10/04/2015 … Benaulim mla caitano silva has condemned the remarks made by the one of the goa state bjp-mgp led Minister and and his wife over remarks against convent schools and has stated that it would better for such people not to send their kids on convent schools so that at least Catholics children could get a chance to study in catholic run schools.

Speaking to media reporter’s benaulim mla caitano silva said that since the concerned persons had commented on the convent culture it was better for non Catholics not to go in convent schools so that at least Catholics students could get a chance to go in catholic schools

Caitu said since there has been a tough competition to get admissions in Catholics schools if certain community concerned people do not want their kids to go in the Catholics schools then at least Christian children would study and become someone in life

Meanwhile aldona mla glen ticlo also commenting on the issue said that whoever had made the comment was absolutely ridiculous and did not agreed on it as bonding within all religions in the state was very strong

10/04/2015 …. Lifeguards serving on the beaches of Goa have rescued around eight persons at different locations along the coastline between April 3-6, 2015 when tourists thronged to the sandy shores of Goa during the long extended weekend gone-by.

• A total of 16 persons were rescued by lifeguards between March 31 to April 6, 2015
• Major rescue operation at Arambol beach – eight saved
• Other rescues between April 3-6 at different locations

Rescues were carried out at Cavellosim, Anjuna, Bogmalo, Vagator and Ashwem beach. Most of the rescue reports indicate that the tourists wading in the waters, failed to pay heed to warnings from lifeguards and ventured either too far or into no-swimming zones where they got caught in rip currents.

In two of the cases, the rescued victims needed medical attention and were rushed to the closest hospital and primary health centre and were discharged after being administered required treatment.

In all the cases the lifeguards manning the respective lifeguard towers lost no time in rushing to the rescue of those in distress and brought out the tourists safely back to shore.

In another major incident reported on March 31, 2015, eight tourists were rescued at Arambol beach where they were caught in rip currents.

The incident occurred at around 3.00 pm approximately 300-400 meters from Arambol tower. The group from Bangalore had waded into the waters to a distance of 25-30 meters seawards.

The lifeguard on duty had requested the tourists to shift to a safe zone, but they did not pay attention to the warnings and continued swimming at the same location.

After a while the eight of them ventured further seawards and were caught in a rip current which dragged them 40-50 meters seawards. The victims were unable to swim back to shore and gestured for help. Lifeguard Sunil observed the victims in distress and approached them with the rescue boards and tubes. He also relayed for help from the neighbouring towers.

A jet ski was pressed into operation as well. Four victims were secured onto rescue boards, one with the rescue tube and three by the Jet Ski. All victims were brought safely to shore with the help of the Jet Ski.

Two of the victims were administered oxygen and taken to the nearby Tuem CHC and later referred to the District hospital at Mapusa.

Lifeguard services in Goa are provided by the Department of Tourism, Govt. of Goa and operated by Drishti’s Surf Life Sacing Goa (SLSG) which keeps a close watch on the beaches from dawn to dusk, an exercise which has prevented deaths due to drowning on the shores of the State.

Panaji: April 09, 2015 …. Social and economic disparity between people and groups has been a subject which has been engaging the focused attention and deep concern of the  Hon’ble Governor, Smt. Mridula Sinha.  She has been taking positive steps to bring about changes in this regard.  Inequality and inequity, according to her, are stumbling blocks for the fuller development of human personality and social and national progress. 

It is in this background that the Hon’ble Governor, Smt. Mridula Sinha, has evolved a unique programme: ‘Sachchi Dosti’, which is meant to bridge the gap between students of public schools and students of private schools.  For the first time , this programme was organized at Raj Bhavan, on April 8, 2015 in co-ordination with the Directorate of Education, Goa.

At the above function, 20 Scheduled Tribe students (10 girls and 10 boys) from Government High School, Kundai, Ponda (which is in rural area and has more than 20% Scheduled Tribe students), and 20 students (10 girls and 10 booys) from St. Aloysius High School, Diwadi (Goa), were mixed with one from the Government and Private School, thereby creating twenty sets of buddy pairs. 

The Hon’ble Governor distributed “Sachhi Dosti” kits containing a diary, Raj Bhavan Post-cards, envelopes, pens, pencils and postage stamps.  They took oath of friendship and were asked to communicate with each other through Post-cards which were given to them.  The students exchanged telephone numbers and they have been advised to communicate between them once in a month. 

They were also advised to write diaries, and once in every month, the diaries will be shared in the presence of school teachers.  The Hon’ble Governor advised the children to maintain their friendship throughout their life.  They must meet once in 15 days at home or gardens and exchange pleasantries which will help in maintaining friendship.

The Hon’ble Governor in her speech at this function explained the existing inequality in status of the students studying in private schools and Government schools and stated that this concept was evolved by her to remove this social problem and create emotional and intellectual integration and a sense belonging among the students.

The Hon’ble Governor also gave her guidance to the students on the importance of cleanliness, both personal and environmental.  She distributed “Swachchata kits” to the students which contained items such as duster, nail-cutter, tooth brush, tooth paste, comb and soap. 

A Swachchata Pledge in Hindi and English was also given.   The Hon’ble Govenor advised the children that they should keep their body always clean and maintain cleanliness in all places at home and schools.  The children were also explained about how to dispose off the waste in a systematic manner. 

The Hon’ble Governor informed the children that when the children take due care to keep the houses clean and tidy, their parents will appreciate it.  The children were advised that they should adopt a habit to remove waste wherever they find and deposit it in the dustbin.

Panjim, 9th April 2015: Tourism infrastructure development projects worth s Rs.40 crore are set to be taken up by the Goa government in Pernem taluka giving a facelift to popular tourist locales namely Keri, Mandrem, Arambol and Morjim.

The Hon’ble Chief Minister of Goa, Shri. Laxmikant Parsekar, convened a meeting on Monday evening to chalk out plans for the mega tourism development projects proposed in Pernem Taluka.

The Minister for Tourism Shri.Dilip Parulekar, Goa Legislative Assembly Speaker Shri. Rajendra Arlekar and Chairman of Goa Tourism Development Corporation (GTDC) Shri. Nilesh Cabral and tourism officials were also present for the meeting held yesterday. Sarpanchas from the concerned village Panchayats were also part of the deliberations.

The tourism infrastructure development project in Pernem taluka entails providing toilets, changing rooms, lighting, pathways, illumination, cafeterias and more on beaches and other tourist spots which will help add more impetus on Goa Tourism’s endeavor to promote cultural and heritage tourism.

As reported recently, the beaches of Morjim, Mandrem, Arambol and Keri are most pristine and beautiful and were in need of a facelift. The infrastructure development projects will give a boost to these tourism locales which are also less crowded and commercialized but a hot spot for foreign tourists.

The Chief Minister Shri. Parsekar said, “The benefits of tourism will percolate to the villages of Pernem taluka and ensure sustained development of the tourism industry.”

The Minister for Tourism Shri. Parulekar said, “Pernem taluka has some of Goa’s popular beaches and the government is keen on developing these popular areas with infrastructure projects.”

The Chairman of Goa Tourism Development Corporation (GTDC) Shri. Nilesh Cabral said, “Goa Tourism and GTDC have been working tirelessly to augment infrastructure along the coastline and plans are being chalked out to do so through various coastal circuits. The areas of Morjim, Mandrem, Arambol and Keri draw tourists from far and wide for being picturesque and peaceful. The villagers of Pernem will also benefit from this project both directly and indirectly.”

The tourism ministry plans to take up areas of tourist importance in Bardez taluka next for infrastructure development.

Mumbai, 8th April.2015 …. A ferry service between Mumbai and Goa is to begin shortly. The chairman of Murmugao Port Trust, Shree Cyril C. George told a press conference in Mumbai recently, that the ferry service which will start in a few months will cater to the tourists commuting between Mumbai and Goa.

He also said that Mormugao Port Trust (MPT) has registered a sterling performance clocking a remarkable 25% growth during the just concluded financial year. In the process, MPT has also recorded the highest growth rate on a year on year basis, among all the 12 major ports in India.

This is a commendable achievement considering that the Port suffered massive downturn in the throughput following the ban on exports of iron ore from Goa. From a peak of 50.02 MMT handled during 2010-11, the Port faced fall of fortunes in 2013-14, when the total cargo throughput was reduced to 11.74 MMT.

Showing a great degree of resilience, the port has shown a resurgent growth by handling 14.71 million metric tons (MMT) cargo between April 2014 and March 2015, as against 11.74 MMT during the corresponding period in 2013-14. Out of the total throughput of 14.71 MMT, exports accounted for 3.33 MMT (23%) and Imports accounted for 11.38 MMT (77%).

Prior to the ban on iron ore mining, iron ore exports constituted a lion’s share (80%) in the port’s cargo profile. MPT has since staged a remarkable turnaround from being a mono-commodity port to being a multi-commodity port by adding a wide range of cargo to its kitty. Today, coal, coke, fertilizers, wood chips, steel products, granite, bauxite, petroleum and other chemicals figure prominently in its cargo profile and constitute 90% of total tonnage handled at the Port.

The port is slowly but steadily improving the container business and has registered an impressive overall growth of 28% by handling 24514 TEUs as against 19,176 containers during 2013-14. Of the total containers, 52% were imports (12818 TEUs) and 48 % were exports (11696TEUs).

During the year MPT saw a 31% increase in the vessel arrivals. A total of 519 vessels were handled at the port during the period 2014-15 as against 396 vessels during 2013-14.

Today much of Goa’s containeriesed trade moves by road and are exported/ imported through the Jawaharlal Nehru Port (JNPT) located close to Mumbai.

Goa continues to attract high end tourists from world over. During the financial year, the port hosted 26 high end luxury cruise ships carrying over 21084 tourists and 9894 crew. This is an increase of 44% in cruise traffic as compared to 18 cruise ships handled during the year 2013-14.

In order to further facilitate cruise tourism, the Port is now constructing an ultra-modern cruise terminal building at an estimated cost of Rs. 8.79 crores which is expected to be completed by December 2016. The terminal building will have all the modern facilities such as Cafeteria, Lounge, wi-fi connectivity, Foreign Exchange Counter, etc.

Backed by astute control on costs and riding on increased cargo throughput and income from estate rentals, MPT has also recorded an operating surplus of Rs. 30.22 crores against a loss of Rs.29.60 crores in 2013-14. The port reports an operating income of Rs.272.74 crores for 2014-15, an increase of 28.97% over the operating income of 2013-14. The operating expenditure has marginally increased by 0.6% to Rs.242.52 crores from Rs.241.07 crores during 2013-14.

 Panaji: April, 2015 … The Government observed “World Health Day” at a function held at Government Nursing Institute Bambolim recently.

Deputy Chief Minister Shri Francis D’Souza was the chief guest of the function. The function was organized by the Directorate of Health Services and theme for the programme being  “Food Safety.”

Shri DSouza while addressing at the gathering said that the climate of Goa is conducive for the growth of bacteria therefore utmost care of hygiene is required to be taken. Food safety is indispensable to safeguard our health. Cleanliness and personal hygiene is most essential to avoid food borne diseases he said.

Shri D’Souza speaking further appealed to the general public to undertake the measures of food safety and suggested to avoid eating food items sold on the streets.

Shri  Sanjiv Kadkade ,HOD IHM  Goa gave a power point presentation through which he enlightened the participants on  unsafe food which  leads to deterioration of our health and the measures that are required for food safety.

Dr. Sanjiv Dalvi, Director of Directorate of Health Services welcomed the guests.

Shri  Sanjiv Kadkade ,HOD Institute of Hotel Management  Goa and Ms Valentina D’ Souza, lecturer Institute of Hotel Management  Goa were the keynote speakers.

 Dr. Pradeep Naik, Dean Goa Medical College, Shri Roland Martins In charge Goa CAN, Dr. Jose D sa Dy. Director ( Public Health) Shri Salim Veljee Director of Food and Drugs Authority and various other faculty members of GMC, GNI attended the function.

Panaji, April, 2015 …To encourage creativity of the young children and to make summer vacation more enjoyable & fruitful, Goa Science Centre has organized a Creative Science Workshop from 20^th to 30^th April 2015 & 11^th to 21^st May 2015. The workshop will be conducted in four different disciplines such as Creative Science, Computer & Multimedia, Aeromodelling and Electronics.

In Creative Science Workshop, students will be trained in preparing functional scientific projects/kits based on the basic principles of science. Under the programme Computer & Multimedia students will learn basic fundamentals of computers, MS office, Photoshop, E-mail & Internet, exposure to multimedia Hardware & Software and in electronics students will have an opportunity to learn basics of electronics, soldering practice and making of electronics projects, whereas in Aero modeling students will be trained to make & fly gliders. Besides training workshops the highlights of this programme are, live science demonstrations, exciting quizzes, water rocket workshop & many more.

Panaji, april 2015 …. The Indian Navy, under the aegis of Flag Officer Commanding Goa Area,will be organising a Band Concert at Kala Academy, Panjim commencing 1800 hrs on 11 & 12 Apr 2015. The Naval Band will play under the direction of Commander VC D’Cruz, the Director of Music (Navy). Commander VC D’Cruz is a native of Goa.

The Indian Naval Band has regaled and enthralled audiences across the country, and around the globe. The musicians accompany Naval ships during goodwill visits to many foreign shores, to play in ensemble with the Bands of these foreign nations. The musicians of the Navy have, therefore, proved their mettle as good ambassaddors of the country.

Of special distinction for the Naval Band have been the International performances during the Queen’s Coronation in the UK, Expo-07 in Japan, the international Music Festival in France, Bicentenary celebrations of the Statue of Liberty, the Australian Bi-centennial celebrations, the President’s Fleet Review in the USA and the International Fleet Review in Australia.

Free passes for the Naval Band Concert may be collected from Kala Academy between 1000 hrs to 1700 h on 09 & 10 Apr 2015 on first come first serve basis.

Panjim,: Goa’s Tourism minister Shri Dilip Parulekar today welcomed the first official flight from Muscat to Goa by Oman Air which landed at Goa Airport, Dabolim recently

As many as 139 passengers were on board the official maiden voyage from the Middle East.

A large delegation of officials from Oman were on the flight to Goa and were greeted by Goa Tourism Minister and other officials. Shri Ameya Abhyankar – Director of Tourism was also present on the occasion.

Oman Air will operate four direct flights from Muscat to Goa every week which is part of their mega expansion plans for operations to India.

The national carrier of Oman first flew in on March 29, 2015 and had three trial flights to Goa followed by the official launch on monday.

Tourism minister of Goa, Shri. Dilip Parulekar said, “We are extremely enthralled by the response received for the direct flight to Goa and are confident that we will have flights landing in four times a week with full capacity.”

“Oman and Goa have a lot in common as far as tourism is concerned and Goa warmly welcomes visitors to the State to experience monsoon tourism, raindrop tourism, wellness tourism and a lot more,” Shri Parulekar said.

It also provides air travellers from India’s eastern coast opportunities to visit Oman and experience the country’s culture and hospitality.

The tourism minister today welcomed a large contingent of officials from Oman which consisted of the CEO of the Public Authority of Civil Aviation, H.E. Dr. Mohammed bin Nasser Al Zaabi, the CEO of Oman Airports Management Company, Mr. Said Al Zadjaly, the Ambassador of the Sultanate of Oman to India, H.E. Sheikh Hamed Bin Saif Al Rawahi and the CEO of Oman Air, Mr. Paul Gregorowitsch.

Other officials from Goa Tourism included Shri. Brijesh Manerkar – OSD Dept. of Tourism, Ms. Bernadetta De Souza – GTDC’s GM Admn Yogesh Naik GTDC’s (Manager Mktng)