log on to thegoan.net @thegoaneveryday sunday JANUARY 10, 2021 in short >> Facebook.com/thegoaneveryday 12 pages Price ` 6 The Goan (Playstore) PANAJI MARGAO Goa VOLume VI, No. 201 Instagram.com/thegoaneveryday Jadeja out of 4th Test >>8 RNI: GOAENG/2015/65729 Empower people, not self: Naidu On Legislator’s Day, Vice President urges law makers to develop strong connect with people the goan I network The poultry market in Delhi will remain closed for 10 days due to the outbreak of avian influenza, commonly known as bird flu, in several parts of the country.  PTI Former Gujarat CM Solanki dies at 93 GANDHINAGAR: Former Gujarat Chief Minister Madhavsinh Solanki passed away on Saturday (January 9, 2021) aged 93. Solanki served as the state’s CM for three terms between 1976 and 1990. Following the news of Solanki’s death, several noted leaders condoled the death of the nonagenarian Congressman including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Ram Nath Kovind. Impeachment of Trump on cards WASHINGTON: Warnings flashing, Democrats in Congress laid plans Friday for swift impeachment of President Donald Trump, demanding decisive, immediate action to ensure an “unhinged” commander in chief can’t add to the damage they say he’s inflicted or even ignite nuclear war in his final days in office.  >> See pg 7 Azhar in Goa to bat for Goa Forward MARGAO: With Municipal elections round the corner to be followed by Assembly battle in 2022, former India captain Mohd Azharuddin was at the Fatorda grounds on Saturday to strongly bat for Goa Forward Party and its Chief, Vijai Sardesai.  >> See pg 2 2 held for bullfight in Mandrem, cops locate dead bull >> See pg 5 weather >> Max: 31.6 C Min: 24.0 C Humidity: 96% Tides Low: High: 00:40 13:37 06:30 20:59 PANAJI Vice President of India Venkaiah Naid, who arrived in Goa on a six-day stay on Friday said that legislators are supposed to empower people and not themselves. Addressing the Goa Legislator’s Day function, Naidu said “Nation comes first, party is next and self is last. He added that politicos are being tarnished because of a few ‘bad apples’ due to few people,” Speaking further to an audience comprising mostly of legislators and ex-MLAs, Naidu also said the people in India think the right character VP’s advice to Goa: diversify beyond tourism and mining Vice President of India Venkaiah Naidu addressing Goa law makers on Legislator’s Day at the Assembly Complex in Porvorim on Saturday. More pics on pg 3  Narayan Pissurlenkar is rare among politicians. “Unfortunately, the peo- PANAJI: Goa has to look for diversification of growth by seizing the opportunities being offered by the new age technologies, advised Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu. “Tourism and mining have been the main drivers of Goa’s success story. Limitations of land availability, mounting ecological concerns, and mining reaching its saturation are big impediments for further industrial developments of the state,” he said. ple’s perception is that the right character among the politicians is in short supply. I am sorry I am frank. One has to be frank. This is what is Uneasy calm prevails at Shel-Melauli; no arrests happening. The image of the politicians is going down, because of the conduct of some people,” Naidu said. Outlining the other posi- tive attributes expected of law makers, Naidu urged them to develop strong connect with the people they represent to properly assess and understand their difficulties and aspirations; right conduct both in public and inside the legislatures; character based on moral integrity; capacity to understand the emerging complexities and deliver and communication skills for effective communication with the people and all other stakeholders. The Vice President said, “Any legislature is as good as its members. Legitimacy of both of them are interdependent as each of them draw sustenance from the other.” He further noted that any legislator modelled on these six positive attributes would most certainly like the House to ‘Discuss, Debate and Decide’ so that she/he can make useful contribution rather than being disrupted and that is the difference that able legislators can make to the functioning of legislatures. “You have seen what happened recently in Karnataka... Earlier even in Parliament and in some legislatures. I would request everybody concerned, legislators and political parties, please reflect and ensure your legislators function effectively,” Naidu said. >Continued on P5 CM lauds Goa’s ex-legislators PANAJI: Stating that the Goa Assembly has witnessed numerous legislators who have contributed in their own way to make Goa what it is today, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant lauded their contribution in various fields. “It is on their tall shoulders that the State stands today with a sense of pride,” stated the Chief Minister in his address.  >> See pg 3 DARE TO BARE ... the goan I network VALPOI An uneasy calm prevailed at Shel-Melauli on Saturday as the government team did not conduct demarcation work but locals assembled at the IIT project site and a smaller police force was stationed at all entry points to Melauli. However, there were no detentions or arrets reported on Saturday unlike on Friday when several youths were detained for trying to enter the villages. There were speculations that the absence of demarcation work and the fewer police personnel at Melauli was on account of the deployment of police security during Vice President Venkaiah Naidu’s visit to the State. The locals, however, continued to assemble at the IIT project site, while a few policemen remained stationed at all entry points to Melauli. The village remained largely peaceful following clashes between police and locals on Tuesday and Wednesday. Meanwhile, the Valpoi Block Congress Committee denounced the FIR registered against Congress leaders and locals of Shel-Melauli for the clashes. “The State government is trying to suppress the agitation by using police force and they will not succeed. The A police team stationed at one of Melauli’s three entry points.  Uday Sawant SPECULATIONS POLICE VS PUBLIC „„That the absence of demarcation work and the fewer police personnel at Melauli was on account of the deployment of police security during Vice President Venkaiah Naidu’s visit to the State „„The locals continued to assemble at the IIT project site, while a few policemen remained stationed at all entry points to Melauli, but the village remained largely peaceful Congress has fully supported this agitation right from the beginning and it will continue to do so in future,” said Congress Block General Secretary Nandkumar Kopardekar at a news conference in Valpoi on Saturday evening. “The government should consider the demands of Melauli locals to scrap this project and to grant them land ownership rights,” Kopardekar added. Meanwhile, speaking at the Goa Legislators’ Day programme in Panaji, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said that his government was people oriented and not insensitive to issues faced by people. “Tell us when we are wrong. This is a people oriented govt. Govt is not insensitive. We are ready listen to the people,” the Chief Minister said. Farmers during their ongoing agitation against the new farm laws, at Singhu border in New Delhi, on Saturday.  India Covid vaccination drive from Jan 16 AGENCIES NEW DELHI India’s coronavirus vaccination drive will begin on January 16, the government said on Saturday, hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a high-level meeting with senior officials to review the Covid situation in the country and finalise vaccine roll-out details. The Prime Minister called the news a “landmark step forward in fighting COVID-19”. Priority will be given to around one crore healthcare workers and two crore frontline staff, like doctors, community health workers and police, who are directly involved in fighting the pandemic. The vaccine will be free of cost for this group, Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan said last week. The next group will be people over 50, followed by those under 50 but with co-morbidities. Around 30 crore people will be vaccinated in the first phase. Minutes after the an- nouncement, Prime Minister Modi tweeted: “On 16th January, India takes a landmark step forward in fighting COVID-19. Starting that day, India’s nationwide vaccination drive begins. Priority will be given to our brave doctors, healthcare workers, frontline workers including safai karamcharis.” All-women crew to fly into My shot to political fame is due to Sai Baba: Lobo history with 17-hour flight SKY’S THE LIMIT S the goan I network AGENCIES NEW DELHI An all-women team of Air India made history on Saturday when they piloted the longest non-stop commercial flight operated by any airline in India from San Francisco in the USA to Bengaluru. Stating that it is a matter of great national pride, Air India’s Captain Zoya Aggarwal told English news channel NDTV they were “looking forward to creating history”. “It’s 16,000-odd km. So, we are looking at world’s longest flight. And, yes, we are going to try and fly the polar route (over the North Pole). How- „„Flight AI176 departed from San Francisco in the USA at 8.30 PM (local time) on Saturday „„It is expected to land at Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport at 3.45 AM (local time) on Monday ever, it depends on multitude of factors like solar radiations and the turbulence. So, we are going to sit tight and hope that we will go polar and break all sorts of records,” she said. Flight AI176 departed from San Francisco in the USA at 8.30 PM (local time) on Saturday. It is expected to land at Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport at 3.45 AM (local time) on Monday. Flying over the Arctic would shorten the distance between the two technology hubs — Bengaluru and San Francisco — which are approximately 13,993 km apart, and on opposite ends of the world with a time zone lag of 13.5 hours. The total flight time on this route will be of more than 17 hours. “The route will be San Francisco-Seattle-Vancouver and >Continued on P5 MAPUSA tating that he is a big fan of the Sai Baba, Ports Minister Michael Lobo said he owed his success in life and his rise in politics to Sai Baba of Shirdi. “I go to Shirdi every year to take the blessings of the Sai Baba. His blessings are with me. I have come up in life, enjoy good health and am able to work for the people only because of his blessings,” Lobo said. The Ports Minister was speaking to a group of Sai Baba devotees who kicked off a padyatra to Shirdi from Mapusa. Former Mapusa Chairperson Sudhir Kandolkar and other political leaders were also PTI I go to Shirdi every year to take the blessings of the Sai Baba. His blessings are with me. I have come up in life, enjoy good health and am able to work for the people only because of his blessings — Michael Lobo Ports Minister Ports Minister Michael Lobo holding the palki of Sai Baba along with other devotees in Mapusa. present on the occasion. Continuing, Lobo said he first went to Shirdi when he decided to contest an election for the first time in the State. He disclosed that a Sai Baba devotee had advised him that if a leaf falls near him he should keep it or swallow it. “Just as I was advised, as I was praying below a tree, a leaf came and fell on me. I ate the leaf. It is a prasad. There and there I came to know that I would win the elections,” he said, sparking a big applause from the devotees. “He gave me axirvad (blessings) there and from that time onwards there was no looking back. For almost 12 years now, I have been serving the people of Goa,” he added. He said Sai Baba made no differences among people and followed all religions. “Sai Baba is a guru of all religions,” Lobo said. According to the Ports Minister all prayers of those who believe in the Sai Baba and have faith in him are answered. “I guarantee you all your intentions will be fulfilled 100 per cent by the Sai Baba. I have full trust in him,” he said to the devotees. The devotees who kick-started the padyatra are expected to reach Shirdi on January 23. They will walk a distance of 45 to 50 kms a day. The distance from Goa to Shirdi in Maharashtra is around 660 kms.