Page 15 - Goa

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

IFAWG meet in Goa aims to give voice to low income nations: Official

The third International Financial Architecture Working Group (IFAWG) meeting set to begin in Goa on Wednesday will aim to give a voice to low income and developing countries that are not part of G20 and highlight key concerns of the Global South, a senior official said. Addressing a press conference here, Anu Mathai, Advisor to Department of Economic affairs said the two-day meeting will be steered by the Union Finance Ministry and the Reserve Bank of India and will co-chaired by France and South Korea. "More than 100 delegates from G20 countries, various international organisations have arrived to take part. During the two day long deliberation, the Indian G20 Presidency strives to give a voice to low-income and developing countries that are not represented at the G20 table and highlight issues of key concern to the Global South," Mathai said. Discussions will also include strengthening the Global Financial Safety Net (GFSN), addressing global debt vulnerabilities, strengthening ..

Touts spoil tourist areas, action must be taken against them: Goa minister

To discourage their activities, the Goa Police have decided to create a 'database' of the arrested touts to take further action against them

G20 meeting on Int'l Financial Architecture to start on June 5 in Goa

The third meeting of the International Financial Architecture Working Group (IFAWG) of G20 will be held in Goa between June 5 to 7, an official said on Sunday. He said the meeting will explore ways to improve the international financial architecture and address the pressing issues faced by the global economy. The IFAWG is one of the important work streams under the G20 Finance Track with a focus on strengthening international financial architecture. "The 3rd IFAWG meeting in Goa is a crucial opportunity for G20 to advance the reforms of the International Financial Architecture and address the global challenges of the 21st century. Goa is proud to host this important group and contribute to global financial stability and development," said Sanjit Rodrigues, the Nodal Officer (G20). He said that during India's G20 Presidency, this Working Group has already met twice before. The first meeting was held in Chandigarh on January 30-31, 2023 while the second meeting was held in Paris on

Goa: StartUp20 Engagement Group delegates condole Odisha train tragedy

The two-day meeting of the StartUp20 Engagement Group, part of India's G20 presidency, culminated in Goa on Sunday with delegates expressing solidarity with victims of the Odisha train accident. At least 288 people were killed and more than 1,100 injured in the crash involving Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express and Shalimar-Chennai Central Coromandel Express and a goods train took place on Friday evening near the Bahanaga Bazar station in Odisha's Balasore district. Talking to reporters on the sidelines of the StartUp20 Engagement Group meeting in Goa, Ashish Sinha, joint secretary, Union Ministry of External Affairs, said the meeting took place in a sombre environment because of the train accident on Friday. All the delegations expressed condolences to the victims, their families and also wished a speedy recovery to the injured people, he said. He said there is a norm in the G20 meetings that foreign delegates are given an introduction about the local culture, for which programmes

Bharat unbound: Fly91 Airlines unveils first look, brand logo, tagline

The regional airline Fly91 to hit the Indian skies between October-December