GOA

Smarting from incidents of dog bites that have tarnished the reputation ofBrand Goa, the government on Thursday revised the policy for street dog feeding with an aim to forge harmony between stray canines and community residents and to keep the dog Population in check. It stated that although feeding of strays may inconvenience some residents especially those who do not like dogs such a practice is necessary to ensure that the animals do not become aggressive due to hunger, and to also make it easy for the agencies concerned to catch them for sterilisation.

The revised policy lays down important guidelines for street dog feeding arrangements while encouraging human communities, including cooperative housing societies, to care for canines in their localities.

Goas sewagetreatmentplants are being utilised at only 40% of their capacity, the state has told the Union Government.

There are nine suchplantsacross the state with a total capacity of 78.35MLD (minimal liquid discharge), but only 31.84MLD has been utilised, the state told the Centre in its status report on sewerage treatment Plants (STPs). The states urban areas generate an estimated 112 MLD.
The government also said that in areas where a sewerage Network isnt available, a septic tank/soak pit arrangement has been adopted. Many hotels and residential buildings (with 50 or more rooms/flats) have their own treatment plants, as mandated under the Town and Country Planning Act, 2010.

The government also said that Sulabh toilets have been provided for groups of houses/communities, and bio-toilets have been provided under the states open defecation-free (ODF) policy.

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 minister Pramod Sawant said at Sakhali on Saturday. Various projects are being implemented in the state in collaboration with Nabard.

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.

To control the rising waste in Goa caused by disposable plastic and beerbottlesand aluminum cans used by locals and tourists, the Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB) is mulling an idea implemented at the pilgrimage site of Kedarnath, Uttarakhand. The board is already in talks with the company Recykal, which has introduced the programme at Kedarnath.

Once implemented in Goa, anyone purchasing a product in a disposable bottle will be charged an extra ‘deposit’ amount. The consumer will be able to recover the amount after scanning a unique QR code when depositing the bottle at one of the predesignated collection centres.

The has issued a notification announcing the chief ministers fellowship programme, under which young professionals will be hired to allow them exposure to day-to-day Governance. A monthly stipend of Rs 30,000 will be paid to the chosen fellows during 11 of the 12 months period of the fellowship. The selection will be done based on essays written by the fellows, among other criteria.

The scheme, which will be in force for three years, is designed to provide valuable experience to youth interested in the social and Economic Development of the state, states the notification. Every year, 10 fellows will be taken on board for a years time. Their nature of work and the departments in which they will work will be decided in advance by the directorate of planning, statistics and evaluation, which is the implementing body for the scheme.

The Goa governments flagship ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) programme, which was introduced three years ago to reduce heart-related mortalities, will be showcased during meetings scheduled to be hosted by the state from this month. As many as 2,573 patients have benefited from thrombolysis and 10,874 have availed of critical electrocardiograms (ECG) free of cost under the programme that has garnered national appreciation for being a model of digital Health innovation.

STEMI is a serious heart attack that occurs when blood flow to a part of the heart is completely blocked for a prolonged period, resulting in extensive damage to a large part of the organ.

It can be prevented through thrombolysis, an intervention by which a major blood clot is dissolved quickly, helping to restart blood flow. Thrombolysis has the potential to avert a heart attack that could otherwise be deadly.
Goas STEMI programme is being implemented at select primary health centres through the GMC and the Bengaluru-based Tricog Health Services Pvt Ltd.

The state cabinet approved the policy for providingsewerageconnection to all households across the state making it mandatory for all.

Existing households will have to pay Rs 5,000 for sewerage connection while for new construction, the amount is fixed at Rs 9,500. Besides, the households will have to pay 35% of water consumption bill as monthly sewerage charges for both existing and new connection.

The sewerage and development corporation of Goa Ltd (SIDCGL) is the nodal agency for providing sewerage facilities.

The existing and commissioned sewerage schemes include Panaji, Vasco, Margao, Fatorda and Navelim (part), Durbhat and Sakhali.

The ongoing sewerage scheme expecting commissioning include Margao, Navelim, Ponda, north coastal belt, Colva, Ponda and Porvorim.

As per the cabinet note, there is poor response for availing house sewerage connection by the public wherever connectivity is available. Accordingly, a draft notification is proposed for making the connections mandatory and the same is vetted by the law department.
During the year 2008-2010 as there was poor response for availing the connections, a one-time subsidised scheme for Fatorda and Margao was implemented by the government in 2010.

The cabinet note further said that since the government has spent huge capital cost in providing sewerage Network and providing connectivity, the same is required to be put for public use and it is proposed to be implemented with revised tariff all over Goa.

The Coastal Zone Management Plan (CZMP) will have detrimental effect on the fishing community of Goa. Prior to its implementation the authorities should have taken the opinions and objections of the people. The plan was supposed to be passed for the protection of the high tide. However unless there is village-wise clarity about each and every aspect of the plan, we cannot think of agreeing with it blindly, one of the fishermen said.

The bill, when implemented, will created an autonomous body which neither the central nor the will have control over as the onus solely lies with the Mormugao Ports Authority.

The laws introduced by the Union ministry of shipping, particularly the draft Indian Ports Bill and the Major Ports Authorities Act, 2021 could dilute and impinge on the powers of the state government with respect to minor ports and enable their privatisation.

Industries will soon be able to secure all green clearances in one place with the Parivesh portal being refined, said Union Environment minister Bhupender Yadav on Saturday. He was speaking at the 1st International Environment and Sustainability Summit Goa, 2023.

He said 11 lakh crore tonnes of E-Waste is being generated in India and the figure will rise by 20% next year.

Goa is actively working to set up a waste-to-energy plant and it has also started the process of creating a https://exam.pscnotes.com/green-Climate-fund”>Green Climate Fund.

The states environment minister Nilesh Cabral said that only 5% of waste in Goa is going into landfills and the aim is to bring this Percentage down. He requested the Union minister to finalise at the earliest a policy to make manufacturers take responsibility for the waste generated from their products such as PET bottles, tetra packs and packaging.

The has appointed former Vedanta associate Mahesh Patil as the new chairman of the Goa StatePollutionControl Board (GSPCB). The appointment comes after the term of the earlier chairman, which had been extended on four occasions, lapsed.

Patil has 25 years of experience in dealing with corporate sustainability, safety, and rehabilitation, reclamation and resettlement at several locations in India and abroad. He has successfully completed more than 25 environmental clearances to the mining sector and other industries in Goa, Karnataka, Odisha and Jharkhand. He is also behind ensuring environmental compliance at more than 15 sites across India and abroad.