log on to thegoan.net @thegoanonline SATURDAY AUGUST 2, 2025 GOA Goan association in Qatar to get new identity, committee Goan MP recalls roots at maiden speech in Australian Parliament IN SHORT >> Coal handling at MPA fires up Opposition PANAJI: The House on Friday witnessed uproar over coal handling operations at Mormugao Port Authority (MPA) berths and the government failure to recover crores of green cess payment from the coal handling firms South West Port Ltd owned by Jindal Steel Works (JSW) and Adani Pvt Ltd. >> See pg 2 Fire guts three shops near National theater PANAJI: A major fire broke out near National Theatre in Panaji on Friday, gutting three shops -- a laundry, a bicycle store and a stationery outlet. Though the exact cause is yet to be ascertained, preliminary reports by the Fire Services suggested a short circuit may have triggered the blaze. 5 TN tourists held for assaulting locals MAPUSA: In a bizarre and violent episode reportedly fuelled by intoxication, five tourists from Tamil Nadu were arrested by Calangute Police on Friday for allegedly assaulting two locals near the Taj Fort Aguada Hotel at Sinquerim. >> See pg 5 Vice prez polls on September 9: EC NEW DELHI: The election for the post of Vice President will be held on September 9, EC said and is set to be a keen contest with the Congress-led Opposition likely to field a common candidate to take on the BJP-led NDA. Nat awards: ‘12th Fail’ adjudged best film NEW DELHI: Hindi cinema dominated the 71st National Film Awards with superstar Shah Rukh Khan winning his career’s first best actor award for “Jawan” alongside Vikrant Massey for ‘12th Fail’, which was named the best feature film. Embassy in Ireland issues advisory LONDON: The Indian Embassy in Ireland on Friday issued an advisory expressing safety concerns following recent attacks in and around the capital Dublin and urging Indian citizens to take safety precautions. The Goan E-Paper (Playstore/IOS) 15 pages PRICE ` 10 PANAJI MARGAO GOA VOLUME XI, NO. 46 MAPUSA n a significant push towards digitisation and improved governance, the govt on Friday rolled out a facial recognition-based attendance system for all Panchayati Raj institutions in the State, covering 191 village panchayats, Block Development Offices (BDOs), Deputy Director offices and other related entities. Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, along with Panchayats Minister Mauvin Godinho and senior officials, launched the AI-powered ‘Niyamith’ app, designed to modernise employee monitoring and enhance transparency in public service delivery. Director of Panchayats Siddhi Halarnakar explained that the new system requires employees to download I RNI: GOAENG/2015/65729 INFO Fishing season off to a slow start at Cutbona Protein in urine: What you need to know about your kidney health Govt forms panel to assess quality of Goa schools THE GOAN I NETWORK n GOVT ISSUES CIRCULAR REGULARISING SUCH HOUSES n TO BE EXEMPTED FROM FRESH CONVERSION SANADS THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI With effect from August 1, the circular issued to regularise old houses constructed before 1972 and marked on the survey plan has come into force. These houses will be treated as settled land and will not require fresh conversion sanads. The process will involve the issuance of crucial certificates -- Settlement Land Certificate from Deputy Collector and Structure Regularisation certificate from either Panchayat or Municipality, as per the structural jurisdiction. This move is expected to benefit nearly one lakh structures across Goa, providing long-awaited legal clarity and relief to many homeowners. To be eligible, the house must be shown on the old survey plans that have been prepared under the Goa Land Revenue Code of 1968, typically between the years 1970 and 1972. The structure in question must occupy at least 25 per cent of the plot, and the total CRITERIA FOR REGULARISATION „„House must be shown on old survey plans prepared under Goa Land Revenue Code of 1968 between 1970 & 1972 „„Structure must occupy at least 25% of the plot „„Total area of the holding must not exceed 1,000 sq mts „„These houses will be treated as settled land and will not require fresh conversion sanads „„Settlement Land Certificate from Deputy Collector and Structure Regularisation certificate from either p’yat or municipality to be issued „„ A fee of Rs. 1,000 must be paid when submitting the application, after which the Deputy Collector will verify documents like Form I & XIV and Form D, and may consult the Directorate of Settlement and Land Records if needed „„If the applicant is found eligible after verification, the certificate will be issued within one week. area of the holding must not exceed 1,000 square metres. “It has come to the notice of the Government that in several cases, structures which are already in existence and are duly reflected in the records of rights (Form I and XIV) as well as in the survey plans prepared under the provi- sions of the Goa, Daman and Diu Land Revenue Code, 1968 (sometime during the period around 1970 to 1972) are being required to obtain a fresh Conversion Sanad at the time of reconstruction,” the Revenue department said in a notification issued. “This has led to certain Major push for agriculture, govt to hike support price SUBSIDY FOR MANUAL PADDY TRANSPLANTATION IN THE WORKS; ASSURANCE GIVEN ON GUIDELINES THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI In order to give a major boost to the agriculture sector, the State government on Friday announced its plan to revise and enhance assured support price for horticultural produce and to also introduce a subsidy for manual paddy transplantation. ON PAGE 2 As House witnessed a healthy debate over agriculture scenario in the State, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant stated that the Department of Agriculture and Goa State Horticulture Corporation will be directed to submit a proposal to the Finance Department for revising the assured support price for various pro- GOVERNMENT’S BOOSTER DOSE „„Support price for coconuts to be revised from current Rs 15 per nut to Rs 30 per nut „„Goa in final stage of obtaining a GI tag for Mancurad mango… to boost cultivation, govt provides subsidy of Rs 2 lakh per hectare for hard rock land and Rs 60,000 per hectare for normal land „„Agriculture subject introduced at the secondary school level with mandatory field visits „„Govt also promoting agri-clinics offering loans up to Rs 20 lakh for agriculture graduates to set up advisory and service units to support farmers INCENTIVES: Performance-based reward system for zonal officers -- cash prizes of Rs 1 lakh, Rs 50,000 & Rs 25,000 -- who increase the area under cultivation and production in their zones duce, admitting that it has not been updated in a long time. In line with encouraging traditional farming practices, the government is also consid- ering providing subsidies for manual paddy transplantation. “We already offer support >Continued on P8 Panchayat attendance gets a face-lift THE GOAN I NETWORK Instagram.com/thegoanonline 3 2 10 Major respite for houses constructed before 1972 GOA ‘Nuisance’ at tourist places could soon land offenders behind bars pages 6 & 7 Facebook.com/thegoan Online services rolled out in 5 p’yats MAPUSA: In a parallel initiative, the Department of Panchayats has launched digital services in five village panchayats as part of its e-governance drive. The panchayats covered in this phase include Alorna and Kasarvarne (Pernem), Bastora (Bardez), Batim (Tiswadi), and Chicalim (Mormugao). According to Halarnakar, while the department plans to make 21 services available online eventually, some services already live include: Trade license issuance and renewal; No Objection Certificates (NOCs) for electricity and water; Income certificate; Residence certificate and Character certificate. The move aims to make citizen services more accessible, efficient and transparent, reducing the need for physical visits to the panchayat offices. the Niyamith app on their smartphones and log their attendance using facial recognition. The app captures their location to ensure the login is done from the office premises. “It’s a simple and user-friendly system. Employees need to mark attendance four times a day – upon arrival, before and after lunch break, and while leaving,” Halarnakar said, adding that if an employee’s phone is lost or damaged, they may log in using a colleague’s device without compromising data integrity. The real-time attendance data is transmitted to a centralised dashboard accessible to senior officials, including the Panchayats Minister, allowing for better monitoring and accountability across all panchayat offices. “There’s no scope for misuse as location verification ensures the employee is present at the office while logging in,” Halarnakar assured. The facial recognition attendance system, currently exclusive to the Panchayati Raj institutions, is expected to be extended to other departments like Transport and Industries in the near future. ambiguities and inconsistent interpretations across departments regarding the applicability of the conversion provisions under the Goa Land Revenue Code, 1968,” it added. “In view of the above, it is hereby clarified that in cases where a structure is already in existence and is reflected both in Form I and XIV and in the survey plan prepared under the said Code during the aforementioned period, such area shall be treated as settled land, as the said area of structure does not form part of agricultural land requiring conversion. Accordingly, the requirement of obtaining a fresh Conversion Sanad shall not arise in respect of the area covered by such structure,” the department said. Upon submitting an application with a fee of Rs 1,000, the Deputy Collector will verify the supporting documents, such as Form I and XIV, and Form D, and consult the Directorate of Settlement and Land Records if necessary. If you are found eligible, the certificate will be issued within one week. PANAJI As announced in the Budget 2025-26, the Goa government on Friday established ‘The Goa State School Standards Authority’ (GSSSA) for quality assessment and continuous improvement of schools. The Committee is headed by Secretary Education with Director Education, Director SCERT, and Chairman of Goa Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education as its key members. The govt has also appointed teachers Govindraj Desai, Rupesh Sawant, Archana Shetye, and Geeta Abhyankar as members, along with respected academicians Anil Thosare, Karuna Satardekar, and Vishwesh Fatrekar. Director Education Shailesh Zingade said the committee will take up important task of successful implementation of Goa School Quality Assessment and Accreditation Framework in Goa. In the State Budget, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, who is also Minister for Education, announced that the School Quality Assessment and Accreditation Framework would be notified within the next six months, and for which the Authority will be formally set up. The government earlier this year launched the framework to ensure standardized benchmarks in school education. SPORTS Siraj turns tide with fiery burst as England’s middle order melts 15 Govt to enforce ban on road digging without PWD nod CM VOWS STRICT ACTION AMID RISING NUMBER OF ACCIDENTS THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI As road accidents continue to be largely attributed to unending road works and indiscipline by motorists, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Friday said that the Goa government will soon impose a 100 per cent ban on road digging without prior permission from the PWD. A circular in this regard will be issued shortly, with future violations attracting heavy penalties to be recovered from the concerned contractors and paid to the PWD. “Time to time, there is a lack of coordination between departments. We have seen that after the road works are done, within 15 days, roads are dug up again whether for electricity, cable or water supply works. We have to tighten the noose on such things,” Sawant said, responding to a Calling Attention motion on rising road accidents. The CM elaborated that the government is mulling recovery of road digging and restoration costs from contractors Oppn slams PWD PANAJI: Amid a spate of road accidents across Goa, the Opposition on Friday launched a scathing attack on the PWD, alleging that poorly maintained roads and unregulated utility work were directly responsible for several recent fatalities. Leader of Opposition Yuri Alemao, supported by MLAs Carlos Ferreira, Vijai Sardesai, Cruz Silva, Altone D’Costa, Venzy Viegas and Viresh Borkar, urged Chief Minister Pramod Sawant to take immediate corrective steps.  >> See pg 2 in cases where prior PWD approval is not obtained. “It will be made mandatory to complete all cabling and pipeline works simultaneously during major road construction to avoid repeated excavations. Nearly 50 per cent of accidents are due to poor road conditions,” he added.