Page 4 - Pramod Sawant

Goa aims for 100% renewable energy usage across all sectors by 2050: CM

Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Friday said the state government has set a goal to ensure 100 per cent renewable energy usage across all sectors by 2050. Addressing the second edition of Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) Conference on Clean Renewable Energy 2023 here, Sawant said the state government's plan is expected to create around 15,000 jobs. The Goa government has set a goal to achieve 100 per cent renewable energy usage across all sectors in the state by 2050, he said. "This ambitious plan is expected to create around 15,000 additional jobs, with 500 jobs per year dedicated exclusively to the solar and wind energy generation sector, the chief minister said. The government is committed to generating 150 MW of green energy in the next two years and will be setting up 100 MW solar power plants throughout Goa, he said. "The state government has also signed a memorandum of understanding to develop India's first convergence project to generate green energy for rural a

Goa govt to conduct safety audit of roads amidst rising accidents

Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Wednesday issued directions to the state Public Works Department (PWD) to carry out an audit of state highways, village pathways and major district roads from safety point of view. The directions were given in the view of series of road accidents in the coastal state. Sawant chaired a meeting of various departments to discuss the cause of rising number of road accidents in the state. In a statement issued after the meeting, the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) said Sawant has issued directions to the PWD to carry out the cause and analysis of accidents and implement short-term and long-term measures to prevent them. A senior PWD official informed that 10 per cent of the estimate of road work is assigned to safety aspects like erection of signboards and barricades. A direction was issued to expedite work and carry out an audit of state highways, village roads, and MDR (major district roads)," said the statement. At the meeting, the CM expressed ...

'Goa ki Baat' programme on 3rd Saturday of every month: CM Sawant

Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Tuesday said that his government will start 'Goa Ki Baat' on the lines of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's radio programme 'Mann Ki Baat'

Three departments taking measures to reduce road accidents: Goa CM

Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Tuesday said that three departments of his government are taking measures to reduce road accidents, which are on the rise since last one month

Goa Oppn parties seek CM Sawant's resignation over Amit Shah's statement

Opposition parties in Goa on Saturday sought the resignation of Chief Minister Pramod Sawant over the statement of Union Home Minister Amit Shah that the Mahadayi river water dispute between Karnataka and the coastal state had been resolved. The two states have been engaged in a tussle over the sharing of water of the river for several years now and Goa has often accused Karnataka of proceeding unilaterally by ignoring pacts. Addressing the Bharatiya Janata Party's 'Jana Sankalp Yatre' in Belagavi in the neighbouring state earlier in the day, Shah said, "I want to tell you (people) that BJP, by resolving the long-standing dispute between both states, has given Mahadayi water to Karnataka and, thereby, ensured farmers in several districts here are benefited." Yuri Alemao, leader of opposition in the Goa Assembly, said Sawant must resign immediately for the "murder of Mahadayi". "Truth always Prevails, God is Great! Home Minister's statement in Belgavi makes it clear that Chief ...

Goa to implement NEP in graduation, technical courses from next academic yr

Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Wednesday said his government will introduce a foundation course and a graduation level course as per the National Education Policy (NEP) in educational institutes from the next academic year. Addressing a state-level workshop on the NEP at Sankhali, Sawant said there is confusion over the implementation of the policy in technical education. The confusion would be cleared within two-three months, he said. The chief minister said, "Goa is one step ahead of other states in implementing the NEP in its educational institutes. From the next academic year onwards, we will introduce a foundation course and the syllabus at the graduation level." Sawant said the Goa Directorate of Technical Education and directors of the skill development and higher education departments have been asked to address the "confusion prevailing over implementation of the NEP in technical education. All the stakeholders including managements and teachers of educational institu

Will fight legally and politically for Mahadayi water: Goa CM Sawant

Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has said the coastal state will win the battle for the Mahadayi river water as his government is making efforts on legal, technical and political fronts and leaving no stone unturned. Goa and Karnataka are at loggerheads over diversion of the Mahadayi water through the construction of dams by Karnataka on the river's tributaries Kalasa and Banduri. The Central Water Commission recently approved a detailed project report (DPR) submitted by Karnataka for the construction of the two dams, to which the Goa government has objected. The Goa government has contended that Karnataka cannot divert water from the Mahadayi river, as it passes through the Mahadayi Wildlife Sanctuary, which is located downstream in North Goa. Whoever may say anything, we are firm on our decision. Whatever we have to do for Mahadayi, we are doing it legally, technically and politically. We will do whatever is required and we are confident that we will win the battle," Sawant said

Goa CM Sawant-led delegation to meet Shah over Mhadei river issue

"Interstate dispute is always resolved by the Home Minister. Hence we are meeting him," Sawant said

Goa CM Sawant to meet stakeholders to review functioning of new airport

Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant will hold a meeting with stakeholders to review the functioning of the newly inaugurated Manohar International Airport (MIA), state Minister Rohan Khaunte said on Sunday. The first flight landed at MIA on Thursday, after which the airport commenced domestic operations. It's been three days since the airport started functioning. There are bound to be some teething problems. We are gathering all the information about these problems and will meet chief minister on Tuesday, Khaunte told reporters in Mapusa town. State Transport Minister Mauvin Godinho will also be present for the meeting, which will also be attended by the stakeholders of the new facility, he said. When asked about a viral photograph showing taxis charging passengers whopping fares at the airport, Khaunte said he has taken a note of the photo showing a taxi charging Rs 4,000 for journey between the airport and Benaulim. We have asked for the details about the bill. We must also find ou

2022: Pramod Sawant continues as Goa CM, international airport added

For Goa, 2022 began on a high note politically with the conduct of the Assembly polls in February that saw the BJP retaining power and Pramod Sawant occupying the chief minister's chair for the second straight term even as the Congress's strength in the 40-member House dipped further. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won 20 out of 40 seats and formed a government with the help of three independents and the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) that bagged two seats. Despite a high-decibel campaign, the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress (TMC) drew a blank, while the Arvind Kejriwal-headed Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) opened account with two seats. The Congress, which won 11 seats in the polls, witnessed depletion of its strength in the House more than six months later as eight of the MLAs, including former chief minister Digambar Kamat, switched to the ruling BJP in September. With this, the grand old party's count of legislators came down to just three. Interestingly, in the run up to

No Covid-19 curbs in Goa till Jan 2, says CM as govt advises precautions

The Goa government will not impose any COVID-19-related restrictions till January 2 but will review the situation on January 3, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said on Friday after chairing a high-level meeting here. He said that people should voluntarily follow COVID-19-appropriate behaviour. "The state will not impose any COVID-19 related restrictions till January 2, but will review the situation on January 3," Sawant told reporters after chairing the meeting. He said as per the Centre's direction, a mock drill will be conducted on December 27 to check the preparedness to tackle any potential coronavirus outbreak. Sawant said authorities have already started random checking of international passengers arriving in the coastal state. "Two per cent of international passengers arriving in the state are being tested," he added. As Goa gears up to ring in the Christmas and New Year festivities amid a rise in COVID-19 cases in some countries, the state government has appealed to the peop

Goa govt's Drone Policy 2022 promotes use of unmanned aerial vehicles

The Drone Policy 2022 launched by the Goa government has suggested that its departments consider the use of the unmanned aerial vehicles for efficient and effective governance. Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Monday launched the Drone Policy 2022, as per which the government will engage with technical institutes and academia to design drone-related courses for use in sectors like agriculture, horticulture, forestry, healthcare, mining and others. The government will help in establishing drone schools that offer various courses in drone operations and pilot certification, the policy said, adding the government will encourage the setting up of centres of excellence within higher academic institutions to promote research and development. The policy mentions that "drones offer tremendous benefits to almost every sector of the economy, including but not limited to agriculture, infrastructure, emergency response, transportation, geospatial mapping, media, entertainment, law enforcement an

Goa CM Sawant warns of strict action against those who harass tourists

Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Monday said stern action will be taken against harassment of tourists in the coastal state and said people involved in such acts will not be spared. Sawant was addressing a function here to mark the Goa Liberation Day, where he inspected a parade and received the guard of honour. The Goa Liberation Day is celebrated on December 19 every year to mark the success of 'Operation Vijay' undertaken by the armed forces to liberate the state by defeating the Portuguese in 1961. Highlighting the importance of tourism in the coastal state, Sawant said cooperation from stakeholders such as taxi and tour operators is required for the development of the sector. The state government is working towards creating a positive image of Goa with respect to tourism internationally, he said. We are exploring different facets of tourism such as beach, hinterland, eco-tourism, wellness and spiritual tourism, the chief minister said. People who harass tourists in the st

Goa CM slams Rahul Gandhi, says his love for China has gone beyond limits

Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has slammed Rahul Gandhi over his 'China preparing for war and Indian government sleeping' remark, saying the Congress leader's "love for China" has gone "far beyond limits". Sawant also criticised Pakistan Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto for his "outrageous" remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "Rahul Gandhi's love for China and hate for India's Political Party and our Prime Minister has gone far beyond limits. The Indian Armed Forces are guarding the borders of India with Valour and Courage. The people of India love, respect and support the Armed forces by heart," Sawant said in a tweet on Saturday evening. Addressing a press conference in Rajasthan on Friday, Gandhi had alleged that China was preparing for war and the Indian government was sleeping over it and trying to ignore the threat. He also alleged that China has taken away 2,000 square kilometres of Indian territory, killed 20 Indian soldiers and was "thrashing our jawans in ...

Cyber crime threat to India's progress, security: Goa CM Pramod Sawant

Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Friday said cyber crime is a threat to India's progress and security and cyber warriors need to be created to combat the menace. Sawant was speaking at the International Conference on Information Security, Privacy and Digital Forensics (ICISPD 2022) at BITS Pilani campus in Vasco city, 35 km from here. The chief minister said the importance of comprehensively addressing social media privacy issues cannot be underestimated and the challenge calls for skilled experts. Cybercrime is a threat to the progress and security of our nation. The need of the hour is to create cyber warriors to combat cyber crime, he said. Sawant stressed on the need for awareness, knowledge and skills about the emerging trends in cybercrimes and training in latest technologies of cyber security and computer forensics. As per data from the National Crime Records Bureau, a total of 52,974 cases of cyber crime were registered, showing an increase of 5.9 per cent in registrati

Goa will soon emerge as creative capital of India, says CM Pramod Sawant

Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Thursday said the coastal state would soon emerge as the creative capital of India. He was talking to reporters after distributing various benefits to start-ups and Information Technology companies at a function here. State IT Minister Rohan Khaunte was also present. The state government's policy has eleven schemes through which start-ups are incentivized, the CM said. These schemes include salary reimbursement, lease rent reimbursement, co-working spaces reimbursement, skill development promotion scheme and IPR reimbursement scheme and trademark reimbursement scheme, he said. Sawant said that since the inception of Start Up scheme, total grant of Rs 3.28 crore has been sanctioned against these incentives to more than 50 beneficiaries. Besides this, the IT Policy has 18 schemes including capital investment scheme, power subsidy, internet subsidy, salary subsidy, purchase of land and built-up space and quality certification, he added. Goa is .

International Film Festival of India kicks off today, Goa CM inspects venue

The 53rd edition of the International Film Festival India will begin in Goa on Sunday

Goa Forward Party president demands CM's resignation over high unemployment

Goa Forward Party President Vijai Sardesai has demanded the resignation of chief minister Pramod Sawant while presenting a report made by the NITI Aayog to him.

One-year work experience to be made mandatory for govt jobs in Goa: CM

Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Tuesday said one-year work experience would be made "compulsory" for recruitment in state government departments. He said fresh candidates would not be taken directly into government service. Aspirants would have to get experience by working in the private sector before applying for government jobs. Addressing a function at Taleigao village in North Goa, Sawant said one-year work experience would be made mandatory for those looking for government jobs in the future. Such a practice would help the government get skilled manpower, said the chief minister. The CM said necessary amendments would be made in Recruitment Rules (RRs) to ensure only suitable candidates are selected for vacant posts. Sawant also said recruitment through the Staff Selection Commission would be made compulsory in the future.

Goa CM unveils free pilgrimage scheme Mukhyamantri Devdarshan Yatra Yojana

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in Goa on Monday formally launched a state-sponsored pilgrimage scheme for people announced before the Assembly polls held in February this year. Speaking on the occasion, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said such schemes help them garner votes. Sawant flagged off a bus carrying passengers to the famous Tirupati shrine in Andhra Pradesh under the Mukhyamantri Devdarshan Yatra Yojana", which he had announced before the Assembly polls. We were criticised for introducing this scheme to garner votes. I would say that we garnered votes because of such kind of schemes and not vice versa, the chief minister told a gathering. He said seats are booked for the free pilgrimage on the first-cum-first-served basis. Sawant said the two other destinations promised under the scheme are Velankanni in Tamil Nadu- a popular pilgrim center, especially renowned for the Church of Mother Mary- and Shirdi, the famous shrine of Sai Baba located in neighbouring ...