GOA

Chief minister PramodSawant said that, in the next 10 years, thestatewants to producetechnocratsand that is why coding and Robotics schemes were introduced in schools. These technocrats should be able to work not only at the national level, but also at the international level, he said.

Stating that Goa will be hosting a national-level science festival for the first time, the chief minister urged students to participate in the event that will commence from December 10. Top institutions involved in innovation will be at the science festival, he said.

Coding and robotics schemes have been implemented in the state for Class VI to Class VIII across 435 schools and 65,000 students have participated in the program.

Sawant also said that the has various counselling schemes career, youth and student which can be implemented 100% only if teachers pass them on.

Power minister Ramkrishna Sudin Dhavalikar said that theTamnar projectis the need of the hour to cater to the states growing power requirements over the next 20 years.

The minister said that Rs 10 crore will be spent in each constituency to take up underground cabling. The will generate Money to take up underground cabling, said Dhavalikar, adding that so far Rs 80 crore revenue has been generated and the target is to generate Rs 800 crore.

Goa received Rs 213 crore from the Centre as compensation for GST shortfall, as part of the Rs 40,000 crore released to various states under the Centres back-to-back loan facility to meet the shortfall in GST collection and compensation. A similar amount was released in mid-July as the Centre helps states and union territories meet the shortfall in tax revenues.

This is in addition to the normal GST compensation being released every two months out of the actual GST cess collection. The Centre advised states to used the funds to meet their public expenditure particularly improvement of Health and completion of infrastructure projects through proper planning.

Goas GST collections have improved over the last two months. Aided by resumption in tourism and industrial activity, the tax collections in September hit pre-Covid levels.

Goa has agreed to the Centres funding arrangements to meet the GST compensation shortfall. The Centre has borrowed the funds through five-year and two-year Bonds. No additional market borrowing by the Central Government is envisaged on account of this release.

he has identified land in Dharbandora taluka, near theSanjivanisugar factory, for setting up of the India International University of Legal Education and Research ofBar Council of IndiaTrust.

The Bar Council of India has sought 2 lakh sqm of land for setting up of the university and the land demarcation process is under way.

Earlier, the state cabinet had granted its nod to the bill. There is a provision by which the India International University of Legal Education and Research may also establish centres in other parts of India, and abroad.

At present, there are two law colleges in Goa, both affiliated to theGoa University.
The state, so far, has no law university orNational Law School(NLS).
The government had promulgated an ordinance regarding the new university.

The sharp difference between the VAT levied in Goa and in the neighbouring states will put Goas industrial units at a disadvantage, said GCCI. It has also called for the inclusion of natural gas under the goods and Services tax (GST) regime.

The , particularly the manufacturing sector using PNG as a fuel, is primarily affected by this transition. Due to the inclusion under GST, the industry was able to claim the benefit of the amount of GST paid as input tax credit, and thus the GST was cost neutral.

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.