Asserting that the intention of the Government is to make Goa an Education Hub in the country, Chief Minister, Dr. Pramod Sawant said steps are initiated in this direction to achieve the goal.

Speaking at the signing of MoU with four skilling startup firms at Secretariat today, he said the Government is also planning to take Goa ahead in the field of Information & Technology as our mission is to make Goa self-reliant in every sector.

The Government through Directorate Higher Education signed MOUs with four Skilling Startup Companies at a function organized by the Goa State Higher Education Council at Secretariat today. The companies which signed MOUs being NEWTON SCHOOL Bengaluru, Nav Gurukul Foundation for Social Welfare Haryana, UnLu Haryana, ENTRY – Kerala etc.

The Chief Minister speaking further said the Government is looking towards inviting investors to invest in the education, IT and knowledge sector to ensure that employment opportunities are created for youth in the State. The signing of MOUs with four skilling startup firms today has an objective to start four unique programmes for our students in the State. These firms will provide expertise and upskill Goan students. The Newton School Bengaluru will impart knowledge of coding and robotics, UnLu will provide training of content writing, music, film making as there is vast scope so as to make them part of entertainment industry,The ENTRY firm will strive to focus on rural students and will impart knowledge of coding in konkani and training of spoken Konkani language, while the Nava Gurukul from Haryana will establish physical Campus in Goa providing training of coding for rural girl students, he informed.

The Chief Minister lauded the gesture of Shri Karan Bajaj for his willingness to work with the Government in the interest of Goan youths without having any expectations.

The Goan youth mostly thinks of Government jobs only when it comes to employment. They don’t take into account other sectors where they can find suitable employment. The Government is therefore serious about exploring employment avenues by inviting Software firms in the State, the Chief Minister remarked.

CEO & Founder of NEWTON SCHOOL Begaluru Shri Siddharth Maheshwari said skilled youth is the backbone of economy. Therefore upskilling our youth is the need of the hour. Skilling helps youth to obtain suitable jobs. They have become a requirement of the industrial sector. We would strive to skill as many as 10000 youth employable in the days to come. The skilled youth will cater to his need for the industrial sector he remarked.

CEO, Gurul Ms. Nidhi Anarkat, Founder & CEO, Newton School, Shri Siddharth Maheshwari, Co- Founder & CEO UnLu, Shri Vipul Agarwal, Founder & CEO ENRY, Shri Muhammad Hisamuddin head stakeholders of aforesaid firms signed MOUs and exchanged with the Executive Director GSHEC Shri Prasad Lolyenkar IAS, who signed MOUs on behalf of the Government.

Chairman GSHE Council, Dr. Chandrakant Shetye; Secretary Education Shri Menino DSouza IAS; Director Higher Education, Shri Prasad Lolyenkar IAS; CEO, Gurulu Ms. Nidhi Anarkat, Founder & CEO, Newton School, Shri Siddharth Maheshwari, Co- Founder & CEO UnLu, Shri Vipul Agarwal, Founder & CEO ENTRY,Shri Muhammad Hisamuddin; Goa State Higher Education Council, TIP Nodal Officer, Dr. Niyan Marchon, Principles of various Government colleges attended the function.

Asst. Professor, Ms. Tanvi Kamat Bambolkar compered the function.

Prof. Vithal Tilvi proposed the vote of thanks.

The Office of the District Magistrate, North Goa has re-constituted the Enforcement Squad of North Goa District for enforcing effective implementation of illicit drug/Cigarettes and other Tobacco products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade Commerce Production, Supply and Distribution) Act, 2003 in North Goa District.

In view of COVID-19, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), Department of Health Research, Government of India has appealed to the general public that “Chewing Smokeless Tobacco Products, Pan Masala and areca nut (supari) increase the production of saliva followed by a very strong urge to spit. Spitting in public places could enhance the spread of Covid-19 virus”. The ICMR has appealed to the general public to refrain from consuming the smokeless tobacco products and spitting in public places.

The Enforcement Squads of all Talukas are directed to take action in illicit tobacco products which are in circulation without paying taxes including other section under COTPA Act, 2003 and also to prohibit the user from spitting and chewing smokeless tobacco products in public places, as informed by the Department of Information and Publicity.

Minister for WRD, Shri. Subhash Shirodkar today laid the foundation stone for the water pipeline at Bailpar Bandhara at VP Kasarwada, Pernem .

The 115 MLD water project will cater to the water needs for the people of entire Pernem taluka and the estimated cost of the project is Rs 25 crores.

Pernem MLA, Shri Pravin Arlekar, Mandrem MLA, Shri. Jit Arolkar, Mandrem EX.MLA, Shri Dayanand Sopte, Panch Members VP Kasarwada & WRD officers were present on the occasion.

Chief Minister, Dr Pramod Sawant performed Puja of Kadamba Bus GDS 1 on Its 42nd Anniversary Celebration on the occasion of Dussehra at a function organized by Kadamba Transport Corporation limited (KTC) at K.T.C Bus Terminus, Panaji today.

Minister for Transport, Shri Mauvin Godinho also performed Puja of Electric Bus on the occasion.

The Chief Minister speaking on the occasion greeted the people on the auspicious occasion of Dussehra and appreciated the KTCL staff for giving their devoted services. For the last 42 years KTC has been providing regular service to remote areas of the State despite being in loss. KTC is working with great zeal, he added. CM assured people to improve the transport services by providing modern electric buses with the aim to make the state pollution free and urged people to maintain.

The Chief Minister further briefing about the Prime Minister’s Gati Shakti Platform – the National Master Plan for Multi-model Connectivity said Goa will play a major role in Gati Shakti which will also help in providing various job opportunities to the people of Goa and one step towards making Navbharat.

Minister for Transport, Shri Mauvin Godinho asserting that transportation plays a major role in the development of the State reiterated Government’s continuous efforts in providing Electrical buses to make our State pollution free. He further said taking into consideration that the tourist’s footfalls will increase once Mopa Airport is made operational, Transport Department has decided to come up with a Digital App which will provide transportation, taxi, busses, bike facility etc. at cheap rates and easy mobility across the State. More efforts are underway to generate revenue through Bus Advertisements and Courier parcels rather than by increasing passenger fare, he added.

Chairman of KRCL, Goa, Shri Ulhas Y. Tuenkar also spoke on the occasion.

Best performance employees of KTC and Meritorious children of employees of the corporation were felicitated on the occasion.  Special award was given to Shri Piyush Raut from Akola Maharashtra for making a miniature of Kadamba bus.

Chairman of KRCL, Goa, Shri Ulhas Y. Tuenkar; Board of Director, Smt. Ujwala Naik; Managing Director, Shri Derrick Pereira Neto; Shri Sanjay Ghate, General Manager; Director of Transport, Rajan Satardekar was among those present on the occasion.

A souvenir of KTC was also released on the occasion.

Managing Director, Shri Derrick Pereira Neto welcomed the gathering while Shri Dhananjay Mone and Shri Francisco Fernandes compered the function.

Golf is an Olympic discipline & there are 06 medals to win at Olympics. In Goa, we require at least one Golf Course says Roque Dias former ED,SAI & Dy.Director General,CWG,2010, who was handling the Central Golf Project, in Delhi.

For a start, we require at least one 18-hole Golf Course & Driving Range – for which an area of over 120 acres is required, for hosting an international Golf Championship, so as to promote Goan Golfer & even to attract domestic as well as international tourists, besides grass root training & Golf for leisure elderly persons & enormous employment for Goans.

Interestingly, Golf courses usually have a Golf club & restaurant or cafe facilities. The Golf course can be developed under BOT (Built, Operate & Transfer). The Goan Golf enthusiastic ought to come forward to form Goa Golf Association & register with the state Government, & then subsequently convert into Goa Golf Gymkhana. Further, they can demand for a requisite place with the support of apex body–Indian Golf Union & in collaboration with the state Govt. for an 18-hole Golf facility, which includes bodies of water, hard structures & out-of-play areas.

Goan Corporates including big Hotels should come forward to support this Discipline. The Golf course even can be built without Resort/5-star Hotel, which mean against TCP proposed plan. Interestingly, Delhi Golf Club employed 560 staff for the smooth running of the Club, & Goa can generate similar employment.

Two decades back Goa & North-East states were considered as backward in Sports & today North-East are medal winners in Olympics and Goa lagged behind and only thing achieved is rampant influx outsiders in Goa.

Instead of people protesting on Roads, Eminent NGOs like Claude Alvares & others should support Golf discipline for development of sports so as to promote promising Goan Golfers to represent India in Olympics.

Further, some plans to combat the environmental impact of creating the Golf course, adequate water supplies, replanting of trees etc.

The Ministry of Women and Child Development, New Delhi has been celebrating Women’s Day every year by facilitating eminent women with a National award called ‘‘Nari Shakti Puraskar’’. The awards will be awarded  on March 8, 2023 on the occasion of International women’s day.            .
Directorate of Women Child development has invited applications for Nari Shakti Award. Nominations for the awards will be received only through a designated website i.e. www.awards.gov.in. The link of the website will also be available on the official website of the Ministry of Women and Child Development  www.wcd.nic.in applications received other than online mode will not be entertained. The portal will be opened from July 1 to October31 of every calendar year.

 The awards are open to all individuals, the applicant should not be  in receipt of the same award earlier (including Stree Shakti Puruskar as were awarded by the Ministry earlier). The Nari Shakti Puraskar may be awarded for outstanding work, preferably in exceptional circumstances to individuals in the areas of economic and social empowerment of women or pertaining to this theme or incidental thereto. An award may also be given to a State or Union Territory, which is appreciably improved Child Sex Ratio (CSR). Normally the award shall not be presented posthumously; excepting in case where death occurred subsequently to a proposal having been submitted to the Ministry in the manner as stipulated in these guidelines.

The applicants must be at least 25 years of age on July 1,of the award year (e.g. for the year 2021 awards to be distributed on March 8,2022, the age should be as on July 1,2021 and so on.

Each Award carries a cash prize `2.00 lakh  and a citation. The nomination would be submitted to the Ministry of Women and Child Development with details as per online application form along with supporting documents as mentioned in the application form. Applicants received by the due  date will be sent to the State./UT and District Collector/District Magistrate, other government/appropriate agencies/organizations for verification of the claims and achievements mentioned in the applications.

The Department of Mines and Geology has informed that as per rule 47 of the Goa Minor Minerals Concession Rules 1985, valid permit is required to be obtained from the Directorate of Mines and Geology to bring minor minerals to Goa from other States. For this purpose, the system of issuing online permits has gone live for which applicants need to visit the official website of the Directorate of Mines and Geology ( https://dmg.goa.gov.in ). The Directorate had also issued public notice in the newspapers dated September 24, 2022.

To obtain an online permit, applicants first need to register the vehicle proposed to be used for transportation of minor minerals to Goa from other States and then fill the format available online, upload necessary documents and make payment online and submit the application.

The Directorate will process the application online and issue permits to those applicants compliant to the procedure within 24 hours excluding Saturdays, Sundays and Public holidays. The applicants will get a message on their mobile and also on their email regarding approval granted for their application so that they will be able to download the permit issued. A copy of the permit will also go to the Directorate of Transport on their email id. Further the Directorate of Transport will also get a daily list of permits granted every day.

The present manual system of issuing permits at the check posts by the designated Inspecting Officers of Directorate of Transport will be discontinued.

From now on only online permits are valid.

However, the Inspecting Officers of Directorate of Transport at the check posts shall continue to exercise their powers and allow only those vehicles having valid permits issued by this Directorate.