The has handed over 16,000sqm land atSanguemto the Union Government to set up a Rs 20 crore handicraft village project. Chief ministerPramod Sawanton Monday said that training centres and showrooms will be set up at the handicraft village.
The Centre has sanctioned Rs 10 crore for the project and an equal share will be put up by the state government.
The government of Goa is committed to extending all support for the revival and Growth of the Goan weaving art.
Goa-based ICAR-Central Coastal Agricultural Research Institute will conducttrialsto grow crops that are not usually cultivated in Goa, among which are apple, potato which are usually sourced from other states.
The production of all is very mild in Goa but attempts must be made to make best use of the area under cultivation and grow such crops. The duty of the institute is to try growing new varieties of crops so that the dependence on Karnataka, especially Belagavi can be reduced.
Goa currently sources 320 tons of vegetables especiallypotatoesand onions per day from neighboring Karnataka and Maharashtra.
ICAR-CCARI has signed an MoU with CPRI (central potato research institute) to increase vegetable and fodder production in the state to make Goa swampurana or self-reliant. Five varieties of potato have been recommended for cultivation in the state Kufri Surya, Kufri Lima, Kufri Kiran, Kufri Thar 1 and Kufri Pukhraj.
Goa Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) state general secretary Janardhan S Bhandari demanded that the government release funds for the cattle management scheme and also called for a legislation to contain the killing of bovines by vehicles along national highway 66. He was referring to the recent incident when a vehicle ran overstray cattlekilling 11 cattle on the spot and injuring three others.
Bhandari demanded that the government initiate the Goa stray cattle management scheme, 2013 through the Department of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Services (DAHVS). He said that the provision of finance under this scheme is insufficient and more funds as well as manpower was required to handle stray cattle. He also said that due to lack of funds the scheme is not effectively implemented in Goa.
The Goa Goods and Service Tax (Amendment) Bill, 2022, received the cabinets approval on Wednesday. As per the amendment, the registration of a person paying tax under Section 10 of the act is liable to be cancelled if the return for a financial year has not been furnished beyond three months from the due date.
The bill seeks to amend clause (b) of sub-section (2) of Section 29 of the act and will be introduced in the upcoming assembly session of Goa legislative assembly.
It seeks to insert a new sub-clause (ba) in clause (2) of explanation in order to provide clarity regarding the relevant date for filing refund claims in respect of supplies made to a Special Economic Zone developer or a Special Economic Zone unit.
As part of the larger objective to make Goa carbon neutral by 2030, the intends to incentivize the adoption ofelectric vehicles, bring in electric vehicle manufacturers to Goa and restore fragile Ecosystems in the state.
Environment minister Nilesh Cabral said that the government aims to make electric two-wheelers cheaper than petrol-powered two-wheelers while the price difference between a conventional car and an electric car will be reduced from 30% to 5%.
The states subsidies are in addition to the subsidy for scrapping of vehicles and the Centres subsidy for electric vehicles. For motorcycle pilots, 50% to 54% of the cost of the vehicle will be subsidised.
Goa Universitywill soon offer a master’s degree in , vice-chancellor Harilal Menon said. He said that any graduate will be able to pursue this MA, provided they studied Sanskrit in school and have basic knowledge of the language.
The programme will be offered by the university’s School of Sanskrit and Indic Knowledge Systems, and Menon said that plans are also afoot to introduce a postgraduate programme in ayurveda. GU has already begun the process to recruit faculty for the MA in Sanskrit, and added that Sanskrit and ayurveda are complementary fields.
Goa already has an All India Institute of Ayurveda, recently established at Dhargalim in Pernem, and the programmes in Sanskrit and ayurveda at GU are expected to help boost mutual research.
The has decided to set up awasteto energyplantin the state and the cabinet granted approval to appoint IVLSwedishEnvironment Research Institute to execute the project on nomination basis at a cost of 35,000 Euros.
Goa government also approved the proposal of the Goa Waste Management Corporation (GWMC) to carry out a pre-feasibility project study and cleared the draft agreement to be executed with IVL Swedish Environment Research Institute for the same.
As per the report by GWMCs consultant iDeck, the state generates 766 tonne of solid waste per day out of which 345 tonne is dry waste. Of the dry waste, 60 tonne is non-recyclable combustible waste classified as refuse derived fuel (RDF).
GWMC transports approximately 600 tonne of RDF per month to cement factories for co-incineration, the cost of transportation for which varies from Rs 20,000 to Rs 26,000 per truck for 12-14 tonne. As this is economically unviable for the state, setting up of a waste toenergyplant was proposed.
A provision of Rs 1,000 crore has been made in the state budget to take up improvement of riding quality surface in all assembly constituencies. A total of 1,700km of road length will be resurfaced during 2023-24. Chief ministerPramod Sawantsaid on Wednesday that the target is to complete 500km at a cost of Rs 280 crore before the onset of the monsoon.
He said that the has already prepared an annual plan for 2023-24 for Rs 3,630.8 crore worth of highway projects, which will be soon submitted to the Union Government and we are confident of receiving the sanctions at an early date.
The projects will include four-laning of Ponda to Bhoma section (Rs 750 crore), four-laning of existing road fromSanjeevanisugar factory toKhandepar(Rs 600 crore), four-laning of Anmod to Mollem section (Rs 1,500 crore) and construction of foot overbridge at Fulancho Khuris, Bambolim (Rs 7 crore).
Additionally, four-laning from Cortalim, Nagoa to Verna section (Rs 550 crore) and four-laning of Karmal Ghat section (Rs 200 crore) will also be taken up, Sawant said.
Also, during 2023-24, Rs 2.5 crore has been allotted per assembly constituency under MLA-Local Area Development Scheme, Goa Scheme with a total outlay of Rs 100 crore, he said.
Finally identified as a citizen, Heena, 45, a transgender from Goa, will be casting her vote for the first time this election, making it a giant leap towards inclusion for thecommunityin Goa.
It is every persons right to vote and we are entitled to select the leader of our choice as well. It has made us very happy to be included,
While members of the transgender community have been participating in using their male registeredvoterIDs all these years, this is the first time that some of them will be casting their votes under their recognised identity after The Supreme Court declared them thethirdgender in 2014.
They were motivated to vote following an initiative undertaken by Anyay Rahit Zindagi (ARZ), an organisation combating human trafficking. Seven from South Goa and two from North Goa enrolled themselves on the electoral roll under the thirdgendercategory.
The IndianNavyhas signed an agreement with the Goa Tourism Development Corporation (GTDC) under which a decommissioned Soviet-era Ilyush 38 Sea Dragon (IL-38SD)aircraftwill be handed over for creation of amuseum. The long range maritime reconnaissance (LRMR) aircraft will be placed near the Merces junction close to the under construction district court complex as an attraction for tourists and local residents.
According to sources, the GTDC could lay the foundation stone for the museum on January 4. The aircraft itself will be transported at a later stage after being partially dismantled.
The GTDC had expressed its interest to the INDIAN NAVY, for possession of such aircraft, and the latter subsequently agreed for the same, as a gift to Goa on the occasion of its 60th year of Liberation.