GOA

To keep a check on tourists visiting the state,Goa policehave started discussions with hotels to use a Software which will help it check every guest checking in and out.

Goa Police is in the process of implementing the Pathik software developed by Ahmadabad city police.Pathikis aimed at creating a digital searchable Database of all visitors/guests checking in and out of hotels and lodges.

Goa is a major tourist destination with a very large footfall, and it is expected that the implementation of Pathik would be a great help in ensuring the safety of citizens and tourists through better prevention and detection.

Afilmhighlighting the rich of Goas lifeline, the Mhadei, was screened in Bangladesh on December 17 as part of theInternational Film Festival at Dhaka.

The documentary titled Mhadei: Life in Monsoon, directed by Ashish Shah from Panaji for the Goa forest department, showcases glimpses of the richness of the biodiversity as well as the ecosystem of the Mhadei (known as the Mandovi downstream).

The film was scripted by Nandan Saxena and was part of a documentary series produced by the department over a period of three-four years, covering various aspects of Goas forests, ECOLOGY and wildlife.

The documentary film will also be screened at the lnternational Film Festival of Agra, in Uttar Pradesh. It is among 25 films selected from out of 100 entries submitted.

While the country’s GST collections notched up an 11% increase in November, the GST revenue from Goa showed a 14% drop. As against the Rs 518 crore earned in November 2021, tax officials recorded a revenue of Rs 447 crore in the last month.

GST officials and the expects stronger GST collections in December which is the peak tourism season, and since international charters have resumed arrivals in Goa.

Last December, despite the lack of international tourists, Goa still brought in Rs 592 crore as GST revenue, with the resurgence driven by revenge tourism by domestic travellers and uptick in manufacturing.

The masterplan for theBondla WildlifeSanctuary, submitted by the Goa forest department to thecentral Zoo Authority(CZA), has been approved in principle.

According to the masterplan the new orientation of cages for the zoo are to be done and upgradation plans at the wildlife sanctuary will also be taken up.

In addition, the department is also interested in bringing a pair of hippopotamus and wild boar to the zoo.

The state cabinet on Friday amended the Dayanand Social Security Scheme (DSSS) to increase monthly financial assistance towidowsfrom the existing Rs 2,000 to Rs 2,500.

As many as 35,145 widows presently avail of benefits under the scheme that provides monetaryaidto the most vulnerable sections of Society.

In his budget speech for the year 2021-22, chief minister Pramod Sawant had given an assurance on the floor of the House that financial assistance to widows would be enhanced by Rs 500 per month.

While no separate category exists for widows under the scheme, it has been included as a sub-category under the single Women head.

As per sub-para 12 of 3 of the scheme, a single woman is a female who is above the age of 18 years and includes widows, divorcees, deserted or judicially separated women, and unmarried women above the age of 50 years.

In order to ascertain the Unemployment rate in Goa, the government has commenced a survey to find out how manyGoansand non-Goans have been employed in various sectors in the state.

The survey, which is expected to go on for a month, is being carried out by officials of the department of labour and EMPLOYMENT, who will visit industries, hotels, showrooms, supermarkets, general stores, pharmacies, garment stores, hospitals, clinics, and even kiosks.

In its annual report for 2020-21, theUnion ministry of statisticsand programme implementation (MoSPI) had said that Goa had the third highest joblessness rate in the country during that period.

Referring to data from the employment exchange for 2019, state labour minister Atanasio ‘Babush’Monserratesaid that as many as 1.2 lakh youth are registered on the exchange. He also claimed that some people obtain employment cards for themselves solely to land government jobs and said that the government is not a factory to keep on generating employment.

Chief minister Pramod Sawant has directed government departments to adopt a village each in pursuance of theSwayampurnaGoamission, and said that each departments head should visit their village at least once a week.

Sawant met the empowered working group that was formed for the Swayampurna Goa mission, and reviewed the achievements of individual stakeholders.
The chief minister said that the department, once it adopts the village, must implement government schemes in that village. He said that officials should go to the people and not the other way round.

Under Swayampurna Goa, Panchayats And Municipalities are supposed to get funds under the 15th and under the funds allocated for the 60th celebration of Goas Liberation. The state, through the scheme, wanted to ensure 100% coverage of water and electricity connections to the people.

The government has roped in the Agriculture-notes-for-state-psc-exams”>Agriculture department to increase vegetable and agricultural production so that the state does not have to depend on other states for food.