log on to thegoan.net @thegoanonline THURSDAY MARCH 6, 2025 16 pages >> See PG 3 Mapusa Ravindra Bhavan project hits roadblock over land transfer dispute IN SHORT >> CM, ministers tell Madkaikar to name minister he bribed PANAJI: The startling allegation of widespread corruption including a hefty payoff (Rs 15-20 lakh) to a serving minister made by former minister and ruling BJP leader Pandurang Madkaikar has sparked sharp reactions from several ministers who have asked him to name the rogue minister.  >> See pg 2 CM calls for stricter tenant verification MAPUSA: Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Wednesday hinted that incidents of murders and rapes in the State have increased due to the presence of people from other States. He reiterated the government’s focus on tenant verification to maintain data on outstation labourers.  >> See pg 3 9 illegal structures razed at Arambol PERNEM: Nine of the 216 structures, which were found to have violated Coastal Regulatory Zone (CRZ) rules, have been demolished at Arambol beach. While four structures were demolished on Tuesday, five structures were razed on Wednesday.   >> See pg 3 Jobs-for-cash scam: Pooja chargesheeted PANAJI: In yet another development in the multi-crore jobs-for-cash scam, the Panaji police on Wednesday filed a 120-page chargesheet against Pooja Naik, the prime accused in the scam. The chargesheet, submitted before the local court, contains one witness.  >> See pg 3 Rider killed in Sanquelim mishap BICHOLIM: A 28-year-old biker Adarsh Prabhakar Murgod from Belagavi died in a hit-and-run accident at Sanquelim. A four-wheeler XUV car proceeding from Sanquelim hit the bike ridden by the deceased near PWD water tank at Codal Karapur.  >> See pg 3 Facebook.com/thegoan PRICE ` 10 PANAJI MARGAO GOA VOLUME X, NO. 257 PANAJI In a bid to promote women venturing into business, the Goa Industrial Development Corporation (GIDC) will reserve 30 per cent of vacant small plots in its industrial estates for them, Industries Minister Mauvin Godinho said on Wednesday. Godinho said the GIDC board of directors has already passed a resolution to this effect at a recent meeting. He made the remarks at an event organised by Assocham in association with the Central Instagram.com/thegoanonline NEW ZEALAND SETS UP CHAMPIONS TROPHY FINAL CLASH WITH INDIA  >> P16 RNI: GOAENG/2015/65729 17 years later, SEZs set to make comeback in Goa   MOVE AIMS TO PROMOTE GREEN AND SUSTAINABLE INDUSTRIES   TEAM TO VISIT GUJARAT TO STUDY THEIR SEZ MODEL GOVT THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI The Pramod Sawant-led BJP government is all set to revive the Special Economic Zone (SEZ) model almost 17 years after it was scrapped by the State following public outcry. The SEZ project in the State was originally envisaged way back in 2007 across 38.4 lakh sq mtrs of land. With the Central government laying thrust on SEZs to boost trade and employment, the State government has decided to reintroduce SEZs through the Goa Khadi and Village Industries Board and for which a team will be soon visiting Gujarat to study their model of SEZ. While the detailed plan has been kept under wraps by the government, highly placed THE SEZ PUSH „„Goa govt plans to reintroduce SEZs to boost trade and employment „„Move aligns with the Centre’s emphasis on SEZ-driven economic growth „„Part of Goa’s strategy to position itself as an investment hub „„New SEZs to prioritise green, sustainable projects sources confirm that with the State looking forward towards becoming an investment destination, the SEZs are set to make a comeback with focus on promoting green-sustainable industrial projects. GED cites SEZ proposals to justify infra expansion PANAJI: A proposal to increase Goa’s electricity wheeling capacity by laying a 200 KV line in addition to the already in implementation stage 400KV line of the Tamnar project has cited the future needs of Special Economic Zones (SEZs). Goa Electricity Department (GED) sources told The Goan that the additional 200 KV line has been proposed in deference to the future requirements of five SEZs to be located in different regions of the State. The proposal has made it to the relevant official files of the department, the sources said. However, none of the top officials of the GED were willing to come on record. “The government has approved a team visit to Gujarat to study their SEZ policy,” sources said. Despite several attempts, Industries Minister Mauvin Godinho and Goa Khadi US to impose reciprocal tariffs on Indian imports from April 2 TRUMP CALLS INDIA’S HIGH TARIFFS ‘VERY UNFAIR’ PTI WASHINGTON US President Donald Trump criticised the high tariffs charged by India and other countries, terming them as very unfair and announced reciprocal tariffs from April 2 on nations that impose levies on American goods. Trump made these remarks in an address to the Joint Session of the Congress on Tuesday. It was the first address of his second term in the White House. On January 20, Trump was sworn in as the 47th President of the US. “If you don't make your product in America, however, under the Trump administration, you will pay a tariff and in some cases, a rather large one,” Trump said. “Other countries have used tariffs against us for decades and now it's our turn to start using them against those other countries. On average, the European Union, China, Brazil, India, Mexico and Cana- India looking at ways to navigate reciprocal tariff NEW DELHI: With US President Donald Trump’s threat of reciprocal tariff stoking fears of a global trade war, India is looking at finding an amicable solution to the challenge under the broader framework of a trade deal with Washington. At the meeting, the two sides agreed to negotiate a mega trade deal by the end of this year and set an ambitious target of USD 500 billion in annual trade by 2030 to narrow the trade deficit. To advance this innovative, wide-ranging BTA, the US and India will take an integrated approach to strengthen and deepen the bilateral trade across the goods and services sector, and work towards increasing market access, reducing tariff and non-tariff barriers, and deepening supply-chain integration, it said. da have you heard of them? And countless other nations charge us tremendously higher tariffs than we charge them,” Trump said. “It's very unfair. India charges us auto tariffs higher than 100 per cent.” In February, President Trump said that his administration would GIDC to reserve 30% plots for women entrepreneurs THE GOAN I NETWORK The Goan E-Paper (Playstore/IOS) Goa must become big centre of trade: Min PANAJI: Industries Minister Mauvin Godinho said basic facilities required for the industrial sector are available in Goa citing the existence of two airports, ports, railways and good roads. Industry must take advantage of it and make Goa an important centre of trade in the country, he added. government's MSME department and NABARD. "There are many opportunities for women entrepreneurs in the MSME sector. If even a single woman is helped, she takes three other women along with her. If this happens, the economy will also grow," Godinho said. He said, women in Goa's rural areas have the skills to prepare various types of food products which have a long shelf-life. "These skills of women >Continued on P5 soon impose reciprocal tariffs on countries such as India and China, reiterating what he had said during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the US capital last month. As per US estimates, the US total goods trade with India was an estimated USD 129.2 billion in 2024. and Village Industries Board Chairman Antonio Vaz remained unavailable for the comments. The then Congress government led by Digambar Kamat had introduced Goa SEZ Pol- icy, 2006, to align with the Special Economic Zones Act, 2005, and SEZ Rules, 2006, enacted by the Government of India. This policy sought to boost economic growth and attract investments by establishing SEZs. As part of this policy, land, admeasuring over 38 lakh sq mtrs was allocated to seven promoters. However, due to public opposition to the SEZ policy, the State government issued a white paper in December 2007 that highlighted concerns about the limited benefits of SEZs and their adverse impact on critical infrastructure, such as water and electricity. This resulted into government scrapping the policy in 2008. Subsequently, the Goa-IDC >Continued on P5 Leather shoes out, only canvas from new academic year THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI Citing environmental concerns, the Directorate of Education has made canvas shoes mandatory as part of the school student uniform from the coming academic year 2025-26 onwards. In a circular issued to the Heads of the Schools within its jurisdiction, Director Education Shailesh Zingade said that no other shoes will be allowed as part of the school uniform, except during the monsoon seasons, when rainwear are permitted. “The Heads of the Schools are hereby directed to instruct students to use canvas shoes only in school and notify them that no other shoes will be allowed as part of school uniform,” Zingade said. Zingade said that canvas shoes are made up of eco-friendly materials, more resistant to wear and tear, more comfortable and relatively inexpensive. “Most importantly they do not pose any harm to the environment ECO-FRIENDLY SHIFT „„Zingade says that canvas shoes are made up of eco-friendly materials, more resistant to wear and tear, more comfortable and relatively inexpensive „„He says most importantly they do not pose any harm to the environment and students and students. Canvas shoes are anyways prescribed for sports purposes and can easily be used for everyday wear,” he said. The department said that the protection of the environment needs to be practiced as much as it is preached and that the leather comes at a huge environmental cost. “The production of leather from animals involves use of highly toxic chemicals which >Continued on P5 Serial cyber offender from AP held in Goa THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI The Saligao police have arrested a serial cyber fraudster Kameshu Manda Venkata, a native of Andhra Pradesh from Goa. During an enquiry, the police found the accused is involved in four cases registered at Cyber Crime Police Station Cyberabad District, Telangana. "Cyber Crime Police Station Cyberabad District, Telangana and police team from Telangana have left for Goa for investigation into the same. The accused is also suspected to be involved in more such cyber related offences," Superintendent of Police (North) Akshat Kaushal said. The accused was produced before Sub Divisional Court Mapusa and remanded to two days Judicial Custody. The SP further informed the media that the accused is also suspected to be involved in eight other cybercrime cases registered in Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra and West Bengal police stations. BEGINNING OF THE LENTEN JOURNEY: Parish Priest Fr Walter De Sa applies ash to the forehead of a devotee on Ash Wednesday at the Our Lady of Immaculate Conception Church, Panaji.  Narayan Pissurlenkar HC breaks logjam, appoints private members on noise monitoring panel THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI With no consensus on the appointment of private members to complete the formation of the noise monitoring committee, the High Court of Bombay at Goa stepped in and ap- pointed two private members to the panel on Wednesday. The three-member committee will be led by a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DySP) from North Goa. The appointed private members are Gerald Fernandes and Kamalakant Naik, who will work along with the DySP (North). Advocate General Devidas Pangam said that the committee will conduct surprise inspections, prepare strategies to control noise pollution and >Continued on P5 Dark shades of khaki: When police abused protester Complaint filed with DGP, human rights commission against abusive cops THE GOAN I NETWORK BRITONA n a major embarrassment for Goa Police, a video has surfaced showing police officials, including a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DySP), using abusive language while arresting a protester during the removal of the Kapreshwar idol in Porvorim on Sunday. The incident, captured on camera, has since gone viral, drawing widespread criticism from the public and authorities alike. The ten-second video clip shows the protester verbally abusing the police officers in I POLICE MISCONDUCT & PUBLIC OUTRAGE „„A video has surfaced showing Goa Police officials, including a DySP, using abusive language during the arrest of a protester „„The incident occurred during the removal of the Kapreshwar idol in Porvorim on Sunday „„The protester verbally abused police officers, leading to a strong reaction from the personnel „„The video has sparked criticism, with many questioning the professionalism and conduct of the police response to the idol’s removal, which appeared to agitate the police personnel. Reacting strongly, the officers immediately restrained the protester, forcibly dragging him into a police vehicle before taking him into custody. Shockingly, while doing so, some police officials, Govt rushes to build new temple for Dev Shree Kapreshwar in Porvorim MAPUSA: The State government is expediting efforts to construct a new temple for the idol of Dev Shree Kapreshwar, which is currently housed in a temporary container and remains open for public worship. Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and Tourism Minister Rohan Khaunte, who is also the local MLA, along with local panchayat members, are actively involved in identifying a suitable site for the temple.  >> See pg 3 including Porvorim DySP Vishwesh Karpe, were caught on camera using derogatory and offensive language against the protester. The footage has sparked outrage, with many questioning the conduct of the police, >Continued on P5