December 24, 2014 … Chief Minister Shri Laxmikant Parsekar has extended his warm greetings to Christian brethren and all Goans on the occasion of Christmas.

 In a message, the Chief Minister stated that Jesus Christ’s message of universal love and peace is relevant for all ages and generations. As the whole world erupts into joy and celebration on the occasion of Christmas, it is time for us to rise above narrow considerations of jealousy and hatred so as to live in peace and harmony.

 Chief Minister Shri Laxmikant Parsekar hoped that Christmas would serve as a source of eternal inspiration taking India and the state of Goa in the direction of further progress & prosperity.

23/12/2014 ….National Young Leaders Programme (NYLP):

1.1       In pursuance to the Budget announcement, a new Central Sector Scheme, namely, ‘National Young Leaders Programme (NYLP)’ has been formulated a view to develop leadership qualities among the youth to enable them to realise their full potential and in the process, to contribute to the nation-building process. The Scheme has the following 5 components, namely, 

a)      Neighbourhood Youth Parliament: The platform of 2.74 lakh village-based youth clubs of NYKS will be developed in the shape of vibrant ‘neighbourhood youth parliament’ to educate the youth club members about contemporary socio-economic development issues and to involve them in debate/ discussions on such issues.

b)      Youth for Development Programme: To channelise the immense youth energy towards the nation-building, by involving them in Shramadaan (voluntary labour) on a large-scale all over the country.

c)      National Young Leaders Awards: To motivate the youth to strive for excellence in their respective fields by recognising and rewarding the outstanding work done by them.

d)      National Youth Advisory Council: to seek active involvement of the youth leaders as well as other stakeholders in the decision-making process on the youth related issues.

e)      National Youth Development Fund:  To mobilise funds for youth development from non-Government sources like CSR funds.

1.2       The total outlay of the Scheme during the 12^th Plan Period works out to Rs.274.61 crores. The Scheme was considered by SFC on 12.11.2014 and recommended for implementation. Thereafter, necessary approval of the competent authority has been obtained for introduction of the Scheme. Steps are now being initiated for implementation of the Scheme.

2.         Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan (NYKS): 

NYKS, with about 8 million youth enrolled through 2.77 lakh youth clubs, has been working all over the Country to develop the personality of the youth and to engage them in nation-building activities. Some significant initiatives/ achievements of NYKS are as follows:  

§         56.62 lakh saplings were planted by NYKS volunteers.

§         66,740 units of blood was donated by NYKS volunteers.

§         3,383 skill upgradation training programmes were organised, involving 57,647 women youth.

§         34,303 youth have been sponsored for various skill development trainings.

§         1,114 training programmes on youth leadership and community development were organised, involving 43,224 youth.

§         1,915 theme-based awareness and education programmes were organised, involving 1,54,565 youth.

§         91 Youth Club Development Programmes organised, involving 8,378 youth.

§         20,407 youth clubs were provided with sports material and 250 Inter Youth Club Sports Meets were organised.

§         48 Programmes organised for promotion of folk arts and culture, involving 19,597 youth.

§         4,316 Programmes held to celebrate days of national and international significance, involving 4,28,388 youth.

§         35 District Youth Conventions and Yuva Kriti Programmes organised, involving 6,319 youth.

§         100 adventure camps were organised, involving 2,600 youth.

§         5 National Integration Camps were organised, with participation of 950 youth.

§         115 Life Skill Education Camps organised with participation of 4,880 youth.

§         Under Adolescent Heath and Development Project, 1,856 Teen Clubs formed with 27,840 members and activities started in 1,856 villages.

§         Punarjagaran (Rejuvenation) – a year-long awakening movement among youth to involve them in nation-building activities, directly covering 100 Districts, launched 02.10.2014; the Programme to culminate at Mathura, the birth place of Shri Deen Dayal Upadhyay, on his birth anniversary on 25.09.2015, with youth convention involving about 10,000 youth.

3.         National Service Scheme (NSS):

NSS, with about 3.3 million student youth enrolled through 336 Universities, 15,908 Colleges/ Technical Institutions and 11,809 Senior Secondary Schools across the country, has been working for development of personality and character of student youth through voluntary community service. Some significant initiatives/ achievements of NSS during are as follows:

§         25.20 lakh saplings were planted by NSS volunteers.

§         2,70,570 units of blood was donated by NSS volunteers.

§         3 North East NSS Youth Festivals were organised in Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Manipur, involving 950 youth.

§         A pan-India Shramadaan Programme has been launched.

§         Under Swachh Bharat Mission, more that 120 awareness rallies organised in various parts of the Country, 110 toilets for poor people constructed by NSS volunteers and cleaning of Gomti and Sabarmati rivers and other water bodies taken up.

§         36 Adventure Camps organised, involving 1,070 NSS volunteers.

§         An NSS Mega Camp organised in Rajsthan involving 400 NSS volunteers from different parts of the Country.

4.         Rajiv Gandhi National Institute of Youth Development (RGNIYD):

RGNIYD, located at Sriperimbudur (Tamilnadu), is a premier institution for training, research, extension and outreach initiatives on youth issues. RGNIYD has been declared as an “Institute of National Importance” through enactment of RGNIYD Act, 2012. Some significant initiatives/ achievements of RGNIYD are as follows:

§         33 Training of Trainers Programmes were conducted, involving 1,580 Master Trainers, on various subject including youth employability skills, social entrepreneurship, Gender equity, life skills and livelihood skills, disaster preparedness and risk reduction, entrepreneurship and livelihood issues, youth leadership and personality development, social harmony and national unity.

§         35 Capacity Building/ Orientation Programmes covering 3,478 youth and youth functionaries were conducted.

§         10 National and Regional Workshops on various themes held involving 605 participants.

§         A new Youth-led Development Outreach Programme has been launched, to cater to the youth in tier-2 and tier-3 cities, through 250 colleges.

§         A new Department of tribal and north east youth development has been set up to focus on development of tribal youth and the youth from North East Regions.

§         SAARC Youth Leadership Summit for national and international youth leaders organised at Chandigarh.

5.         International Cooperation:

The Department seeks to operate international youth exchange programmes with various countries to develop international perspective among the youth and also to collaborate with various international agencies on youth development. Some significant achivements are as follows:

§         5-member Indian Youth Delegation visited Sydney (Australia) to participate in the Y-20 Summit held during 12-15 July, 2014.

§         20-member Indian Youth Delegation visited South Korea during 07-16 August, 2014.  In turn, 20-member South Korean Youth Delegation visited India during 16-25 September, 2014.

§         100-member Chinese Youth Delegation visited India during 11-19 September, 2014. In turn, 100-member Indian Youth Delegation visited China from 25^th November, 2014 to 2^nd October, 2014.

§         100-member Bangladeshi Youth Delegation visited India during 13-20 October, 2014.

§         A Project on “Strengthening of NYKS and NSS”, jointly developed with UNDP/ UNV, has been approved by Ministry of Finance for implementation. The Project will be implemented over 4-year period from 2014 to 2017 at a total cost of about Rs.14 crores.

Panaji, Dec. 20, 2014 ….  The Deputy Chief Minister Shri Francis D’Souza presented the certificates and Medical Emergency Equipments to the Home Nursing Students who have successfully completed  the basic home nursing and medical emergency course at a function recently held in  the city

The three month duration course on the basic home nursing and medical emergency course was organized under the auspices of  the Indian Red Cross Society, Goa  to impart training of Para-medical  services. All together 22 students participated in the training.

  Speaking on the occasion the Deputy Chief Minister,  Shri Francis D’Souza  congratulated the participants of par- medical course and told them to provide their services with dedication  to the needy in the society.  He mentioned that there  are  many needy people who  are  not getting proper   health  care services on time.

 Speaking further Shri D’Soza complimented the  Indian Red Cross Society, Goa for its community welfare activities such as  blood donation drive, first aid courses and  other related activities for the   betterment of the society.

 The Dy. Chief Minister honoured to Sister Meena Baross for her selfless  health  services . He also administered “Swaacha Bharat “ pledge  on the occasion.

 Dr. Avinash Dhakankar, Hon. Chief Medical Officer  who coordinated   the para-medical course  explained the idea behind conducting  basic home nursing and medical emergency course  He urged the  students to  provide their health care services to the needy.

 Ms. Diksha Chodankar also spoke on the occasion.

  Shri Gaurish M. Dhond, Hon. Chairman of IRCS Goa  who welcomed the gathering also reviewed the activities of Indian Red Cross Socity and sought cooperation from the people in this regard.

 Shri Mario Pinto De Santana, Hon. Treasurer proposed the vote of thanks. Ms. Suvarna  Fonseca compered the function.

 Shri Mangurish Pai Raikar,  Shri Gangaram Morajkar, Smt. Maya  Bhatkar  and other committee members were present on the occasion.

December 19, 2014 ….The Chief Minister Shri Laxmikant Parsekar has extended his warm greetings and best wishes to the people of Goa on the occasion of Goa Liberation Day.

        The Chief Minister stated that Liberation Day is a joyous occasion when all Goans can recall with pride, enthusiasm and satisfaction the many very-significant achievements made by the State during the past years. It is also a day to remember the sacrifices made by our freedom fighters in making us a part of this democracy. 

Let us therefore renew our thoughts and re-direct our efforts to achieve much greater progress. Goa has immense potential to become a highly developed State. Goans are highly educated, intelligent and enterprising people who are receptive to progressive ideas and meaningful innovations in the governance system and public life.

The Chief Minister appealed to the people of Goa to continue to maintain and foster peace, communal harmony, friendship, co-operation and strive for heightened progress and development in accordance with our national priorities and objectives.

        The Chief Minister wished Goans for their personal well-being, happiness, growth and progress.

Panaji: December 19, 2014 …. Governor of Goa, Smt Mridula Sinha has extended her greetings and best wishes to the people of Goa on the occasion of the Liberation Day of Goa.

 The Governor in her message has said, 19^th December is a landmark occasion in the glorious history of Goa. It was on this day in the year 1961, that the territory of Goa was liberated from the 450 years’ old Portuguese colonial rule, thereby making it as an integral part of our Motherland. Freedom fighters from Goa and other parts of the country took part in this historic Goa Liberation Movement.

They suffered and sacrificed their precious lives for the noble cause of Goa’s liberation. The Indian Army, with their commendable courage and heroism, physically took over the control of the territory.

It is only appropriate that, on this memorable day, we recall the tremendous efforts made by our freedom fighters, their struggle, sufferings and sacrifices, and also the victorious action of the Army and express our gratitude to them. Let us pay homage to those who laid down their valuable life for the territory’s freedom.

 Following liberation from colonial rule, Goa joined the national mainstream in the all round progress. During the last 53 years of freedom, Goa has transformed into a highly progressive and promising State in our Country.

The achievements of the State in the Political, economic, social and cultural spheres have been truly noteworthy. 

The Governor said that credit goes to the Goan people for their progressive approach, peaceful living, adherence to democratic values, and their urge and ambition to take their State to greater heights of development. I have no doubt that the people of Goa, with their enterprising spirit, determination and receptiveness to many new ideas to further improve the quality of life, will take their State to still greater heights of socio-economic progress and prosperity.

 She said that, in pursuance of our national priorities and objectives, Goa continues to keep pace with the march of progress. While the past achievements have been spectacular, we need to refresh and renew our mission to achieve  higher growth of the economy and bring about qualitative improvement  in the life of the common people.

When we expect democracy to function as the “Government of the People, for the people and by the people”. I would like to remind my fellow citizens, that equally a great responsibility is cast on themselves to shape the future of their own State and the nation as a whole, and this is the inescapable truth of a democratic system. 

The Governor exuded confidenence that the people of Goa will not fall short of these expectations in giving their very best to the State and the country.  She  therefore, has  appealed to the people of Goa, on this auspicious occasion, to rededicate themselves to the highest ideals of democracy  and all-round progress of their State and the Country. My best wishes will always be with  them in their efforts,  she added.

The Governor further stated that, this pristine State of Goa is endowed with rich and abundant natural resources, and that is basically the reason for its being one of the top tourist destinations in the world. The State has a glorious history and distinct culture.

It is my sincere plea to the people to see this precious natural and cultural heritage is protected and preserved to their own future benefit and interest. The Government is implementing many programmes and is also contemplating more progressive measures.

To ensure the effective and speedy implementation of these progressive programmes, is not only the responsibility of the administration, but also the people who would ultimately be reaping the benefits. It is also important that the benefits of the policies and programmes should permeate to the lowest rungs of the society, particularly the weaker sections.

The Governor said, during the last three and–a-half months of her  stay in Goa,  She has observed that there is tremendous enthusiasm among the people for the future development of their State. It should be our efforts to adopt a balanced approach to development, which would be environmentally sensitive and sustainable.

At the same time. I have also observed an unfortunate trend of increasing crimes against women and girl children in the state. This undesirable trend badly affects the image of the State and the country. Our law enforcement agencies should take serious note of this.

The people  should also make their contribution to address this serious problem which is threatening our social and cultural fabric. As Goa passes through a silent and positive revolution on the socio-economic front, let us also make  serious  efforts to protect and preserve the rich family, social and cultural values that we have inherited in our country for time immemorial. 

The Governor said, another problem which Goa is  facing  today is lack of cleanliness in various places. In this context, She said, Prime Minister, Shri Narendra  Modi, has nominated  her as one of the nine personalities to pursue the clean India Mission.

I have nominated  9  personalities for this purpose, out of which   4 are from Goa  itself. I have also constituted a 12- member committee to chalk out programme in this regard. I have been meeting and interacting with different sections of the Goan society in order to achieve the objectives. The Governor has appealed to fellow  citizens to extend their contribution to this important mission, in order to make our State the cleanest place in the country, which will bring credit to one and all.

Panjim, Dec 18 — The tourism ministry on Wednesday reviewed the on-going E-Visa and Visa-on- Arrival (VoA) facility launched at the Goa Airport at Dabolim, an exercise to strengthen the mechanisms and simplify the processes.

The meeting was held under the Chairmanship of Tourism Minister, Shri. Dilip Parulekar along with Tourism Director, Shri. Ameya Abhyankar and Managing Director of Goa Tourism Development Corporation, Shri. Nikhil Desai.

The Goa Airport Director K D Rao, Assistant Director and Chief Immigration Officer Aravind Kumar H Nair, President of the Travel and Tourism Association of Goa Francisco Bragansa, Members of TTAG Ralph D’Souza, Earnest Dias and Savio Messias and representatives from the FRRO department of the Goa Police were also present.

Minister for Tourism, Shri. Dilip Parulekar in a statement after the meeting said, “We held deliberations with representatives from the Goa airport, Travel and Tourism Association and stakeholders to get a feed back of the new facility introduced at the Goa airport. We want to ensure that all difficulties and hurdles pertaining to this new facility introduced at the airport are mitigated and solutions worked out and systems put in place as the tourism season is at its peak and international visitors to Goa will begin arriving in large numbers,” he explained.

Suggestions for additional counters to facilitate issue of the E-Visas and VoA, continuation of the Group Landing Permit system for the season, an official Porter Counter, Signages in foreign languages disseminating VoA and E-Visa data and payment of fees were some of the recommendations that were deliberated upon during the review meeting today.

The TTAG members drew the attention of the Goa airport officials on various issues pertaining to issue of E-Visas and Visas on Arrival (VoA) and made several suggestions that would simplify the process and expedite the issue of this facility to foreign nationals from the 43 countries who have been enlisted for benefit under this system.

During the review meeting observations were made that even though the VoA and E-Visa facility has just been introduced foreign nationals are availing of this benefit. The Goa airport officials disclosed that as on today 375 VoA have been issued.

The officials from the Goa airport pointed out that the system is working smoothly, all counters are manned at all times and there is no shortage of staff in handling the counters set up for facilitating issue of VoA at the airport.
The tourism ministry and the travel and tourism industry suggested that sign boards in the foreign languages of Russian, German and others in addition to English be prominently displayed with all data and information, fee structures be provided to passengers availing of the VoA at the airport.

Representatives from the travel and tour industry also suggested for continuation of the Group Landing Permits (GLP) until such time the awareness of the VoA facility is spread across the 43 countries enlisted by the Union Home Ministry.

It was also suggested that an official Porter Counter be set up at the airport Goa and the airport officials are to take forward the recommendations.

The TTAG President Francisco Bragansa said, “Whatever challenges are being faced at the Goa airport with regards to the E-Visa and VoA were thrashed out today at the meeting and we are optimistic that officials of Goa Tourism and Goa Airport at Dabolim will find appropriate solutions.”

December 17, 2014 …… The Ex-Servicemen and the ex-NCC Cadets Association paid homage to the martyrs who laid down their lives for the nation during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 and also paid tributes to Braveheart “Nirbhaya” on her death anniversary at a solemn candle lighting function held at  Azad Maidan on December 16.

Tourism Minister Shri Dilip Parulekar also attended the ceremony and paid tributes to the Jawans and braveheart Nirbhaya.

Shri Parulekar lauded the organizations for their efforts in cleaning the heart of Panjim and said that regular cleaning exercise are required so that awareness is created among the people not to litter the public places.

Maj. Nair  and Shri Mangiresh Pai Raikar also spoke on the occasion about significance of the day.

The day  marks military victory over Pakistan in 1971 during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, who were alliance of Bangladesh Mukti Bahini . The end of the war also resulted in the unilateral and unconditional surrender of the Pakistan Army and subsequent secession of East Pakistan into Bangladesh. On this day in 1971, the chief of the Pakistani forces, General Amir Abdullah Khan Niazi, along with 93,000 troops, surrendered to the allied forces consists of Indian Army and Mukti Bahini, led by General Jagjit Singh Aurora, of India in the Ramna Race Course, now Suhrawardy Udyan, in Dhaka after their defeat in the war. The anniversary of Vijay Divas is observed across India by paying tributes to the martyrs who laid down their lives for the nation.

The Department of Sainik Welfare and the Ex-NCC Cadets Association earlier took up a cleanliness driver at Azad Maidan as part of Swacch Bharat Nital Goem.

Secretary of Department of Sainik welfare Major Venugopal Nair, President of State Ex-Cadets NCC Association Shri Manguerish Pai Raikar, Past presdietn Adv. Avinash Bhosle, Secretary, Shri John Aguiar, Lt. Col. Austin Collaco, Shri Prabhad Mayekar, Adv. Ms. Harsha Naik ex-servicemen and others were present.