Panaji, November 17, 2017 … Office of the Executive Engineer PWD-III (PHE-N), PWD has informed  that the Government has completed a new water supply scheme to supply water to the habitants of Kadamba Plateau viz. the construction of 2 sumps of 2000 m3 each and 2 overheads reservoir of 650 m3 each along with conveying main, feeder and distribution pipelines.

However due to work of 4 laning of National Highway at Kadamba Plateau, alignment of the conveying main has altered and the work of relaying has commenced. Also Opa Water Treatment Plant is being augmented by construction of a 27 MLD WTP and the same will be commissioned by May 2018.

After relaying of pipeline the water supply scheme to Kadamba Plateau is expected to be commissioned latest by June 2018 for public distribution of treated water as informed by the executive Engineer –III,  PWD.

Panaji, November 16, 2017 … Government of India has instituted the “Prime Minister’s Award for  Excellence in Public Administration” to acknowledge and recognize extraordinary and innovative work done by Districts and Central/State Government organizations. The Awards are presented by the Hon’ble Prime Minister on the occasion of Civil Services Day on April 21 every year.

The following priority programmes which have been identified for the Awards to be given on the next Civil Services Day on April 21, 2018 and  Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, Promoting Digital Payments, Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana – Urban and Rural, and Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana.

In addition two Awards will be given for innovation in the field of environment conservation disaster management, water conservation, energy, education and health, women and child centric initiatives, etc. Organizations of Central/ State Governments, as well as districts are eligible for PM’s Awards on innovations.

Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG) has developed a web portal for online registration of Districts for choosing priority programmes to compete for PM’s  Awards. The link (http://nceg.gov.in/login) of the portal is available on DARPG website (www.darpg.gov.in).

Government is keen to encourage a healthy competition among Districts for the awards which would go a long way in ensuring better service delivery for the citizens and good governance in the country. Each District has to choose at least one programme from the identified priority programmes. However, they may choose as many as they can from amongst the identified priority programmes, so that there can be wider participation.    

Panaji: November 15,2017 …. The Chief Minister Shri Manohar Parrikar has exhorted the students to develop themselves as well knowledgeable person with the help of modern devices of information and technology. The Government had implemented the Cyber Age scheme some years ago   with the intention to make our students well versed and more accessible to the knowledge of the modern world he added.  

Shri Parrikar was speaking as the Chief Guest at a Laptop distribution programme organized by the Directorate of Education in association with Info-tech Corporation of Goa Ltd. at Patto – Panaji today,  

Shri Parrikar further said that the students should strive to develop  rational attitude, a capacity to judge right and wrong and restrain themselves from becoming blind followers of internet and social media  like  whatsapp,  face book, twitter etc. He insisted upon the students to make proper use of the gadget for acquiring more and more knowledge to serve the purpose of the scheme, he reiterated.

Minister for Information & Technology Shri Rohan Khaunte while speaking said that the Government has re-implemented Cyber Age scheme under which 37000 students of 12^th Std. of last year and present will get the benefit. The Government he said have commenced distributing laptops to the students from here onwards.  He called upon them to become knowledge seekers with the proper use of  the device and serve the vary purpose of the scheme.

The educational institutions which received the benefit of this scheme includes Don Bosco Higher Secondary School, Mushtifund Higher Secondary School, Hedgewar Higher Secondary School, Peoples Higher Secondary School and Dhempo Higher  Secondary School etc.

Shri Siddharth Kuncalienkar, Chairman EDC, Shri Amey Abhyankar, Director Dept. of IT, Shri Ravi Zha, Managing Director ITG. and others attended the function.  

Shri Gajanan Bhat, Director of Education welcomed the gathering.  

November 15, 2017 … Special Drive for collection of Electoral Roll Information and enrollment of eligible citizens in the voters list w.r.t. 01/01/2018 shall commence from 15/11/2017 to 30/11/2017. During the period of Special Drive the BLOs of respective part/polling Station area shall be visiting each and every household within their part for collection of filled Form No. 6 alongwith all the relevant information and documents from the eligible but left out voters of earlier revisions.

Collection of mobile number, email IDs on a family wise format, GIS Coordinates, Collection of updated details of permanently shifted and dead voters for deletion, For correction of entries and replacement of damaged /mutilated EPIC, Collection of details of citizens becoming eligible on 01/01/2019, Collection of details of Overseas Indian Citizens.

During the said drive the citizens are requested to cooperate with BLOs and provide them necessary information so as to update the electoral roll information in the Electoral Roll. Electors may also give their feedback on the existing polling station and their suggestions on alternative buildings which would be more suitable as polling station.

For the information of the public, the BLO details are populated on the website of Chief Electoral Officer, Goa, www. ceogoa.nic.in. For any queries, citizens may call toll free no. 1950 during office hours.

Panaji: November 15, 2017 .. The Chief Electoral Officer,  Shri Kunal, IAS held a meeting with representatives of political parties as regards to the   Election  Commission  of  India’s  initiative on special drive  from  15/11/2O17  to 30/11/2O17 to  improve  the  health  of  Electoral  Rolls by  enrolling  all  eligible citizens  and deleting  the  dead/absentees/  shifted voters.

The booth  Level Officers  (BLOs),  will undertake  house  to  house  visits  to  collect  the  information during this period.

The representatives of the political parties were explained that the  objective  of  the  Special  Drive  was  to  maximize  registration  of  eligible electors, to  remove  entries  of dead  and  permanently  shifted  electors,  to  correct errors  in  the  electors  details  in  al1 languages  of  Electoral  Ro1ls,  obtaining family  details/ contact  details  etc to  provide  better  electoral  Services, to identify  overseas  Indian  electors/  un-enrolled  Indian  citizens  living  abroad  and to  obtain information  about  the  existing  Polling  Stations.

During  the  field  visits  BLOs will  prepare  a data  base  for  the  prospective electors,  who would become  eligible for  enrollment,  as  a voter  on  or  before  lst January, 2019.

The Collector &  DEO South  have  appealed  to the General public  to  avail  the  facility  of the  said  Special  Drive  by  cooperating with their  respective  BLOs  by correctly sharing  all  their  details.  Voters  are also  informed  that  services  being offered  under  Special  drive  are available  at online portal i.e.  NVSP http:/ /www.nvsp.in & on http: //eci.nic.in which can be  accessed  at a click  of a button.

November 14, 2017 … The Goa State Journalists Awards  will be presented on the occasion of National Press day, November 16, 2017. The selection was done under the Goa State Journalists Awards  Scheme by the Department of Information & Publicity, Government of Goa.

The Best Editor Award on National Integration and Communal Harmony has been bagged by Shri Paresh Prabhu, Editor  of Navprabha for his Editorial “Vishwallichi Muley”. The award in Rural reporting has been bagged by Shri Vivek Prabhu of Prudent Media for his TV report on Ambe Dhulay village.

The Award for Reporting in Public health and Hygiene has been bagged by Shri Shashwat Gupta Ray, Editor of Gomantak Times for his report, “ Listeria Occurrence more in shellfish than in fin fish. The award for  reporting with special reference to Women and Children/Social issues has been bagged by Shri Shamsunder Phadte of the Prudent for his report, “Kung-fu girl”.

In sports reporting Shri Anthony Marcus Mergulhao of the Times of India bagged the award for his Article, “Beginning of the end”. The award on reporting on Art and Culture has been bagged  by Shri Shashwat Gupta Ray, Editor of Gomantak Times for his article, “View the history of Indian Cinema through with  the lenses of past”. The award in Photo-journalism (Best Photograph of the year is bagged by Shri Ganesh Shetkar lensman of the Lokmat, for his picture about a differently abled tourist on a wheel chair on a beach.

The awards were finalised by the State awards screening committee headed by Shri Gurudas Sawal and comprising of members Shri Pramod Khandeparkar, Shri Satish Naik, Shri Willy Goes and Shri Gurunath Pai. Shri John Aguiar is the Member Secretary of the Committee.

Margao:  November 14, 2017 … The  Election  Commission  of  India  has  decided  to  conduct  a  Special  Drive from  15/11/2O17  to 30/11/2O17 to  improve  the  health  of  Electoral  Rolls by  enrolling  all  eligible citizens  and deleting  the  dead/absentees/  shifted voters.

The booth  Level Officers  (BLOs),  will undertake  house  to  house  visits  to  collect  the  information during this period.

The objective  of  the  Special  Drive  is  to  maximize  registration  of  eligible electors, to  remove  entries  of dead  and  permanently  shifted  electors,  to  correct errors  in  the  electors  details  in  al1 languages  of  Electoral  Ro1ls,  obtaining family  details/ contact  details  etc to  provide  better  electoral  Services, to identify  overseas  Indian  electors/  un-enrolled  Indian  citizens  living  abroad  and to  obtain information  about  the  existing  Polling  Stations.

During  the  field  visits  BLOs will  prepare  a data  base  for  the  prospective electors,  who would become  eligible for  enrollment,  as  a voter  on  or  before  lst January, 2019.

The Collector &  DEO South  have  appealed  to the General public  to  avail  the  facility  of the  said  Special  Drive  by  cooperating with their  respective  BLOs  by correctly sharing  all  their  details.  Voters  are also  informed  that  services  being offered  under  Special  drive  are available  at online portal i.e.  NVSP http:/ /www.nvsp.in & on http: //eci.nic.in which can be  accessed  at a click  of a button.

Panaji: November 14, 2017 … The media fraternity in Goa will observe the National Press Day on November 16. The theme of National Press Day for this year is “Challenges before Media”.

The day is observed every year to coincide with the foundation day of the Press Council of India (PCI).

Chief Minister Shri Manohar Parrikar will inaugurate the National Press Day celebrations at a function to be held at the Conference hall of  Institute Menezes Braganza Panaji on November 16 at 1100 hrs. Secretary to Information & Publicity, will be the guest of honour.

The Department of Information & Publicity, Government of Goa, in collaboration with the Goa Editors’ Guild, the Goa Union of Journalists, Photo Journalists Association-Goa, Electronic Media Journalists Association, Sports Journalists Association and South Goa Journalists Association will organise the event.

Shri Girish Kuber Chief Editor of Loksatta, Mumbai, will be the keynote speaker who will speak on the theme “Challenges before Media”.

Senior journalists Smt. Suhasani Prabhugaonkar, Shri Abdul rauf Beig and Shri Manguesh Borkar will be felicitated on the occasion for their contribution in Journalism field at the hands of Chief Minister.

Goa State Journalists Awards will be presented for the first time to Journalists in different categories. Awards for Goa State Photo Contest will also be presented on the occasion.

Margao: November 13, 2017 … Chief Minister, Shri Manohar Parrikar inaugurated Benaulim Branch of The Shiroda Urban Co-Op. Society Ltd. in presence of TCP Minister, Shri Vijay Sardessai; MLA, Shiroda and Director of Society, Shri. Subhash Shirodkar and Chairman, Shri Akbar Mulla today. This is the 15^th Branch of Society which is having its Head Office at Shiroda.

While speaking on the occasion Shri Parrikar congratulated the Society for opening its 15^th Branch in the State. Stressing that Co-operative Societies and Banks should have their prudent policy for disbursement of Loans, he said Societies should come forward for micro credited financing.

Speaking further he said garbage is not a big issue, but use of plastic multiplies it and makes a problem. Plastic is a main defaulter for creating garbage menace, he remarked.

Shri Sardessai wishing success to the branch said Shiroda Urban Society is a part of Co-operative movement which was started from a Village. Economic growth is very important in the society he added.

MLA, Shri Subhash Shirodkar also spoke on occasion. Shri Akbar Mulla welcomed. ZP Member (Benaulim), Smt. Maria Rebello; Ex MLA, Benaulim, Shri Benjamin Silva, Sarpanch, Panch members, Directors of Society and others were also present on the occasion.