The GFP and Congress have been demanding that the Goa Assembly session, scheduled for three days from July 28, be extended.
Tag: Goa
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‘Goa wants clean politics’: Arvind Kejriwal promises free electricity in state if AAP voted to power
By PTI
PANAJI: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday said each family in Goa will get up to 300 units electricity free per month if his Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is voted to power in the state Assembly elections.Elections to the 40-member Goa Legislative Assembly are scheduled for February next year.
“Every family will get up to 300 units per month free electricity,” Kejriwal told reporters here.
“If people in Delhi can get free electricity, then why not free power for people in Goa,” he said.
Goa is ready for change, Important announcement | LIVE https://t.co/7rh1SSQeN4
— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) July 14, 2021Despite Goa being a power-surplus state, there are frequent power-cuts in the coastal state, he added.
ALSO READ | Challenges aplenty in Aam Aadmi Party’s expansion drive
Kejriwal slammed MLAs who left Congress and other parties to join the BJP after last Assembly elections in Goa.
Going by the numbers, those who should have been in opposition are now ruling the state and those who should have been in power are now in the opposition, he added.
“These MLAs who switched sides claimed that they were joining the BJP to get people’s work done. Did they do people’s work as they claimed? Now people are saying that they switched sides for lure of money. People feel betrayed,” he said.
Thousands of Goans are claiming they will not vote for either BJP or Congress in the next elections, Kejriwal said.
“Goa wants change. People want clean politics,” he said.
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Goa: AAP sends cakes to 10 MLAs who switched from Congress to BJP
By PTI
PANAJI: The Aam Aadmi Party on Saturday sent cakes to the homes of 10 Goa MLAs on the second anniversary of their crossing over from the Congress to the ruling BJP and “backstabbing the voters”, the party’s national spokesperson Atishi said here.These MLAs had crossed over on July 10, 2019, in the process giving the BJP government led by Chief Minister Pramod Sawant a clear majority in the 40-member state Assembly.
“Our leaders went with cakes to these MLAs to remind them of this day. It is the anniversary of their backstabbing voters who elected them on Congress tickets because they did not want the BJP,” Atishi, an MLA from Kalkaji in Delhi, said.
She said the people of Goa now know that voting for the Congress is a vote for the BJP as MLAs from the former would cross over to the ruling outfit.
She said her party’s ‘Let’s Clean Goa Politics’ campaign launched recently was getting a good response with over 70,000 people having visited the website created for it.
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COVID-19: Goa government announces one-time financial aid for unorganised workers
By PTI
PANAJI: The Goa cabinet on Wednesday approved a scheme for providing one-time financial assistance of Rs 5,000 to workers from marginalised and unorganised sectors who have lost their livelihood due to the COVID-19 pandemic.After the cabinet meeting, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant told reporters that the scheme will cover 25,000-30,000 people, whose livelihood has been affected by the pandemic. “A one-time financial assistance of Rs 5,000 would be paid to them after they fill a simple form,” he said.
The scheme will cover auto-rickshaw drivers, motorcycle pilots, taxi operators, employees under Non-Muster Roll registered with various panchayats, and those listed under traditional occupations of the state social welfare department, he said.
The chief minister said that the state government will also ask for a list of such beneficiaries from various associations covering the unorganised and marginalised people. Till Tuesday, Goa reported a total of 1,67,823 COVID-19 cases and 3,079 deaths due to the disease.
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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.
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Goa ready to tackle COVID-19 third wave: CM Pramod Sawant
Private hospitals have been told to mobilize extra beds for COVID treatment on short notice, Goa CM Pramod Sawant said.
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Goa government extends COVID-19 curfew till June 21
By PTI
PANAJI: The Goa government on Saturday announced extension of the coronavirus-induced “curfew” in the state till June 21 with some more relaxations. Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said the curfew will be extended upto 7 am on June 21.“Shops, including in panchayat and municipal markets, may open between 7 am to 3 pm. Marriage function with upto 50 persons have been permitted,” he said on Twitter late in the evening.
“Detailed order will be issued by District Collectors,” he said. Goa recorded 472 new coronavirus cases on Saturday, taking the caseload to 1,62,048. With 15 patients succumbing during the day, the death toll in the state reached 2,914.
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Goa govt cancels Class 12 exam of state board
By PTI
PANAJI: The Goa government on Wednesday announced that the Class 12 examination of the Goa Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education has been cancelled in view of the COVID-19 pandemic.“After extensive consultations, it has been decided that the Class 12 Exams shall be cancelled as the health and safety of our students is of utmost priority,” Chief Minister Pramod Sawant tweeted.
“This will also help put an end to the anxiety amongst the students, parents and teachers.
The results will be declared as per a well-defined objective criteria,” he added.
In the morning, Sawant chaired a meeting of senior officials from the Board and state education department after which he had said the decision would be taken by evening.
Some 21,000 students were eligible to appear for the Class 12 Goa board exams.
The Union government on Tuesday canceled the CBSE Class 12 board exams in view of the COVID-19 situation.
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Goa court gives benefit of doubt to Tarun Tejpal in sexual assault case, finds fault with probe
By PTI
PANAJI: A trial court in Goa gave the benefit of the doubt to journalist Tarun Tejpal while acquitting him in a sexual assault case and observed that there was no evidence to support the allegations made by the complainant woman.The order copy of the May 21 court verdict in the November 2013 case was made available on Tuesday.
Tejpal, Tehelka newsmagazine’s founder-editor who was charged with sexually assaulting a former woman colleague inside the elevator of a luxury hotel in the state, was acquitted by the Sessions Court here on last Friday.
Judge Kshama Joshi, in her detailed written order, has said that “upon considering evidences on record, benefit of doubt is given to the accused because there is no corroborative evidence supporting the allegations made by the complainant girl.”
In the 500-page order, the court has observed that the Investigating Officer or IO (Crime Branch officer Sunita Sawant) did not conduct investigation on vital points of the eight-year-old case.
“It cannot be lost site (sight) that rape causes the greatest distress and humiliation to the victim but at the same time a false allegation of rape can cause an equal distress and humiliation and damage to the accused as well,” the judge noted.
Rejecting the assertion that the victim was traumatised, the court has said some of the WhatsApp messages of the woman show she was not traumatised as claimed and had plans to stay in Goa after the official event (organised by the magazine) where the alleged crime was committed.
The court has said the statement of the woman’s mother “do not corroborate or support the statement of the complainant girl that she was in trauma due to alleged rape, as neither the complainant girl nor her mother changed their plans.”
The judge observed that the complainant has made many conflicting statements.
“There are many evidence on record which create doubt on the truthfulness of the complainant girl,” the court said.
Pointing out loopholes in the probe, the judge said it is the fundamental right of the accused to have a fair investigation but the IO has committed omission and commission while conducting the investigation.
The judge has said the Investigating Officer destroyed crucial piece of evidence in terms of CCTV footage of the 1st floor of 7th block of the hotel, which was clear proof of innocence of the accused.
“Sunita Sawant being the (initial) complainant (Goa police took suo motu cognisance of the allegations) can not be Investigation Officer in the case but she did not move any proposal to her superiors to hand over the investigation to other officer,” the court noted.
The court has not ruled out the possibility of tampering with some CCTV footage inside the hotel.
The judge said the Investigating Officer did not verify the operation and functioning of the lift panel of block 7 (of the hotel) to prove that opening of lift can be stopped or not.
“IO did not investigate whether the lift can be prevented from opening or can be kept in circuit by pressing a button as alleged by the complainant girl,” the court said.
“The IO did not investigate the fact that there is an incoming phone and an emergency stop button to use in the emergency situation,” the judge has further said.
The order has said the CCTV footage indicates that the lift in fact opened twice on the ground floor whereas the woman claimed the lift did not open at all.
“The IO has admitted that there is contradiction between CCTV footage and statement of the complainant girl, yet IO did not record supplementary statement,” the trial court said.
“It is crucial to note that the contradictions are often so glaring that the exact opposite of what the complainant girl is claiming yet IO did not question the complainant girl. It is settled proposition that acquittal of the accused can not result due to defects in the investigation, the evidences have to be scrutinised independently,” the judge said The court said the prosecution has failed to discharge the burden proving the guilt of the accused beyond reasonable doubt.
Earlier on Tuesday, the Goa government challenged the acquittal order in the Bombay High Court.
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COVID-19: Goa curfew extended till May 31
By PTI
PANAJI: The Goa government on Sunday extended till May 31 a coronavirus-induced curfew in place in the state since May 9, an official said.The order, which was issued during the day, stated that all shops will remain shut except those selling essential times and medicines, which can conduct business from 7 am to 1 pm.
Restaurant kitchens can operate between 7 am and 7 pm during the curfew period, the order informed.