log on to thegoan.net @thegoaneveryday MONDAY MAY 23, 2022 GOA 12 pages PRICE ` 6 Govt to crack whip against corruption in PWD: Cabral PANAJI: Public Works Department Minister Nilesh Cabral on Sunday talked tough against corruption in his department saying he will not hesitate to take strict action against engineers involved.   >> See pg 3 3-day training for all legislators PANAJI: Speaker Ramesh Tawadkar has said all legislators will get a three-day training to familiarise them about the rules and procedures to be followed in the legislative assembly. Out of 40 MLAs there are around 19 first-time legislators. >> See pg 3 Goods train derails near Kulem station PANAJI: Railway traffic along the Vasco-Castlerock route was disrupted after a goods train carrying coal derailed near Kulem railway station. Quad meet to discuss Indo-Pacific: Modi NEW DELHI: The second in-person Quad Leaders’ Summit in Japan will provide an opportunity for leaders of four countries to review the progress of the grouping’s initiatives and exchange views on developments in the Indo-Pacific, PM said. The Goan (Playstore) PANAJI MARGAO GOA VOLUME VII, NO. 335 Instagram.com/thegoaneveryday RNI: GOAENG/2015/65729 3 12 2 6 Blow for mining, export duty hiked to 50% Margao civic workers claim condition inside Sonsodo shed posing threat IN SHORT >> Facebook.com/thegoaneveryday GOA No need for a second Raj Bhavan in Goa, says Congress INDIA No Shivling inside Gyanvapi mosque, says SP lawmaker THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI In a move that will further hit the revival of the beleaguered Goa mining industry hard, the Centre on Saturday hiked export duties from 30 per cent to 50 per cent for all grades of iron ore via a notification which takes effect on Sunday. The Finance Ministry notification tinkered export duties for multiple commodities and fixed it at 45 per cent for iron ore pellets. Export duty on iron ore and concentrates has been raised to 50% on all categories (grades), up from 30% which was hitherto applicable to lumps of grade above 58% Fe content. For iron ore pellets, a 45% duty has been imposed. Formerly that was no export duty on iron ore pellets. The move, understood to be aimed at facilitating greater availability of iron ore for the domestic steel industry, meanwhile, is a huge dampener for the iron ore mining industry of Goa which has been looking up to a reboot TAXING TIME „„Tax on export of iron ores and concentrates hiked to 50% „„45 per cent export duty on iron pellets „„Duty on pig iron & spiegeleisen in pigs, blocks, or other primary formats; flat-rolled products of iron or non- alloy steel etc hiked to 15% „„Import duty on ferronickel, coking coal, PCI coal cut „„Duty on coke & semicoke slashed from 5% to ‘nil’ after nearly a decade of virtual shutdown due to the ban imposed twice by the Supreme Court of India. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman indicated in a tweet that the duty revision exercise on iron, steel and raw materials was to tame prices. “We are calibrating customs duty on raw materials and intermediaries for iron and steel to reduce their prices,” Sitharaman’s tweet read indicating that the move is also aimed at arresting the impact of rising prices of inputs on infrastructure creation when the government is banking on infrastructure-investment to drive a recovery of the economy. Meanwhile, already reeling under the weight of a virtual shutdown since 2018, Goa’s mining industrial houses have mostly been export dependent since their inception in pre-Liberation era. The hike in export duties will adversely impact their bottom lines and possibly also the ongoing preparations to MANGLED METAL TIDES Low: High: 04:35 17:08 11:33 22:28 THE GOAN I NETWORK The ill-fated car that met with an accident at Cunchelim, Mapusa early Sunday. Mishap snuffs out lives of three youth THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI In a ghastly accident, three youth from Belagavi lost their lives after the car they were travelling in hit a tree at Cunchelim, Mapusa early Sunday morning. The deceased have been identified as Nayar Hasansab Angolkar (28), Rohan Gadad (26) and Sani alias Dhiraj Posappa Anvekar (32). The fourth youth -- Vishal Vilas Karekar (27) -- had a miraculous escape with only a fracture to his hand. He is being treated at Mapusa District Hospital. The four Belagavi youth had come to Goa on a weekend trip on Saturday. After partying in Anjuna they were travelling towards Mapusa via Marna road in a swift car bearing a number KA 22 MA 9813. When they reached Cunchelim at around 3 am on Sunday the driver Angolkar lost control over the vehicle and hit a mango tree. The impact was so severe that even the airbags were torn and the car was totally damaged. On getting information, a police team headed by PSI Richa Bonsale, Hawaldar Ulhas Gaonkar, Sushant Chopdekar and others from Mapusa police station immediately reached the spot. The injured person Vishal managed to get out of the car when the police arrived on the spot while the other three were still stuck inside. Police later removed three persons with the help of fire service personnel. All were shifted to district medical hospital where they were declared dead. Later in the evening, all three bodies were taken back to Belgaum by their relatives who rushed to Goa on hearing the news. Sources said all the youth were businessmen. PANAJI With the central government expected to stop GST compensation for States from July, concerns have been raised on how the State government is expected make up for the massive tax revenue gap of Rs 1,000 crore. “It is around Rs 1,000 crore deficit that Goa will face as the pre-GST regime taxes on food products, hotels, liquor, etc. have reduced due to implementation of GST,” said an official with the finance department. Goa is dependent on tourism and prior to GST, there was luxury tax, entertainment tax, VAT on room rent and alcohol, casino entry tax, etc. “As per corresponding figures last year, we were getting around Rs 1,000 crore as compensation”, the official said. As the GST Act was implemented from 1 July 2017, the term of five years is ending on July 1, 2022. “The State can ask for a central funded project of around Rs 1,000 crore against the compensation cess to make up for the deficit, as the Soon, an ambulance CM reiterates temple rebuilding stance SAWANT’S TEMPLE TALK service for cattle THE GOAN I NETWORK THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI The State government is toying with the idea of starting a 24x7 ambulance service for cattle. Confirming this, Animal Husbandry Minister Nilkanth Halarankar on Sunday said an ambulance service akin to 108 Service would be started in both the districts to pick up or shift cattle that have been hit by vehicles or those that are sick. “This service will be started in 2-3 months and will be available 24x7”, Halarnkar said. The Animal Husbandry Department has implemented a PANAJI: The State government officials including North Goa Collector Mamu Hage on Sunday inspected various mining pits in Sattari Taluka. Hage was accompanied by officers of various departments including mines, PWD, WRD etc. The officials inspected the mines from disaster management perspective in view of the oncoming monsoon season. Recently, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant had said of the several mining pits across the State 2-3 were risky and needed to be dewatered on priority adding instructions had already been given to WRD officials. operations in Goa, which has mostly been exports dependent. It will also have an impact on the State’s proposal to hold auctions for giving out fresh mining leases as valuations are bound to be hit, they said. At its peak in 2011-12, over 54 mn tonnes of iron ore was exported from Goa, most of it mined from the State and a miniscule portion of it sourced from other States. Exports dwindled to near zero, over the next decade with Supreme Court of India ordering a halt of operations after it found and declared leases illegal in 2012 and 2018. The export duty hike is also expected to impact the Goa government’s plans to permit mining of dumps comprising mostly of iron ore rejects of past operations over decades. The State government had finalised a policy on iron ore dump mining and a cabinet decision was passed back in December last year. GOA MAY HAVE TO PUSH FOR CENTRAL-FUNDED PROJECT LONDON: Indian-origin businessman Sunil Chopra has been elected as the mayor of London Borough of Southwark for the second time. Delhi-born Sunil Chopra took the oath on Saturday. Max: 39.9 C Min: 26.1 C Humidity: 88% North Goa Collector inspects mining pits in Sattari State on edge to make up `1000 cr revenue deficit Indian-origin man elected UK mayor WEATHER >> restart mining operations in the State. On the flip side, the tinkering of duties is a double bonanza for the domestic steel industry, with duties on import of raw materials such as coking coal and ferronickel have been waived by the Centre hoping it will lower costs and therefore steel prices in the domestic market. Besides, the duty on import of raw materials used in the plastic industry has also been reduced to lower the cost of domestic manufacturing. While import duty on naptha has been cut to 1 per cent, from 2.5 per cent, the duty on propylene Oxide has been halved to 2.5 per cent. The import duty on Polymers of Vinyl Chloride (PVC) has been cut to 7.5 per cent, from 10 per cent, currently. The alterations in the rates of duties comes into effect from Sunday (May 22), according to the notification. Iron ore mining industry watchers meanwhile expect the hike in export duty to adversely impact the financial viability of iron ore mining AS CENTRE MAY STOP GST COMPENSATION FROM JULY… MIDNAPORE: In a jolt to the saffron camp in West Bengal, Bharatiya Janata Party MP Arjun Singh on Sunday rejoined the Trinamool Congress, ending weeks of speculation over his possible switchover to the ruling party. SYDNEY: Australians awoke on Sunday to a new PM in Anthony Albanese, the center-left Labor Party leader whose ascension to the nation’s top job from being raised in social housing by a single mother on a disability pension was said to reflect the country’s changed fabric.  >> See pg 7 Man City clinch 6th Premier League title in 11 seasons FINANCIAL VIABILITY OF MINING OPERATIONS IN GOA LIKELY TO BE AFFECTED BJP MP Arjun Singh rejoins Trinamool Albanese is new Australia PM SPORTS scheme (stray cattle management scheme) for management of stray cattle with an incentive to gaushalas to look after stray cattle. However the gaushalas are finding it difficult to locate stray cattle and shift them as they are lacking resources. Halarnkar said, gaushalas will get resources as this will also be part of the initiative. It may be noted that municipalities such as Mapusa, Sanquelim and Bicholim and Corporation of the City of Panaji together with 34 panchayats which have major roads passing through their villages have signed a MoU with local gaushalas for management of stray cattle. PANAJI hief Minister Pramod Sawant on Sunday once again reiterated his government’s push to rebuild and renovate temples destroyed during the Portuguese colonial rule at a media event in Delhi where he was interviewed by Prafulla Ketkar, the editor of RSS mouthpiece. “In the 450 years of Portuguese rule, there was a destruction of Hindu culture and many people were converted. Temples of the State were destroyed. We are going to rejuvenate all of this. What’s wrong in that? I believe wherever there are temples in destroyed condition, they should be rebuilt. This is my firm opinion,” Sawant said, in C „„In the 450 years of Portuguese rule, there was a destruction of Hindu culture and many people were converted „„Temples of the State were destroyed... We are going to rejuvenate all of this „„What’s wrong in that.. I believe wherever there are temples in destroyed condition, they should be rebuilt... This is my firm opinion „„Govt will move to take tourism beyond Goa’s beaches and promote cultural, spiritual tourism in hinterland „„In every village, there are a couple of temples. We have to take people from the beach to the temple the course of the interview. Sawant also spoke of the allocations made in the Goa budget of Rs 20 crore for renovation of temples. He also linked the move to renovate temples to the State government’s intention to take tourism beyond Goa’s beaches and promote cultural and spiritual tourism in the hinterland. “In every village, there are a couple of temples. We have to take people from the beach to the temple,” Sawant also said. Part of the interview was also dedicated to the debate over the Uniform Civil Code, which Goa is the only State in India to implement, a legacy of the Portuguese colonial rule. Sawant said, Goa follows a Uniform Civil Code and that he believes other States must follow suit. “I say proudly that Goa has been following a Uniform Civil Code since liberation. I believe all other States must follow the UCC,” Sawant said. Another issue that was touched upon was the “14 year period” between the Independence of India and Liberation of Goa, where Sawant sought to blame the then government of India for the ‘delay’. WHERE MONEY WAS LOST CII seeks solution from Centre „„As per Economic Survey statistics, GST on restaurants was brought down to 57% (of which 2.5% is State share), while earlier the State VAT was 12.5 per cent... as a result, the State had lost around Rs 189 crore in revenue „„State is also losing around Rs 400 crore in revenue due to closure of mining activity PANAJI: The CII has sought a solution from the Centre regarding the GST compensation to the State. “Goa is already under great economic pressure due to mining stoppage, pandemic and inflation. Lack of GST compensation will adversely affect development. We hope the central government will find a solution,” said Deepankar Bargali, Deputy Director of Confederation of Indian Industry, Western Region. deficit will directly affect the infrastructure development pace in the State,” the official added. “It is unlikely that the central government will extend the compensation period. To get an additional fund of Rs 1,000 crore, the State can and has to push such a development project proposal with the Centre. Project-wise sanctions like hospitals, schools can be taken.” The official admitted that as far as his knowledge is concerned, the State budget earlier had not taken into account the revenue deficit due to GST and stoppage of compensation. “May be, they have assumed last year figures only to show buoyancy in the figures”, said the official. Panchayats Minister Mauvin Godinho, who is a member of the GST Council and >Continued on P5