Author: Team Admin

Balasore, Odisha: India on Wednesday successfully flight-tested Phase-II Ballistic Missile Defence System from off the Odisha coast, the government said in a statement. The test demonstrated India’s indigenous capability to defend against ballistic missiles of 5,000 km class, it said. “The Target Missile was launched from LC-IV Dhamra at 1620 hrs mimicking adversary Ballistic Missile, which was detected by weapon system radars deployed on land and sea and activated the AD Interceptor system,” it said. “The Phase-II AD Endo-atmospheric missile was launched from LC-III at ITR, Chandipur at 1624 hrs. The flight test fully met all the trial objectives validating…

Goemkarponn desk PORVORIM: The House witnessed a heated discussion over private medical college or private nursing college in South Goa District Hospital (SDGH). The Opposition MLAs demanded immediate scrapping of the proposal claiming whether the Rs 500 cr hospital building to house a private medical college. Health Minister Vishwajit Rane says building infrastructure is for people, not individuals. “The government has granted administrative approval for refurbishment of the old Hospicio building at Margao and the government has also given administrative approval for starting nursing college,” said Rane. He further said that private medical college at SDGH is under consideration and…

Goemkapronn desk PANAJI: The Travel and Tourism Association of Goa said it supports & applauds Transport Minister Mauvin Godinho for his strong stance on the taxi issue in Goa and said he must continue. “He has the support of the TTAG on this matter,” said the association in a press communique issued here. TTAG said the Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant has said this issue will be resolved before the culmination of this assembly session. “We strongly urge the chief minister & the government to allow all app-based taxi services in Goa. The government has spoken about ease of doing…

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday upheld state governments’ right to levy royalties on mineral-bearing land, reasoning they had the competence and power to do so. This will benefit mineral-rich states like Odisha, Jharkhand, Bengal, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, and Rajasthan. The landmark 8:1 verdict was delivered by a bench led by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud, which ruled that ‘royalty’ is not the same as ‘tax’; Justice BV Nagarathna delivered the dissenting verdict. Justice Nagarathna said allowing states to tax mineral rights would lead to “unhealthy competition between states to derive revenue… the national market could be exploited… this would…

As the debate over the proximity of liquor shops to schools and temples continues, it raises important questions about the impact of such establishments on the sanctity of these locations. The recent revelation that as many as 269 liquor stores are situated within 100 meters of schools or places of worship has sparked significant controversy and led to discussions on whether these establishments should be permitted to operate in such close proximity to hallowed spaces. The coastal Pernem region has the highest number of these outlets, with 63 liquor stores located within the specified proximity to schools or temples. Notably,…

New Delhi: India remains committed to elevating its ties with the UK and welcomes the desire to conclude a mutually beneficial free trade pact, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said after British Foreign Secretary David Lammy met him on Wednesday. In a post on ‘X’, PM Modi also appreciated the priority accorded by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer to broaden and deepen the India-UK comprehensive strategic partnership. Mr Lammy is on a two-day visit to India to galvanise negotiations for the trade pact and reset the overall bilateral partnership in crucial areas such as clean energy, new technologies and security. The…

Goemkarponn desk PANAJI: Over the past few years, as many as 269 liquor stores that are within 100 meters of schools or places of worship have received permits from succeeding governments, igniting debate about the establishments’ close proximity to hallowed spaces. The coastal Pernem region has the most of these outlets—63—while Ponda, a temple town, has 61 outlets. The total also includes 15 licenses that have been granted in the last five years, from 2020 to the present. These licenses were granted by the Commissioner with prior government approval, according to the response submitted by Chief Minister Pramod Sawant in…