GOA

Sawant admitted that the Electronics System Design and Manufacturing (ESDM) project, which was initiated by former chief minister Laxmikant Parsekar, has been running behind schedule.

Parsekar had kickstarted the ESDM project and had set December 2016 as the deadline to complete the first phase of the project. Spread over 147.58 acres, the ESDM cluster was to be built in two phases and was meant to be focused around two major manufacturing firms which would be the anchor units. However, the foundation stone for the project was laid only in November 2016 at the hands of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Two attempts by Infotech Corporation Goa (ITG) failed to elicit any interest from major manufacturing firms prompting the state to organise an investor meet.

Given that the electric vehicle is at a nascent stage, the state governmentmustsupport thesectorwith a two-pronged strategy of ensuring that electric vehicles are affordable while also ensuring an accommodative policy for manufacturers and energy providers in Goa, the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) said.

CII has also expressed concern over Convergence Energy Services Ltds (CESL) presence on the proposed board that will be constituted under the policy.

EV manufacturing is a nascent industry and needs as much government support as possible said CII as it urged the Goa government to consider linking the incentives to relevant Industrial Policy regulations thereby allowing EV manufacturing units in Goa to avail benefits under other policies.

CII has also recommended that vehicles which are purchased by obtaining subsidies under the Centres FAME2 scheme should also be able to get state incentives. It is advisable that Goa offers a higher purchase subsidy for electric two-wheelers to accelerate adoption. Since Goan manufacturers of EV, EVSE and charging units contribute to Indirect Tax collection and job creation in the state of Goa, the policy should provide an additional incentive to manufacturers based in Goa

MoRTH and theGoa governmenthave yet to identify a location for the park, which is one of the 35 being planned by the Centre across the country.

These logistics parks will enable optimum and efficient vehicular movement in the country and thus lead to reduction in vehicular pollution and congestion, and enable the reduction in Warehousing cost.

As part of a 2030 plan, the Centre has been promising to setup a multi-modal logistics hub inPanajisince January 2019, but State Government officials said that a logistics park in Panaji will be counter productive.

A multi-modal logistics park will require a vast container terminal along with a rail link to quickly move containerised cargo. The closest rail link to Panaji is the Karmali RAILWAY station.

The state cabinet on Wednesday constituted the Mhaji Lab, Bari Lab award with a provision of Rs 10 lakh to be conferred for meritorious information Communication technology (ICT) laboratory either in any government or government-aided school in Goa.

To be eligible for the award, an ICT lab needs to be in existence for the last three years, with a minimum of 100 registered active students. Two labs each in the North Goa district and South Goa district will be selected for the award.

The main objective of the scheme is to recognise the hard work put in by the staff of the ICT laboratory and to give impetus and encouragement to them by conferring Awards on them for their contribution to the field of ICT.

Scheduled fitments of digitalmetersin taxis have commenced from July 1 onwards. Until now, the devices installation was open for all irrespective of their registration number and jurisdictional RTO.

The total cost of adigitalmeter integrated with an automotive tracking device, emergency system and printer with one-year free maintenance and one-year data and online monitoring charges includingGSTis Rs 11,234.

Taxi owners can seek appointments to install these devices at any one of the four locationsBicholim, Merces,Navelimand Dabolim offered by the contractor Rosemerta Autotech Pvt ltd, prescribed by the transport department.

The transport department however intends to launch more centres in a bid to spread out the fitments and provide easier access to people of different areas.

After being neglected for over five decades, comprehensive forest management plans will be prepared by the forest department, with forest minister Vishwajit Rane setting an ambitious timeline of 12 months to complete the task.

He said that forest department officials will visit wildlife sanctuaries in other states to study the best practices and learn how forest management plans are prepared and implemented.

Rane said that forest department officials will visit Ranthambore (Rajasthan), Tadoba (Maharashtra), Bandhavgarh (Madhya Pradesh), and Jim Corbett Park (Uttarakhand). But he did hint that Goa will try to emulate the exemplary model of Madhya Pradesh.

The forest management plans will provide a roadmap for the conservation of and Resources“>Natural Resources within a sanctuary. They set management goals for specific Protected Areas and provide a strategy for species management, anti-poaching, patrolling, and curtailing illegal trade in wild animals and plant species. Once approved, these plans will be in force for 10 years with periodic reviews.

At a time when theIndian Coast Guardfinds itself assisting in disaster relief operations and maritime accidents,National Security AdvisorAjit Doval commissioned a 105m offshore patrol vesselICGS Sajag. Built by Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL), the indigenously-built warship will be based at Porbandar,Gujaratand will be deployed extensively for EEZ surveillance.

The commissioning of theshipis yet another addition to the Indian Coast Guards fleet of 157 ships and 62 aircraft.

The commissioning of ICGS Sajag will enhance the Indian Coast Guardsoperational capabilityto dischargemultifarious maritime tasks.

After years of sluggishness due to theCovid-19 pandemic, the expects Goa’s economy to grow by 10.3% in the coming financial year. The Growth is likely to be driven by the newly-constructed Manohar International Airport at Mopa,tourism, and the anticipated resumption of mining activities.

The government’s optimistic outlook is revealed in the Economic Survey report for 2022-23, which was tabled in the state legislative assembly by CMPramod Sawant.
The Economic Survey sheds Light on the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, pointing out that against the Average growth rate of 6% in 2017 and 2019, Goa witnessed a degrowth of -6.6% during the outbreak. However, Goa’s economy has bounced back since then, and is on course to register a growth of 9% in the 2021-2023 period. These estimates are at current prices and not indexed against Inflation.

As per the finance department’s advance estimates, the value of Goa’s economy in 2022-23 is Rs 90,641 crore. “The Goan economy is in a favorable position to witness growth of 10.3% in 2023-24,” said the Economic Survey.

Phase-1 of theMopa airportcommenced operations in January, and the survey states that more than 1,300 Goans have gained EMPLOYMENT at the privately-owned and operated airport.

The government has also initiated the ‘Mopa Plantation Programme’ to encourage locals to plant indigenous species of Plants along with Cash Crops in the vicinity of the airport.

The state intends to use thePM Gati Shakti national mission portalto create a ‘Cultural Atlas of Goa’ and a time series map and analysis of domestic and international tourist footfalls in the state. The project will be implemented using funds allocated to the tourism department and no central funding will be sought, officials said.

To create the cultural atlas, a list of all festivals, events and fairs will be identified and marked on aGISmap. TheGoa Electronics Limitedand the tourism department will work on the project and will also identify and map all the libraries, religious sites and museums in the state.

Goa prepared the evacuation plan for flood-prone regions of Sanquelim and Amona using the Gati Shakti portal. The shortest distance to reach mapped key assets such as government buildings, schools, places of worship andhospitals was planned, said Sachan.

Goa governorP S SreedharanPillai said that themother tongueis the best language for a person that will help him or her prosper in life.

The local languages of Goa have a rich contribution to nation building and I have been trying to understand them over the past seven months, said Pillai.

The governor on Wednesday, along with spouse Rita, visitedSattaritaluka as part of Pillais Sampurna Goa Yatra programme. He interacted with the sarpanchas and members of the village panchayats of Nagargao, Mauxi and Sanvardem and assured them full assistance in their future endeavours, after the sarpanchas presented a brief report of the development activities taken up in their areas.

Pillai said he has taken up the Sampurna Goa Yatra initiative to understand the village life and life of people from remote areas of the state.

The governor urged Goans to help fulfil the dream of a Golden Goa. He also heaped praises on Goans for their contribution in socio-economic spheres.