News Analysis India

Tag: Goa government

  • BJP to meet governor, stake claim to form government in Goa on Monday

    By PTI

    PANAJI: The BJP will meet the Goa governor on Monday and stake a claim to form the next government, state unit resident Sadanand Shet Tanavade said on Sunday. The much-awaited BJP legislature party meeting will also be held on Monday to select the leader of the House, who will be the next chief minister.

    “BJP president JP Nadda has informed that the legislature party meeting would be held on Monday after which party leaders will meet Governor PS Sreedharan Pillai and stake a claim to form the next government,” Tanavade told a press conference.

    The legislature party meeting will begin at 4 pm on Monday. BJP’s observer Narendra Singh Tomar and co-observer L Murugan, Goa election in-charge Devendra Fadanavis, desk in-charge CT Ravi will attend the legislature party meeting, Tanavade said.

    He said the date of swearing-in of the new government would be decided after meeting the governor on Monday. In the recently-held elections in Goa, BJP won the majority by bagging 20 of the total 40 seats. Three Independents and two MLAs of the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) have already extended their support to BJP.

  • Goa government refuses permission for Sunburn event

    By PTI

    PANAJI: The Goa government on Wednesday said it will not grant permission to organise the 15th edition of the Sunburn EDM festival, slated to be held in December.

    “The state government has refused the permission to host the Sunburn festival in Goa. I have already signed the file refusing the permission,” Chief Minister Pramod Sawant told reporters after chairing a state cabinet meeting refusing to elaborate.

    The 15th edition of the Sunburn Festival was slated for December this year at Vagator with the organisers announcing that only ‘fully vaccinated’ participants will be allowed.

    Meanwhile, Goa Tourism Minister Manohar Ajgaonkar said it is the CM’s prerogative whether to refuse or allow permission to organise the Sunburn festival.

    “We have to respect the decision of the chief minister,” he said.

    Sunburn is a commercial electronic dance music festival held in India.

  • After Satya Pal Malik claims corruption in Goa government, AAP demands CM’s sacking

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: The AAP Tuesday demanded “immediate” removal of Pramod Sawant as Goa chief minister after the state’s former governor Satya Pal Malik alleged corruption in the government and claimed he was shifted to Meghalaya for raising the issue.

    Meghalaya Governor Satya Pal Malik told a TV news channel that there was corruption in government “in everything” when he was the governor of the state and that he was shifted to Meghalaya for raising the issue.

    The party also demanded a judicial probe into the allegations of corruption levelled by Malik, now the governor of Meghalaya, against the BJP government in Goa under Sawant.

    In an interview to new channel India Today on Monday, Malik said, “There was corruption in Goa government in handling of everything. I was removed because I raised the issue. I am a Lohiaite; I have spent time with Charan Singh. I can’t tolerate corruption.”

    Malik served as the governor of Goa from November 3, 2019 to August 18, 2020 before the Centre shifted him to Meghalaya as governor.

    “Perhaps for the first time in independent India’s history, a sitting governor appointed by the Centre has exposed a sitting BJP chief minister’s corruption,” Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Raghav Chadha told a press conference.

    “We demand that Chief Minister Pramod Sawant immediately resign. He has no right to now continue as the chief minister of the state. We also demand that an independent judicial probe be conducted into the entire episode of corruption by chief minister Sawant and his government,” he said.

    On Malik’s claim that he was shifted to Meghayala from Goa for raising the issue of corruption, the AAP leader also targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying, “Modi ji removed the one from the post who brought corruption in Goa government to light, instead of removing the corrupt chief minister.”

    The prime minister should immediately dismiss Sawant as Goa chief minister following Malik’s “sensational expose” on corruption in the state government, the AAP leader demanded.

    In his interview to the news channel, Malik also said the Goa government’s plan of door-to-door distribution of ration was “impossible”.

    “It was done on the insistence of a company that paid money to the government. I was asked by people, including those from the Congress to investigate. I probed the matter and informed the prime minister about it,” he said.

    “They asked the same people who were behind the plan about the allegation. They won’t accept that they are in the wrong. There is an area near the airport from where trucks were used for mining pass. I asked the government to stop them in view of the Covid. The government didn’t and then it became a hotspot for Covid,” he said.

    Latching on to Malik’s claim, Chadha took a dig at Prime Minister.

    “He (Modi) is the same person who had once said ‘Na Khaoonga, Na Khane Doonga’ (would not take bribes, nor let anyone do so).

    “Now their chief ministers get a free pass to make money through loot and corruption as much as they can. The people of Goa will not tolerate the corruption of the chief minister of the state and his government anymore,” Chadha said.

    “If the prime minister does not dismiss Sawant as chief minister of Goa and if the BJP does not take any action against its government in Goa, it will be accepted that some where the BJP’s central leadership is also involved in the Goa government’s corruption and a share of it reached to them,” he charged.

    The AAP leader alleged that Congress-led UPA government and their chief ministers made a lot of money through corruption during their regime and same is the case with the BJP and its chief ministers.

    “There is just one difference in the BJP regime.

    The BJP governments and their ministers have streamlined the corruption and carried it forward in an organised and sophisticated manner with much discipline,” he added.

  • Goa government permits schools to re-open for classes 9 to 12 from October 18

    By ANI

    PANAJI: The Goa Government on Friday permitted the schools in the state to reopen for physical classes for 9th to 12th standard from October 18 with adherence to COVID-19 guidelines and standard operating procedures (SOPs) in place.

    In an order issued on Friday, the state Director of Education, Bhushan Savaikar on Friday said that the Goa government decided to reopen schools for physical classes after consultation with an expert committee.

    The order further stated that the department has asked managements and heads of educational institutions to take a decision, by considering the available infrastructure and local conditions.

    “Schools may, if required, initially follow a hybrid mode of teaching, that is, online as well as offline classes,” the order read.

    As per the order, the physical classes will be resumed with COVID-19 guidelines and SOPs like mandatory wearing of face masks, regular temperature checks and sanitisation at the entry gates of institutions. Even the staff should undergo temperature checks before entry, it added.

    According to the circular, school functions and assemblies should not be conducted, till further orders from the state government. 

  • Goa Congress demands dismissal of BJP government, meets Governor

    By PTI

    PANAJI: A Goa Congress delegation on Tuesday met Governor P S Sreedharan Pillai and demanded dismissal of the BJP government, claiming law and order has “collapsed” in the state.

    The delegation, comprising Goa Pradesh Congress Committee president Girish Chodankar, GPCC working president Aleixo Sequeira and Leader of Opposition Digambar Kamat, among others, met the Governor and submitted a memorandum.

    Talking to reporters later, Kamat said the memorandum has listed out various instances of “failure” of law and order in the state resulting in an increase in rape cases and other criminal activities.

    “We have demanded that the Governor take serious note of the collapse of law and order in the state and dismiss the government led by Chief Minister Pramod Sawant,” Chodankar said.

    Referring to the recent attack on a doctor at a private hospital in Porvorim near here, Chodankar said the incident is an example of the failure of the state administration.

    “There is no control on crimes and anti-social elements are taking law into their own hands as government machinery is in deep slumber,” he said.

    Sequeira said the people of Goa are living in an atmosphere of “threat and fear”.

    The coastal state is due for assembly polls in early 2022.

  • Goa government has no plan in place to prevent possible third wave of COVID-19: AAP

    Referring to the COVID-19 figures, the AAP leader said the state currently has 1,006 active cases with 109 new patients testing positive on Saturday.

  • Goa government extends COVID-19 curfew by week, but allows restricted gatherings

    By PTI
    PANAJI: The Goa government on Sunday extended till July 12 the current state-level curfew that is in place to curb the COVID-19 cases, but allowed social, political, cultural gatherings, marriages and other congregations of up to 100 people or 50 per cent of the venue capacity.

    The casinos in the state, however, will continue to remain shut till July 12.

    “Social, political, sports, entertainment, academic, cultural gatherings, marriages and other congregations are allowed with 100 people or 50 per cent of the capacity of the venue,” the government said in a notification, which announced the extension of the curfew period.

    The curfew, which was first imposed on May 9, has since been extended from time to time considering the number of infections in the coastal state.

    The previous extension was up to July 5.

    The notification says that indoor sports complexes, auditoriums, community halls or similar places, river cruises, water-parks, entertainment parks, gym, spa, massage parlours, cinema halls, theatres and other establishments will continue to remain shut during the curfew period.

    Schools, colleges, educational and coaching institutes will also continue to remain closed for students, except for holding competitive examinations after taking prior permission from the authorities, it said.

    Goa’s coronavirus caseload went up by 164 to reach 1,67,436 on Sunday, while the death of four patients took its fatality count to 3,073.

  • Goa government seeks data on students orphaned due to COVID-19

    By PTI
    PANAJI: The Goa education department on Saturday directed its affiliated academic institutes in the state to provide information about the students, who have lost either one or both their parents due to COVID-19.

    Director of education, D R Bhagat, issued a circular to this effect, asking the institutes to compile a data of such students and submit it to the department by Monday.

    “Due to the sudden rise in COVID-19 cases recently, many children have been orphaned or have lost either of their parents due to the pandemic,” the circular said.

    “The service providers might find it challenging to support children in institutions with psychosocial and mental health care needs. The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights in New Delhi has asked the department to submit the information to be uploaded on the ‘Baal Swaraj Portal’,” it added.

    The coronavirus case count in Goa till Friday evening was 1,58,423, while the death toll was 2,727.

  • World Environment Day: Goa government to add 100 waterholes in forests, plant five lakh fruit trees

    By PTI
    PANAJI: The Goa government on Saturday announced that it would create 100 new water bodies in its forests for wild animals as part of its measures to reduce human-animal conflict. Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, in a video message released on the occasion of World Environment Day, also said the state forest department will plant five lakh fruit-bearing trees in the forests.

    In a separate video message on Friday, he had said that the state government was working on reducing the incidents of human-animal conflict. A total of 250 youths have been trained as nature’s guide to inform people about the rich biodiversity of forests, he said in his message on Saturday. “There are 50 ‘vaidya mitra’, who harvest different herbs that are available in our forests,” Sawant added.

    The state government has been organising special events like bird festival, turtle Conversation event and others to create awareness about the forests. He said that eco-tourism has been promoted through bio-diversity parks while new nurseries have been set up at Harvalem (North Goa) and Dharbandora (South Goa).

    The state government has paid a total of Rs 10 lakh compensation to farmers, who suffered losses due to human- animal conflict, he said.

  • Poor COVID-19 victims: Goa announces Rs 2 lakh compensation

    By PTI
    PANAJI: The Goa government on Sunday announced compensation of Rs 2 lakh each for the kin of COVID-19 victims who were either breadwinners of the family or hailed from poor backgrounds.

    Making the announcement in his Statehood Day address, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant also said another scheme, called ‘Mukhyamantri Anath Aadhar Yojana’, will be launched, under which orphaned children will get monthly financial aid.

    The age limit for inmates in childcare institutions has been raised to 21, he said, and orphans, irrespective of whether their parents succumbed to the coronavirus infection, who are in Class X will be provided free laptops by the state government.

    Sawant said his government was trying its best to tackle the outbreak and the positivity rate of the infection was steadily declining in the state.

    The second phase of the vaccination drive for those in the 18-44 age group will begin from June 3, the CM said.

    Couples with children below the age of two, people with comorbidities, rickshaw-taxi drivers, seafarers, differently-abled persons etc would be given priority in vaccination, Sawant informed in his address to the state.

    He thanked previous governments for their efforts that helped shape the progress of the state and also hailed the Narendra Modi government at the Centre for its help in the past seven years, and more significantly during the coronavirus outbreak.

    Announcing an administrative decision, the CM said some legal documents, which still carry ‘Goa, Daman and Diu’ will now just have the word Goa, and the state law department has been asked to do the needful.

    He also said panchayats in a financially weak position would be given a fund of Rs 50,000 to tackle damages from the recent cyclone or the COVID-19 outbreak, and the amount would be transferred by Monday or Tuesday.