log on to thegoan.net @thegoaneveryday FRIDAY JANUARY 22, 2021 IN SHORT >> BSE employees celebrate near the bull’s statue after the sensex crossed 50,000 mark for the first time, in Mumbai, on Thursday.  PTI HC notice over non-payment of DSS stipend PANAJI: The High Court of Bombay at Goa has issued notices to the state government and Director of Social Welfare Department over non-payment of monthly stipend through DSS to persons with disability for the last 5 months. The High Court took cognition of a communication from Disability Rights Association of Goa (DRAG) as a Suo Moto Public Interest Litigation. Notices are returnable on February 1. DRAG said that monthly stipend of Rs 2,000 has not been paid to nearly 12,000 persons with disabilities for the past 5 months. Farmers reject Centre’s deal NEW DELHI: Farmer unions on Thursday rejected the proposal put forth by the government to suspend the farm laws for a mutually-agreed period. The Samyukta Kisan Morcha said, ‘’In a full general body meeting of Samyukt Kisan Morcha, the proposal put forth by the Govt was rejected. Smart anti-airfield weapon test-fired BENGALURU: State-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited on Thursday successfully test fired a Smart Anti Airfield Weapon (SAAW) from the Hawk-i aircraft off the coast of Odisha. The aircraft flown by HAL test pilots Wing Commander (Retd) P Awasthi and Wg Cdr (Retd) M Patel executed the weapon release in a text book manner and all mission objectives were met. WEATHER >> Max: 33.0 C Min: 21.2 C Humidity: 89% TIDES Low: High: 12:05 23:44 04:22 19:24 Facebook.com/thegoaneveryday 8 pages PRICE ` 6 The Goan (Playstore) PANAJI MARGAO GOA VOLUME VI, NO. 213 Instagram.com/thegoaneveryday Ben Stokes, Jofra Archer back for first 2 Tests against India PG 8 RNI: GOAENG/2015/65729 SC-appointed CEC inspects Tanmar & other proj sites COMMITTEE MEMBERS EXPECTED TO VISIT SITES RELATED TO DOUBLE-TRACKING PROJECT TODAY THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI Members of the high-powered Central Empowered Committee (CEC) appointed by the Supreme Court descended at Mollem on Thursday and visited sites at ground zero pertaining to two of the three linear projects said to be threatening protected forests there. The CEC headed by former Environment Secretary PV Jayakrishnan, who also served as Goa Chief Secretary in the early nineties, inspected some of the sites in the protected forests through which the project to expand the National Highway NH4A cuts through. Officials of the Goa forest department and also MORTH were also present and were Sawant urges engg students to support Tamnar, govt projects PANAJI: Chief Minister Pramod Sawant exhorted engineering students to take to social media platforms and present “facts” to counter negative propaganda on government projects. Sawant who was speaking to an audience of students at the Goa Engineering College in Farmagudi on Thursday made special mention of the Tamnar power project at Mollem. The project promoted by Vedanta owned Sterlite is crucial to Goa’s power needs but was facing opposition, Sawant said. >Continued on P5 seen clarifying details of the projects to Jayakrishnan and other CEC members. The CEC also inspected sites related to the Tamnar power project promoted by Vedanta owned Sterlite Power. On Friday, Jayakrishnan and his CEC co-members, are expected to inspect sites in the protected forests related to the double tracking project of the South Western Railways. Civil Society and a wide spectrum of Goa’s political ecosystem have been vehemently opposing the three projects on primarily two ma- THE CEC „„Inspected some of the sites in the protected forests through which the project to expand the National Highway NH4A cuts through CM: ENGINEERS MUST FOCUS ON INNOVATION & PROVIDING SOLUTION >> See pg 3 jor counts: one that the irreversible damage to wildlife habitats innthe Bhagwan Mahavir Wildlife sanctuary and the revered Mollem National Park is unquantifiable and too heavy a price to pay. And two, the projects are clandestinely being promoted to YOUTH & STUDENTS „„They are hoping to earn an audience with the CEC to present a written representation opposing the projects convert Goa into a transportation corridor for coal imported through the Mormugao port for steel and power plants in North Karnataka. Meanwhile, youth and students who have spurred the protests against the projects over several months are hoping to earn an audience with Jayakrishnan and the other members of the CEC to present a written representation opposing the projects. >Continued on P5 COALLECTIVE PUSH Churchill reaches out to all 40 legislators Benaulim MLA Churchill Alemao on Thursday made an impassioned plea to all the 40 MLAs to leave behind their differences and join hands to adopt a unanimous resolution in the ensuing Goa Legislative Assembly to cap coal handling at the Mormugao Port Trust (MPT) Let the resolution adopted in the House be the voice of the people of Goa that coal handling beyond a limit should not be handled at the MPT now and in the future, Churchill said. Vijai backs resolution against coal handling Goa Forward Chief VijaiSardesai has said his party MLAs will support any resolution that would totally stop coal handing in the state, saying that the party is not only concerned about the adverse effects on tourism, but on the environment as well as on the health of Goans. The Goa Forward party has tabled a resolution for the scrapping of the linear projects. If the government is sincere in capping coal, it can take a decision on the floor of the House, Vijai said. Apply the precautionary principle, says UGDP The United Goans Democratic Party (UGDP) has underscored the need to apply the “Precautionary Principle” with the coal transportation from Vasco having environmental harmful consequences as it is better to control now rather than to wait for inconvertible scientific evidence. Dr Jorson wondered if the environmental public hearing held on April 26, 2017 at Tilak Maidan, Vasco had the effect of throwing water on the duck’s back.  >> See pg 2 Covid vaccine side effects 5 DEAD IN SERUM INSTITUTE INFERNO normally occur, says DHS To take a jab or not? Medical staff in a quandary THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI Days after reactions and side effects were reported in at least 10 frontline Covid-19 health workers who took the vaccine jab in the first round, the Directorate of Health Services stoutly defended it saying such symptoms “normally occur”. “Symptoms such as pain and tenderness at the site of injection, bodyache, myalgia, weakness, fever, vomiting, loose motion and pain in abdomen normally occur within 24-hours of vaccination and it is an indication that the vaccine is working on the immune system of the beneficiary,” the DHS said in a press release. The DHS also admitted that some of the 400-odd vaccination beneficiaries who were inoculated with the covishield vaccine in Goa had reported symptoms. PM, CMs to take jab in 2nd round NEW DELHI: NEW DELHI: PM Narendra Modi will be given the Covid-19 vaccine shot in the second stage of the ongoing mass vaccination drive. Sources said that the Prime Minister all other chief ministers will be administered the COVID-19 vaccine dose after the first phase of mass vaccination ends. Other leaders, bureaucrats, government officials aged over 50 years will also be vaccinated. >> See pg 7 It said, simple remedies like paracetamol, ORS and rest helps get rid of the minor symptoms, adding that the vaccine is approved by ICMR and the Drug Controller of India. Another death, Goa toll is 757 PANAJI: Covid-19 claimed one more life, that of an 85-year-old woman from Raia, who died at the Goa Medical College and Hospital. With this death, the toll has reached 757. Also, 55 more people were reported to have contracted in 24 between Wednesday and Thursday. As many as 1,748 samples were tested. 54 recovered from the series. As of Thursday, Goa has 865 active cases at 96.92% recovery rate. “The vaccine is safe, well tested and effective,” the DHS press release said. Nonetheless, there is a sense of disquiet with medical >Continued on P5 Smoke billows out after a massive fire broke out at the Serum Institute of India, in Pune, on Thursday. The facility had rolled out its Covishield vaccine for the first phase of COVID vaccination drive that began on January 16.  PTI Fresh fire breaks out in same building PUNE: A fresh fire has broken out in one of the compartments of the same building at Serum Institute of India (SII), in Pune where five people died in the blaze earlier on Thursday. Fire fighting operation was underway. Nine were evacuated from a building in the Serum Institute of India's Manjari premises here after a fire broke out at the facility on Thursday, police said. Covishield vaccine production won't be hit due to the fire, Serum Institute of India CEO Adar Poonawalla said. The Manjari facility is where the Covishield vaccine used in the nationwide inoculation drive against the pandemic is made. The building where the fire broke out is part of the under-construction site of the Serum facility and is one km from the Covishield manufacturing unit, sources said. "I would like to reassure all governments & the public that there would be no loss of #COVISHIELD production due to multiple production buildings that I had kept in reserve to deal with such con- tingencies at @SerumInstIndia," Poonawalla tweeted. "We have just received some distressing updates; upon further investigation we have learnt that there has unfortunately been some loss of life at the incident. We are deeply saddened and offer our deepest condolences to the family members of the departed," Poonawalla added. Speaker: Kept disqualification Biden sets out to reverse Trump-era immigration rule plea pending as matter in SC 1 AGENCIES THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI Already facing a petition in the Supreme Court for allegedly delaying a decision on the disqualification petitions against legislators who crossed floors to buttress the legislative strength of the government, Speaker Rajesh Patnekar ironically cited that very plea in the Supreme Court to justify his conduct of not deciding the petitions. Patnekar told the media persons in Panaji on Thursday that he has not yet adjudicated the disqualification petitions as the issue is being dealt with by the Supreme Court. THE MASS CONGRESS EXODUS „„Ten Congress legislators and two from the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party had switched to the ruling BJP „„They are facing disqualification petitions under the Xth Schedule of the Constitution which have to be decided by the Speaker Ten Congress legislators and two from the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) who have switched to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) are facing disqualification petitions under the Xth Schedule of the Constitution which have to be decided by the Speaker. While the pleas against the 10 Congress MLAs who defected in July 2019, are filed by the party’s State president Girish Chodankar, the pleas against the MGP defectors have been filed by Marcaim MLA Sudin Dhavlikar. Chodankar had also moved the Supreme Court seeking a direction to the Speaker to decide the petitions early accusing him of delaying the matters without substantive reasons to the advantage of the violators of the Anti-Defection Law. The matter is pending before the Apex Court. WASHINGTON S President Joe Biden signed a series of executive orders to launch his administration Wednesday, including a decision to rejoin the Paris climate accord and a mask mandate for all federal buildings. The orders included keeping the United States in the World Health Organization, ending the ban on entries from mostly Muslim-majority countries, bolstering environmental protections and strengthening the fight against Covid-19. As he had promised, Biden’s team set out to reverse the damage the Trump era did to H-1B visas and to the US immigration system. The Trump Administration had made changes through three types of actions: policy Also among the directives was a halt to construction of the wall on the US-Mexico border, and efforts to expand diversity and equality for minority groups in the federal government The orders were aimed at reversing decisions by his predecessor Donald Trump and setting a clear policy path for Biden's new administration, just hours after he was sworn in as president His return to the Paris Agreement, which the United States joined Barack Obama was president and Biden vice president, was lauded by other leaders U 2 3 President Joe Biden signs documents in the President’s Room at the US Capitol after the inauguration ceremony.  PTI changes, regulatory changes, and executive orders. Each type of action requires a different type of approach for reversal. Also among the directives was a halt to construction of the wall on the US-Mexico border, and efforts to expand diversity and equality for minority groups in the federal government. The orders were aimed at reversing decisions by his predecessor Donald Trump and setting a clear policy path for Biden’s new administration, just hours after he was sworn in as president. “Some of things we are going to be doing are going to be bold,” he said in the Oval Office. “We are going to combat climate change in a way we have not done so far,” Biden said of returning to the Paris agreement, a treaty signed by most nations in 2016 to limit global warming. He said his actions on the Covid-19 pandemic, which has claimed 400,000 American lives, would help change the course of the crisis. His return to the Paris Agreement, which the United States joined Barack Obama was >Continued on P5