Panaji , June 15,  2017 … The Government is implementing a scheme titled “Merit Based Award for SC Students”. The objective of the scheme is to motivate students by giving merit based award based on the benchmark of the performance and to provide financial incentive to high performing students who are economically weak. The scheme is implemented through the Directorate of Social Welfare.

          Applications are invited from Scheduled Caste students who has passed Xth and XIIth March 2017 exam and who fulfill eligibility criteria such as students securing marks in the range (between 50% to 59.99%) will be given a financial award of Rs. 5,000/-, students securing marks in the range (between 60% to 69.99%) will be given a financial award of Rs. 8,000), students securing marks in the range (between 70& to 74.99%) will be given a financial award of Rs. 10,000/-and students securing 75% marks and above will be given a financial award of Rs. 15,000.

          Under the scheme, the annual family income of scheduled caste students shall not exceed Rs.2 Lakhs, amongst schedule caste students first five rank holders of SSC, first five rank holders of HSSC board exams (separately for all the streams of Science, Commerce, Arts and Vocational) will be felicitated in public function.

          The eligible applicant should submit the application by July 31, 2017 in the office of the Directorate of Social Welfare, Panaji.

          For further inquiry contact Assistant Director (SC/OBC),Te;.No,                 0832-2232257,2223784,FaxNo.(0832-2228172), email:socialwelfaregoa@rediffimail.com.

 June 14, 2017 … The term of office of Shri Pranab Mukherjee, President of India,  is ending on 24^th July, 2017.   As per Article 62 of the Constitution,  an election to fill the vacancy caused by the expiration of the term of office of the outgoing President is required to be completed before the expiration of  the term.  The law provides that the notification for election shall be issued on or after  the sixtieth day before the expiry of term of office of the outgoing President.

 Article 324 of the Constitution read with the Presidential and Vice – Presidential Elections Act, 1952, and the Presidential and Vice – Presidential Elections Rules, 1974 vests the superintendence, direction and control of the conduct of election to the office of the President of India in the Election Commission of India.  The Election Commission is mandated to ensure  that the election to the office of the President of India, which is the highest elective office in the nation, must be a free and fair election and the Commission is taking all necessary steps for discharging its constitutional responsibility. 

  The President is elected by the members of the Electoral College consisting of:            (I)        elected members of both Houses of Parliament, and (II)       elected members of the Legislative Assemblies of all States including National Capital Territory of Delhi and the Union Territory of Puducherry.

            Article 55 (3) of the Constitution provides that the election shall be held in accordance with the System of Proportional Representation by means of single transferable vote and the voting at such election shall be by secret ballot.  In this system, the elector has to mark preferences against the names of the candidates. Preference can be marked in the international form of Indian numerals, in Roman form, or in the form in any  recognised Indian languages. Preference has to be marked in figures only. The elector can mark as many preference as the number of candidates. While the marking of the first preference is compulsory for the ballot paper to be valid, other preferences are optional.

  For marking the vote, the Commission will supply particular pens. This pen will be given to the electors  in the polling station by the designated official when the ballot paper is handed over. Electors have to mark the ballot only with this particular pen and not with any other pen. Voting by using any other pen may lead to invalidation of the vote at the time of counting, under Rule 31(1) (d) of the Presidential and Vice-Presidential Elections Rules, 1974

The Election Commission, in consultation with the Central Government,  appoints the Secretary General of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, by rotation, as the Returning Officer. Accordingly, the Secretary General, Lok Sabha will be appointed as the Returning Officer for the present election.  Poll for the election will be taken in the Parliament House and in the premises of the State Legislative Assemblies, including the Legislative Assemblies of NCT of Delhi and Puducherry.  The Commission has also decided to appoint Assistant Returning Officers in all State Capitals, including NCT of Delhi and Union Territory of Puducherry, for making arrangements for conducting the poll and for transportation of the ballot boxes and other important documents to and from the Election Commission.  For meeting any eventuality in case the Assistant Returning Officer is not available for any reason, a second Assistant Returning Officer is also being appointed.

The Assistant Returning Officers appointed for Goa State are Shri N.B. Subhedar, Secretary, Goa Legislature Secretariat and Mrs. Namrata Ulman, Joint Secretary, Goa Legislature Secretariat.

 The Chief Electoral Officers of each State including NCT of Delhi and UT of Puducherry shall supervise and coordinate with the Assistant Returning Officers for the conduct of poll at the respective State Capitals and matters such as transport of the ballot boxes and other important documents from the Election Commission to the respective State Capitals and back to New Delhi after the poll.

            Normally, members of Parliament are expected to cast their votes at the Place pf Poll in the Parliament House, New Delhi, and members of State Legislative Assemblies are expected to vote at the respective State Capital.  However, on account of any exigency or special circumstances, the Members of Parliament can vote in any of the polling stations in the State capital/Delhi/Puducherry.  Similarly, any MLA  may vote at New Delhi instead of voting in the  respective State Capital.  For this purpose, the MPs/MLAs concerned have to apply in advance to the Election Commission in the prescribed format so as to reach the Election Commission at least 10 days before the date of poll. The format for making such application will be available with the Returning Officer and with the Assistant Returning Officers.

The Constitution has expressly provided that election to the office of President shall be by secret ballot.  Therefore, the electors are expected to scrupulously maintain secrecy of vote.  There is no concept of  open voting  at this election and showing the ballot to anyone under any circumstances in the case of Presidential and Vice Presidential elections is totally prohibited. Voting procedure laid down in the 1974 Rules provides that after marking the vote in the Voting Compartment, the elector is required to fold the ballot paper and insert it in the Ballot Box. Any violation of the voting procedure will entail cancellation of the ballot paper by the Presiding Officer. As already mentioned in paragraph 4, marking of vote can be done only with the particular pen supplied to the electors in the polling station.

  In this connection, it is also clarified that political parties cannot issue any whip to their MPs and MLAs in the matter of voting in the Presidential election. It is also clarified that as per Section 18 of the Presidential and Vice-Presidential Elections Act, 1952,  the offence of ‘bribery’ or ‘undue influence’ as defined in Sections 171B and 171C of IPC,  by the  returned candidate or any person with the consent of the returned candidate are among the grounds on which the election can be declared void by the Hon’ble supreme Court in an Election Petition.

Counting of votes will be held in New Delhi under the supervision of the Returning Officer. On completion of counting, Return of Election ( in Form 7 appended to the  Presidential and Vice-Presidential Elections  Rules, 1974) will be signed and issued by the Returning Officer declaring the candidate who secures the quota elected. Formal announcement of election of the President will be made by the Commission.

Panaji, June 13,  2017 …  Home Department has made arrangement of the Kadamba Bus bearing No. GA-03-X-0353 which will be parked near “HUTATMA CHOWK” Mapusa at 7.45 a.m. on June 18, 2017. The bus will collect the freedom fighters from Mapusa and proceed to Panaji to attend the Goa Revolution Day function at Azad Maidan, at 8.45 a.m.

After the function at Azad Maidan, Panaji, the following buses, GA-03-X-0353 and GA-03-X-0415  parked near ferry wharf, Panaji will proceed to Aguada Fort .

After the function at Aguada Fort, both the buses will return to Azad Bhavan at Porvorim for get together of Freedom Fighters.

Panaji, June 12,  2017 … The applications in the prescribed forms are invited from the Teachers throughout Goa for Grant of Financial Assistance under the scheme of “Support for Professional Education of children of School Teachers for the year 2014-15”. They are requested to furnish the filled application forms through the Head of the Institution, and in case of Government Primary/Middle School Teachers the same may be forwarded through the respective Taluka A.D.E.I.’s. The aforesaid application forms and guidelines are available at A.D.E.I’S and Zonal Offices .

The last date to submit application form to Adm. III Section, Directorate of Education, Porvorim-Goa is july 21, 2017. The applications received beyond due date will not be accepted.

Panaji, June 11,  2017 … Commissioner of Commercial Taxes invited attention of those registered dealers who have not collected sealed envelopes containing GST login credentials from the Ward officers are requested to collect the same immediately from the respective Ward Offices and complete the pre-registration process on the GST Portal.

In case of dealers, who have been issued login credentials but are not willing to take pre-registration are requested to inform the same to the respective Ward Office.The dealers, who have not yet received the GST login credentials , should get in touch with the respective  Ward Office immediately.

Commissioner also informed that Pre-Registration Window will close on June 15, 2017. For further assistance contact helpdesk at respective Ward Office and also  read FAQ available on websitewww.goacomtax.gov.in for pre-registration.

Panaji, June 10,  2017 …. shri Daulat Hawaldar IAS, Secretary Art and Culture  inaugurated the  Chitrankan-Contemporary painter’s camp organised by the Department of Art and Culture, Government of Goa in joint collaboration with West Zone Cultural Centre, Udaipur on  June 5, 2017 at the Chitrakala Studio of Sanskruti Bhavan, Patto, Panaji.

Fifteen artists from different parts of India are participating for ten days camp along with two Goan artists includes  Dr. Abhinav Gupta and Shri Sunil Kumar Singh from Allahabad, Shri Chandra Shekhar Tadekar and Prof. Promod Babu Ramtake from Nagpur, Shri Dinesh Kumar Ram from Patiala, Shri Anurag Mehta, Shri Mandeep Sharma, Miss. Parmar Purvi H. and Miss. Vhora Minaz from Udaipur, Shri Balasubranian Kuppuswamy and Shri Ayyanthole Sekar from Thanjavur, Shri T. Yanger Ozukum & Shri Neivotuo Keyho from Dimapur and Smt. Nipura Naik and Smt. Shilpa P. Naik from Goa.

 The concluding function of the ten days camp will be held on  June 14, 2017 at 11.30 a.m. at Sanskruti Bhavan, Patto, Panaji.

Panaji, June 9,  2017 … The Goa Human Resource Development Corporation (GHRDC) awarded a commendation certificate and a cash award to assistant security supervisor Shri Gauresh Velip for showing presence of mind and devotion to duty while performing  his security duties at Primary Health Centre (PHC), Balli. He averted the theft of a Bolero Vehicle the property of PHC, Balli on January 6, 2017 at 2.45 am thus protecting Government property. Showing presence of mind on hearing some noise at night he alone walked to the site and thwarted the attempt to steal a Government vehicle.

Mr. MD Phal, Managing Director and Lt Col Austin Collaco, General Manager (Security) and others were present during the presentation of the Award ceremony.

 Panaji, June 8,  2017 … According to Registrar of Co-op. Societies, thirteen societies namely Shree Ganesh Galwada Self Help Group Co-op. Society Ltd Galwada, Priol, Mardol-Ponda-Goa, Sahara Nagamasjid SHG Coop. Society. Ltd Nagamasjid, Curti, Ponda-Goa, Madina Nagamasjid SHG Coop. Society Ltd, Nagamasjid, Curti, Ponda-Goa, Pandharinath Coop. Housing Maintenance Society Ltd Mestabhat-Merces, Sadhna Multipurpose Coop. Sty Ltd Cavrem Quepem, Shalom Apts Coop. Housing Maint.Society Ltd New Vaddem Vasco da Gama, Micon Legacy Coop. Housing Maint. Society Ltd Ambhaji, Fatorda- Margao, The Krupa Sindhu Coop. Housing Society Ltd, Raghunath Coconut Lagoon Coop. Housing Maint. Society Ltd Nuvem Salcete, Nav Ashirwad Coop. Housing Maint. Society ltd. Vasco, The Aquem Plaza Coop. Housing Maint. Society Ltd Aquem Baixa, Navelim, Salcete -Goa, Mahalaxmi SHG Coop.Society Ltd Gogal Margao and the Om SHG Coop. Society Ltd Gogal Margao have been registered and also audited 32 Co-op Societies during the month of April 2017.

Goa State Coop. Milk Producers Union Ltd., Curti, Ponda has procured 19,13442.0. litres  of milk from local and 3, 73126.0 litres of  milk from outside state during  April 2017