Author: Team Admin

Goemkarponn Desk PANAJI: The deadline for deciding on one such case is June 2, so the NGO Goans for Goa (GFG) has criticized the Goa government for remaining silent on the Central government’s corrigendum regarding OCI applications. “Even though this corrigendum was issued on April 30, eight days before the petition was decided, the government’s defense attorney failed to present it in the High Court on May 6. Kennedy Afonso, the founder president of GFG, stated, “This suppression of material information is a serious violation amounting to contempt of court.” An Office Memorandum issued by the Ministry of External Affairs…

Goemkarponn Desk PANAJI: The much-awaited Circular on NEP 2020 implementation for Class IX starting in the 2024–2025 academic year was released by the Education department on Friday. It provides clarification on the five and a half daily instructional hours. Students in Class IX who chose to study French, Portuguese, German, or Arabic in Class VIII as part of the ‘R3’ Curricular Areas were also given a relaxation by the department. “The minimum five and a half hours of instruction that all institutions must maintain will not include assembly, recess, or remedial instruction. The Education Director Shailesh Zingde issued a circular…

Goemkarponn Desk PANAJI: The 18-member State Road Safety Council, which was reconstituted to offer recommendations on road safety, has been notified by the State government. Incidentally, the notification coincides with the State’s alarming accident rate as well as the recent drunk driving incident in Verna IDC that left four people dead and four others critically injured. Leading representatives from the Police, Transport, Public Works, Education, Health, Tourism, Pollution Control Board, Environment, Panchayats, and Municipal Administration are on the Committee, which is chaired by Transport Minister Mauvin Godinho. Road safety advocate Roland Martins is also a member of the committee. In…

Goemkarponn Desk PANAJI: On June 19, at Bicholim, there will be an environmental public hearing for M/s Salgaocar Shipping’s Sirigao-Mayem Mineral Block II. The villagers requested that the public hearing be postponed, and it was originally set for March 20. The Goa State Pollution Control Board, which is the designated body for conducting the hearing, received a letter from the Additional District Collector of North Goa, directing it to postpone the hearing because it would be exceedingly challenging to conduct it on March 20 from a law and order standpoint. The block, which covers 171.2472 hectares, is expected to produce…

Goemkarponn Desk PANAJI: Goa became the first state in India to implement the advanced medical directive (living will) system in accordance with guidelines established by the Indian Supreme Court. Justice Mahesh Sonak of the Bombay High Court had the distinction of being the first Goan to create a “living will” and to release the pamphlet on “Advanced Medical Directives” or “Living Wills.” In addition to Sonak, the “living will” documents were also signed by Dinesh Shetty and Dr. Sandesh Chodankar of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) Goa branch. Patients who are nearing the end of a life-threatening illness, such as…

Kannur, Kerala: An air hostess was arrested for allegedly smuggling nearly one kilogram of gold from Muscat to Kannur by concealing it in her rectum, a DRI source said today. Based on specific intelligence by DRI Cochin, officers of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI – Kannur) intercepted the cabin crew member named Surabhi Khatun, a native of Kolkata, who arrived from Muscat at Kannur International Airport on May 28. Her personal search resulted in the recovery of 960 grams of smuggled gold in compound form concealed in her rectum, the source told news agency Press Trust of India. After…

Goemkarponn desk PANAJI: Shockingly, the state government has decided to spend more than Rs 10 crore to undertake the further renovation of the already renovated Kala Academy. The government has already spent almost Rs 70 cr on the renovation project. However, it is now been decided to put in an additional Rs 10 cr to take up repair works for the renovated facility. It is been learnt that PWD has Already issued a contract last month worth Rs 47 lakhs to clear the debris of the roof which collapsed, last year. The newly renovated Kala Academy was opened to the…