facing the menace of touts who loot and harass the tourists visiting the coastal state, the Goa police have focused on eradicating the illegal parallel services provided by these touts

Ministers draw agenda for Goa's 2047 vision during 'chintan shivir'

The Goa government's two-day "chintan shivir" concluded on Saturday, with ministers drawing an agenda for the state's vision for 2047. Chief Minister Pramod Sawant chaired the event, which saw the active participation of all members of his cabinet. The chief minister's office in a statement said the state government had organised its first chintan shivir for the council of ministers in continuation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's initiative. Chairman of State-run Economic Development Corporation Sadanand Shet Tanavade was also part of the event. Interactions in the event were around various aspects pertaining to the theme Vikasit Bharat 2047 and Vision Goa 2047, the statement said. Sumar Berry, vice-chairman of NITI Ayog, also interacted with the participants and deliberated on the role of Goa in achieving Vikasit Bharat 2047. Berry discussed the roadmap for achieving a greater milestone through impactful good governance initiatives, the CMO said. The event addressed various k

From Goa to Kerala, four states breach 10% adoption of e-2-wheelers

National average jumps to 5.6%

Central govt spent Rs 30,000 crore on Goa's development: CM Pramod Sawant

Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said on Wednesday that in the last nine years, Rs 30,000 crore has been spent by the Central government on the developmental works of the coastal state

Candlelight protest in Goa demands arrest of WFI chief Brij Bhushan

Politicians, social activists and people supporting the agitating wrestlers on Tuesday staged a candle light protest in Margao demanding action against Wrestling Federation of India (WFI)

Goa Police keep close watch on coastal areas using surveillance drones

Goa Police have decided to keep a close and vigilant watch on activities on the state's coastal areas by using drones