GOA

For the first time ever a detailed study of the petroglyphs and geoglyphs in Goa and the Konkan belt is being carried out by archaeologists of Goa and Maharashtra. The area has probably one of the largest concentrations of rock art with nearly 100 sites that have survived thousands of years, said assistant superintendent archaeologist, directorate of archaeology,Varad Sabnis.
These rock carvings, which are petroglyphs or geoglyphs on horizontal laterite surfaces, depict the life of the early prehistoric farming community. The extensive survey will see experts also explore if there are more carvings outside known areas.

There are four known rock carving sites in Goa of which two sites Pansaimol andKazurinSanguem have been notified as protected sites. The sites at Baoliachem Mudd at Quepem andMauzat Sattari are yet to be notified. To preserve this prehistoric treasure trove the directorate of archaeology and museums, Maharashtra, and the directorate of archaeology, Goa have proposed that the sites be notified as .

Even as implementation ofdigitaltaximetersis a big step towards digitisation, state transport ministerMauvinGodinho has requested the National Informatics Centre to develop an app to support these digital meters.

It will be like anapp-basedtaxi as a result. This way, we will not require other service providers, he said.
Godinho was responding to a q

uery on the possibility of introducing app-based aggregators Ola and Uber in Goa, following the launch of the National Common Mobility Card (NCMC) in the state.

Goa has earned the dubious distinction of being among four states that have fallen furthest short of its compensatoryafforestationtarget. The state has only carried out 53.9% of what it set out to achieve, putting it in the league of Arunachal Pradesh (53.8%), Jharkhand (54.2%) and Mizoram (31%).

The targets are set by the national compensatory afforestation fund management and planning authority (Campa), which carried out a review on the subject on October 29. Goas less-than-ideal achievement here puts it far behind the national Average of 88%.

The state has carried out afforestation to the extent of 3,541 hectares so far. In 2020-21, Goa spent Rs 23 crore of Campa funds for compensatory afforestation.

The national authority noted that Goa carried out monitoring and evaluation of its afforestation activities under Campa through an independent body, the centre for Environment Education. The audit found that the survival rate of saplings planted for afforestation was 80% in Goa, which was far better than other states.

To be able to achieve the target of zero balance of compensatory afforestation, states have been asked to start work immediately, including that of setting up of nurseries.

The House has introduced a Bill seeking to make changes to the Goa Preservation of Trees Act, including the definition of tree.

As per the Bill, a tree means any woody plant whose branches spring from and are supported upon a truck or body and whose trunk or body is not less than ten centimetres in diameter at a breast height (DBT 1.37ms) from the ground level and includes coconut palm.

The Bill also seeks to amend Section 3 of the said act so as to ensure a holistic approach with a single apex authority at the state level for effective guidance and supervision for protection and conservation of trees in Goa.

Goa will see more sewage treatment Plants (STP) becoming operational in the state, which will together produce around 165MLD water after treatment. At present, the water is released in the sea. The state should consider discharge of this water in Goas water stressed areas to rejuvenate the rivers, the new state water policy 2021 has recommended.

STPs are presently operational in Panaji, Margao and Vasco in the state. Their combined capacity is 78.3MLD. Five more STPs are under construction in Goa with a capacity of 35.5 MLD. These are likely to be completed by December 2021, taking the treated water produced by the plants to 165MLD by the end of this year, notes the water policy. The state is generating significant quantum of treated sewage water which is estimated to be 165MLD by December 2021. At present, the treated sewerage water is mostly simply let out in the river seas. To judiciously use the treated water, schemes need to be formulated to supply the same for industrial and agricultural consumers or to discharge it in water Stress areas as e-flow to rejuvenate the rivers, the policy has suggested.

The National Bank for Agriculture-notes-for-state-psc-exams”>Agriculture and Rural Development () has agreed to increase the credit limit for Goa to Rs 350 crore, chief ministerPramod Sawantsaid atSakhali. Various projects are being implemented in the state in collaboration withNabard.

Nabard has agreed to complete any kind of project that the government hands over to them. This co-operation from Nabard will help Goa create good Infrastructure, Sawant said.
Sawant was speaking after inaugurating a mobile ATM van at Sakhali, to mark the 40th anniversary of Nabard.

In the tiny Goa, more than 75% of the state’s Population is squeezed into urban areas, indicates the estimates of the National Commission on Population of the Union Health ministry. Goa’s population now stands at 15.7 lakh, the commission’s data shows.

The 2011 Census pegged Goa’s population at 14.6 lakh. The 2021 Census could not be carried out because of the pandemic.

As for the population density in urban areas, it “could pose significant risks on living conditions, the Environment and development, due to rapid Urbanization and the changing landscape of human settlement,” says the Economic Survey 2022-23 for Goa. The urban population in Goa is reaching the saturation level, the survey says.

Of Goa’s population of 15.7 lakh, 7.9 lakh (50.4%) are males and 7.8 lakh (49.6%) are females.

The Economic Survey says that the Growth of the state’s population has been much faster over the decade ending 2023, at 7.9%, as against the previous decade from 2011 to 2021 in which the decadal was 6.8%. “Goa has witnessed rapid Urbanisation undoubtedly due to high per capita GSDP,” the survey says. The survey adds that 75.8% of the projected population of Goa is reported to be urban for the year 2023.

As against 11.5 lakh living in Goa’s urban areas two years ago, today close to 12 lakh reside in the state’s city and towns.

The rural population in Goa has gone down from 4.2 lakh in 2021 to 3.8 lakh in 2023.

The Average decrease in Goa’s rural population over the last decade works out to be 1.2%, the survey states.

Jindal Steel Works(JSW), one of the biggest steel companies in India, has bagged the Cudnem-Cormolem mineral block with the highest premium of 96.6% of the Average sale price set by theIndian Bureau of Mines(IBM). JSW has become the first steel company to bag a mineral block in Goa.
Earlier, the lease was run by Fomento. Sources said that during the auction,Fomentoand JSW aggressively bid for the block. The sources said Fomento wants to retain its leases which are spread across 35 hectares of land.

The auction for five mineral blocks that started on Friday saw Fomento bag theAdvalpale-Tivim blockwith the highest premium of 58.8% of the average sale price set by IBM.

The has identified seven mineral blocks in South Goa to auction in the third round, likely to be held next month. South Goas mining leases will be put up for auctions to boost the economy in the mining belts of Curchorem, Sanvordem, Sanguem, and Quepem.

A significant decrease in navigational and industrial activities along the river bank brought down the level of coloured dissolved organic matter (CDOM) and nutrients in theMandoviestuary during the lockdown last year.

A study by Albertina Dias and other scientists of theNational Institute of (NIO), which involved sampling of water in the estuary during May 2020, showed that CDOM was low at two stations between the Mandovi bridge and Ribander as compared to the previous five years Average, from 2014 to 2018.

With restrictions in place during the Covid-19pandemic, operation of pleasure cruises, water transport systems such as barges and shipbuilding activities came to a standstill.

Relieved of anthropogenic stressors, the water quality improved due to penetration of more Light in the water column and aquatic biota in the estuary benefitted from it.

Sunlight facilitates production of phytoplankton, the algae which are fed on byzooplankton, which in turn are consumed by small fishes in the food chain.

But, if the CDOM is too low, it allows penetration of ultra violet light to greater depth and can affect the marine biota adversely. On the other hand, CDOM occurs not only due to anthropogenic factors, but also natural ones, like decay of phytoplankton also releases CDOM into the system.

Heritage starts with the smallest artefact and goes up to the most phenomenal monument, making it essential for everything that comes in between to be preserved for posterity.

However, beyond all the built heritage, it is the unbuilt heritage such as art, language, and literature that also requires to be preserved, said a group of panellists speaking on the formulation of a heritage policy for Goa on World Heritage Day.

Every language has a specific word that describes a specific phenomenon that is unique to that tongue.