GOA

Minister for power and renewable energyRamkrishna’Sudin’Dhavalikaron Tuesday said that a tender inviting bids to set up charging stations for green vehicles will be floated within a month as the process for the same has been started.

The problem faced by motorists havingelectric vehicleswith there not being sufficient charging stations in the state, he said, would be taken care of if these were set-up at three kilometer intervals.

Subsequently, the extra charging stations will also be helpful when electric buses and heavy-duty vehicles become the norm, he said. Stating that already many people have bought electric vehicles, including his department, he said those who have to travel short distances should buy electric vehicles.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will virtually address Goans at 11am on October 23. He will directly interact with seven Goans involved in the implementation and who have benefited from the Atmanirbhar Bharat, Swayampurna Goem programme. Screens will be installed at all major public bus stands to watch Modis address, chief minister Pramod Sawant said.

Sawant said it will be the first time the PM interacts with people from any state over the success in implementation of programmes under the Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative.

Since the launch of the Swayampurna Goem programme, Rs 20 crore loan has been sanctioned to 15% of farmers in Goa so far, with a benefit of Rs 1.60 lakh per farmer.

The department of planning, statistics and evaluation has been appointed as the nodal department for implementation and monitoring of sustainabledevelopmentGoals at the state level. India is a signatory to the resolution of the 2030 Agenda for , which adopts 17 Sustainable Development Goals. In line with this, the state governments have also adopted these SDGs.
Goa moved from the seventh position in the SDG India Index for 2019 to third place in the third edition of the Niti Aayogs Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) India Index for 202021. Three points behind Kerala, Goa has a score of 72 points, as against 65 points in 2019 and 64 points in 2018. Goa shared the third spot with Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Uttarakhand.

The NEP mandates inclusion of special children in the mainstream through resource rooms in regular schools, and discourages segregated schools, unless in the case of those with acute disabilities.

In keeping with the NEPs requirements with the BEd programme now in place, Goa is moving to limit the role of special schools in the future to only enrolling students with acute disabilities.

Chief ministerPramod Sawantsaid that the Goa roadmap declaration for will be announced at theUnited Nations(UN), which will boost tourism in the state.

Sawant demanded that the Mormugao Port Authority (MPA) should be used for tourism activities and not be restricted only to import and export. He urged investors at G20 to invest in Goa’s tourism sector.

Goa is known as the Pearl of Orient. It attracts millions of domestic and international tourists, annually. The state is known for its beautiful beaches, vibrant nightlife, thrilling adventure Sports, mesmerizing waterfalls, scenic backwaters, Yoga and wellness retreats, delicious cuisine, rich culture and heritage. It is an all-season tourism destination where there is something for everyone.

oa has an increased awareness ofsexual rightsandfreedomof Women with over 90% of people believing that a woman is within her right to refusesexwith her husband if she is aware that he has intercourse with other women, according to the findings of the National Family HealthSurvey2019-20 (NFHS-5).

Also, 90% of women and 93% of men believe that the woman is justified in refusing to have sex with her husband, if she is tired or not in the mood, the survey has found.

In Goa, the NFHS-5 field survey was conducted in North and South districts from August 30, 2019, to November 26, 2019, through a private entity. For the survey, the information was collected from 1,856 households2,030 women in the 15-49 age group and 313 men aged 15-54.
As per NFHS-5, around 5% of ever-married women in the 18-49 age group reported their husband having physically forced them to have sex against their wishes. Another 3% stated that their husbands had forced them with threats or in any other way to perform sexual acts they did not want to perform.

The popular Calangute beach stretch topped the list of Goan beaches with the highest number of rescues by lifesavers, while more rescues were carried out by Lifesavers off Palolem beach, than any other beaches in South Goa, according to statistics released by Drishti Marine, Goas -appointed lifeguard agency.

As per the findings, 167 rescue operations were conducted in the waters off Calangute beach the highest number in the entire state followed by Baga with 113 rescues and Arambol with 43 rescues, followed by Morjim (29) and Vagator (24) in North Goa.

Palolem led the ranking of beaches with the most rescues in South Goa with 25 rescue operations. This was followed by Colva with 18 rescue operations and Benaulim with six rescues while Agonda and Cavelossim reported five rescues.

The statistics include only those rescue operations which were carried out off Goa coastline.

Power ministerNilesh Cabral said that thesubsidyscheme that thegovernmentwould roll out in 2 months time for purchase of electric vehicles will be opened to government employees too.

While the government will give a 20 per cent subsidy, the bike or car company will share another 20per cent subsidyand the 15 percent value would be of the existing vehicle even if scrapped.

Expressing his love for sacred trees in the state, Goa governorPS Shreedharan Pillaisaid that he is keen on Learning about the rich eco-cultural traditions of such trees. He recently visited the Holy Spirit Church, Margao and was informed of the HISTORY of Maddi (Sterculia Foetida) also known as Nagin tree.

Pillaioffered prayers at the giant Baobab tree which is believed to be one of the oldest in the state. The governor also visited Shree Muddeshwar Sateri Devasthan, Kusmane at Quepem and offered prayers at the old heritagePeepaltree. Pillai said, One Earth, one family and one future will pave the path for global welfare.

This is derived from a Bharatiya conceptVasudhaiva Kutumbakam(the world is one family). He also said he has an interest in visiting the islands in Goa which he will undertake shortly. The governor said that Goa has a rich heritage and culture and added thatRaj Bhavanwill publish a special edition based on his Goa SaimikDaizyatra in the form of a book.

In a first for the state, its northernmost taluka ofPernemwill get a geographical information system (GIS)-based zoning plan for 252 sqkm. It is likely to help in detailed zoning of the area and theGISdatabase will serve as the basis for zoning plan formulation.

The town and country planning (TCP) department had decided to prepare zoning plans for Pernem taluka and Kadamba plateau, off Panaji. The department then invited a request for proposal for GIS-based zoning plan for Pernem taluka from the empaneled consultants.

The consultant will prepare a GIS Database of the planning area based on open-source satellite imagery. The database will consist of base map layers, existing land use, and relevant data from stakeholder departments.