Page 5 - Goa

Goa health officials to create awareness about HMPV, respiratory disorders

Goa Minister Vishwajit Rane has said that officials of the state health department have been asked to create awareness among people about the Human Metapneumovirus (HMPV), influenza-like illness (ILI) and severe acute respiratory infection (SARI) to prevent panic. Rane stated the same in a written reply to a starred question tabled by St Cruz MLA Rudolfo Fernandes on Friday, the last day of the Goa legislative assembly's winter session. MLA Fernandes had asked if the state Government was aware of the recent spread of the HMPV in a few states in India and sought to know the precautions being taken to prevent the spread of the virus in Goa. State Health Minister Rane said all health officers have been asked to create awareness about HMPV, ILI and SARI among the general public to prevent any panic. He said that while strengthening and reviewing surveillance for ILI and SARI, officials have been asked to investigate severe cases of SARI or pneumonia with tests for H1N1, COVID-19, etc.,

Opposing Indian state has become Rahul Gandhi's new agenda: Goa CM

Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Wednesday said opposing the Indian state itself has become the "new agenda" of Rahul Gandhi and the Congress. Gandhi's remark earlier in the day that his party was fighting the "BJP, RSS and the Indian state itself" triggered a row with the BJP alleging that everything the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha does or says is in the direction of breaking India and dividing society. "So, opposing the Indian State itself has become the new agenda of Rahul Gandhi and the Congress party!" Sawant wrote on X. "The Congress party, led by Rahul Gandhi, has forfeited any moral ground to hold or preach the Constitution to others. Earlier, the statement by the South Goa MP, claiming that the Constitution of India was "thrust upon them" is a glaring testament to the deep-seated disrespect and contempt for India and its foundational principles that cultivates within the entitled dynastic leadership of the Congress," the chief minister added. Sawant was referring

French carrier strike group conducts air-sea manoeuvres with Indian Navy

A few hours after setting sail, the CSG carried out cooperation activities with the Indian Navy at sea and in the air

Social media flags record low tourist numbers in Goa; what does data say?

Debunking fake reports, new data concludes that the state has witnessed record-breaking visitor numbers, both domestically and internationally. Here's all you need to know

Goa government urges officials to tune in to PM Modi's 'Mann Ki Baat'

In a social media post, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant praised Goa's role as a leader in adopting progressive governance practices that have been replicated nationally

Goa govt launches 'Bima Sakhi Yojana', CM urges all women to participate

Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Tuesday launched the 'Bima Sakhi Yojana' in the state with the aim of providing "insurance for all". With this, Goa became the second state after Haryana to launch this flagship scheme envisioned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a government release said. As per the central government's portal, the Bima Sakhi Yojana initiative of Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) is designed to empower women aged 18-70 years, who are Class X pass. They will receive specialised training and a stipend for the first three years to promote financial literacy and insurance awareness. After training, they can serve as LIC agents and the graduate Bima Sakhis will have the opportunity to qualify for being considered for development officer roles in LIC. After distributing the Bima Sakhi Yojana letters to the beneficiaries, CM Sawant said the scheme will not only give financial support to these women, but the role of a Bima Sakhi is going to be very significant ...

INSV Tarini sets sail for longest leg of global voyage with women officers

This endeavour, known as Navika Sagar Parikrama II, highlights India's growing expertise in maritime exploration and underscores the courage and determination of its naval personnel

Ranveer Allahbadia, girlfriend nearly drown in Goa, saved by IPS officer

Ranveer shared a heartfelt post, revealing how his fun swim with his girlfriend turned into a survival battle. He thanked god for the life as he was almost drowned

One dead, 20 rescued as tourist boat capsizes near Calangute beach in Goa

One person died and 20 others were rescued after a tourist boat capsized in the Arabian Sea off Calangute beach in North Goa on Wednesday, police said. The incident occurred around 1.30 pm, they said. "A 54-year-old man died and 20 others were rescued and taken to a nearby hospital for treatment after the boat they were travelling in capsized," a senior police official said. Except for two passengers, all others were wearing life jackets, he said. The passengers included children as young as six year old and women, he said. Spokesman of Drishti Marine, a government-appointed lifesaving agency, said the boat capsized around 60 metres away from the coastline, resulting in all the passengers falling off into the sea water. A family comprising 13 members from Khed in Maharashtra were among the passengers on board, he said. On seeing the boat getting capsized, a personnel of Drishti Marine rushed to aid and called for backup, he said. "In all, 18 on-duty lifesavers rushed to the ai

Goa Liberation Day 2024: Know history, significance, quotes and more

Goa Liberation Day is celebrated every year on 19th December when it officially became part of the Indian Union in 1961. Know more about the rich history and significance of the coastal region

Goa CM's wife files Rs 100 cr defamation suit against AAP MP Sanjay Singh

Sulakshana Pramod Sawant filed the defamation suit in the Civil Judge Senior Division Court in Bicholim, Goa, against Sanjay Singh

Actor Keerthy Suresh marries Antony Thattil in Goa, photos go viral

In Goa, actor Keerthy Suresh wed his longtime boyfriend Antony Thattil. Members of the film community showered the actor with congratulations when he posted his wedding photos online

ED team assaulted on offshore Cruise Casino Pride in Goa; staffers booked

A team of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) was allegedly assaulted by the staff of an offshore casino vessel in Goa, police said on Saturday. Police on Friday registered a case against the director, two senior staffers of Cruise Casino Pride, and a few others for the incident that occurred on December 12, an official said. According to the complaint lodged at Panaji police station, the staff of the offshore casino vessel allegedly assaulted Poluri Chenna Kesava Rao, an assistant director of ED, and his team and confined them in a room while they were searching the premises on Thursday afternoon, the official said. He said casino director Ashok Wadia, senior staffers Gopal Ramnath Naik, Arati Raja and a few others were involved in the assault. The accused threatened to cause injury to the complainant and his team and wrongfully confined them in a room while they were discharging their lawful duty in an official capacity, a spokesperson from the Goa police said. He said the ED has a

SC refuses to entertain Cong's plea against non-disqualification of 8 MLAs

The Supreme Court on Friday refused to entertain a plea challenging the decision of the Goa assembly speaker to reject the disqualification petition of the Congress against eight of its MLAs who defected to the ruling BJP. A bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Sanjay Kumar asked Congress leader Girish Chodankar, who filed the plea in the court, to move the Goa bench of the Bombay High Court to challenge the speaker's decision. On November 1, Goa assembly speaker Ramesh Tawadkar dismissed the disqualification petition filed by the Congress against eight of its MLAs who defected to BJP. The disqualification petition was filed by former Goa Congress chief Chodankar against MLAs Digambar Kamat, Aleixo Sequeira, Sankalp Amonkar, Michael Lobo, Delilah Lobo, Kedar Naik, Rudolf Fernandes and Rajesh Faldesai. Dismissing Chodankar's petition, speaker Tawadkar had ruled that "upon the merger of the original political party of the elected member with another political party, the

Goa CM calls St Xavier's fest a 'time of spiritual renewal', extends wishes

Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Tuesday extended warm wishes on the feast of St Francis Xavier, saying it is an occasion of spiritual renewal and urged people to pledge to build communities of love and brotherhood. The 45-day-long decennial exposition of the scared relics of St Xavier began in Goa on November 21. A large number of people gather in Goa on December 3 every year to celebrate the feast of St Francis Xavier, the patron saint of the coastal state. Sawant in his message lauded the theme -- 'We are Messengers of the Good News' -- for the solemn exposition. "We are fortunate to witness this practice of the decennial exposition of the sacred relics of St Francis Xavier. This solemn exposition held every ten years is an opportunity to introspect on the teachings of the saint and an occasion of spiritual renewal and also a time to rekindle in the hearts of the laity the desire to be the messenger of the good news," he said. The chief minister expressed hope that the decen

Indian states spending below NHP-recommended healthcare budget: Data

While Goa and Delhi are among the few states that exceed the national average, with Goa meeting the 8 per cent target, others like Uttar Pradesh and Bihar allocate less than 6 per cent to healthcare

Goa landlords to pay Rs 10,000 penalty for not verifying tenants from Dec 1

This move comes in response to growing concerns over criminal activities involving tenants, particularly migrants.

Fishing vessel-submarine collision: Bodies of 2 crew members recovered

The bodies of two crew members who went missing after a fishing vessel collided with a submarine have been recovered from the Arabian Sea off the Goa coast, a senior naval official said on Friday. The fishing vessel, Marthoma, sank after colliding with the submarine of the Indian Navy at about 70 nautical miles off the shore last week, triggering a massive operation to trace the two crew members. In a joint operation involving the Navy, Indian Coast Guard and Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited (ONGC) on Thursday, the mortal remains of the missing crew members were recovered from the seabed near the shipwreck, an Indian Navy spokesperson said. The boat had sunk after colliding with an Indian Navy submarine on November 21. Eleven of the 13 crew were rescued on the same day by Indian Navy ships, while two persons had remained missing, he said. The official said that the Indian Navy and Coast Guard jointly undertook a week-long search, which helped localise the fishing boat's ...

Goa govt eyeing Rs 500 cr revenue via e-auction of unclaimed iron ore dumps

With the approval for a revised policy, the Goa government is eyeing a revenue of about Rs 500 crore from e-auction of unclaimed iron ore heaps lying on private lands, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said on Thursday. The state government on Thursday approved the revised Goa Iron Ore Mining Dump Handling Policy, 2023, which allows it to e-auction unclaimed ore lying in the form of dumps at various private locations in the state. The iron ore mining. a major source of revenue, has been halted in the coastal state since 2012 following a Supreme Court order. The state has now begun e-auctioning of the mining blocks. The iron ore dumps, which have been lying at various locations in the state, have remained untouched since mining operations stopped in 2012. Briefing the media after the cabinet meeting, Sawant said under the revised mining dump policy, the heaps of ore that are "unclaimed on private land without payment of the land conversion fee" will be e-auctioned by the state ...

Half of Goa uses online portal, saves trips to government offices: Official

More than half of Goa's population no longer needs to visit government offices for various works as the state continues to expand the user base of its e-governance portal Goa Online', officials have said. Of the 16 lakh residents in the coastal state, about 8.6 lakh people are currently using the portal, offering 241 services, which ensures doorstep governance and improves transparency, they said. An initiative by state IT Minister Rohan Khaunte, the portal was launched in 2017 when the late Manohar Parrikar was the chief minister. His successor Pramod Sawant is taking it forward, said the officials. Goa Online is a single-window system and single-window platform, where all the services of the G2B (government to business) and G2C (government to citizen) are catered, said Sangita Shirodkar, manager (IT) of Goa Electronics Limited (GEL). A subsidiary of the state government, GEL has developed the Goa Online portal, which began with 11 online services, and maintains it, she said. The