log on to thegoan.net @thegoanonline MONDAY MARCH 11, 2024 GOA LISBON: Portuguese voters headed to the polls on Sunday, facing a choice between switching to a centre-right government or keeping the centre-left in power, although neither appears to have a path to an outright majority. The far-right Chega party has been growing in clout and could play a kingmaker role in post-election talks. The election comes four months after Antonio Costa’s resignation as prime minister over corruption allegations.  >> See pg 7 IN SHORT >> CM stresses on skilling for jobs PANAJI:In a bid to explain the government’s predicament in providing jobs to all, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Sunday stressed on the need to upskill to create human resource that matches industry’s needs and gain employment.”It is not possible for the government to give everyone jobs. So it is important to skill yourself”, he said.   >> See pg 3 2024 polls to be my last: Sardinha MARGAO: Announcing that the 2024 Lok Sabha election will be his last poll in his political career spanning over four decades, sitting South Goa MP Francisco Sardinha on Sunday called for support for his candidature if the Congress nominates him for the South Goa seat.  >> See pg 2 Belagavi man held for Bicholim temple theft PANAJI: The Bicholim police have arrested a Belagavi-native for allegedly stealing a donation box containing cash from Shirodkar Kulswami temple, Mulgao Bicholim. President of Shri Dev Ravalnath Mahalaxmi Devastan Mulgao Radhakrishna Ghodge had lodged a complaint alleging that unknown person/s had stolen the metal donation box. `4 lakh worth ganja seized, one arrested PANAJI: In yet another seizure of narcotics in the State, Crime Branch sleuths arrested an Odisha native with ganja worth Rs 4 lakh from Margao. Sleuths swooped down on the accused a 28-year-old man and seized the contraband which weighed 4 kgs. WEATHER >> Max: 32 C Min: 23 C Humidity: 75% TIDES Low: High: 05.26 11.39 17.36 23.51 The Goan E-Paper (Playstore/IOS) 12 pages PRICE ` 10 PANAJI MARGAO GOA VOLUME IX, NO.263 Instagram.com/thegoanonline RNI: GOAENG/2015/65729 3 2 9 Flights decline, but Goa finds new hope as air traffic soars Cuncolim’s traffic woes persist amid delayed highway expansion plans Portugal votes in key election, no clear winner Facebook.com/thegoan GOA INFO Mapusa municipality halts illegal constructions on councillor’s plaint Hacks to protect your skin from pollution SPORTS Pant cleared to play by NCA, to make IPL return for DC INDUSTRY UPBEAT ON DABOLIM BUT FEELS IT NEEDS TO FOCUS MORE ON ENHANCING FACILITIES & OTHER ACTIVITIES AIR TRAFFIC: SKY IS THE LIMIT THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI Even after the active fleet of Indian carriers went down and decline in charter flights, Goa’s air traffic recorded a jump of three million in 202324 compared to the previous period. Though the Dabolim International airport witnessed a considerable 15-20 per cent drop in footfall, the commissioning of the Manohar International Airport at Mopa, facilitated overall arrival of around 11 million passengers -- domestic and international, this year, compared to 7 million in 2023. The Dabolim airport -- the sole international airport till January 2023-- had handled 8.4 million passengers in 2022. The Manohar International Airport that commenced its operation almost a year back, has handled a total 4.4 million „„Despite hiccups and decline in airlines, Goa records 3 mn jump in air traffic footfall compared to last year „„Though Dabolim airport witnessed 15-20% drop in footfall, Mopa airport facilitated overall arrival of around 11 mn passengers compared to 7 mn in 2023 „„Dabolim airport handled 8.4 mn passengers in 2022 „„Mopa airport has handled a total 4.4 mn passengers till date passengers till date, according to the Travel and Tourism Association of Goa (TTAG). Speaking to media persons, TTAG President Nilesh Shah said the active fleet of Indian carriers has been going down since last year, driven by three airlines. SpiceJet’s financial woes kept the planes grounded, Go FIRST shutting operations in May and several aircraft of IndiGo remaining on the ground due to engine issues and also there was a drop in charter flights arrival this season. “In spite of all odds, Goa recorded a three million rise in air passengers this year, compared to 2023. Last year, by the end of March, Goa had handled 8.4 million footfalls, while this year, till date, we have touched 11.4 million. This is because of Mopa airport that recorded 4.4 million passengers,” Shah said. OVER FIVE DECADES & 15 LS ELECTIONS… History says it all! Goa had just 1 woman MP till date BJP, CONG NEVER NOMINATED FEMALE CANDIDATES FROM THE FILES THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) strategic move to include woman aspirants for the South Goa Lok Sabha seat has raised several eyebrows, considering that in the history of State politics neither the saffron party nor its arch rival Congress ever fielded or nominated a woman. In fact, over the last five decades and after 15 Lok Sabha elections, Goa can boast of just one woman Member of Parliament (MP) -- Sanyogita Rane. It was the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) who gave Goa its first and sole (till now) MP. Rane, a first-time contestant, was elected as the MP from North Goa in January 1980. She defeated then Congress sitting MP Purshottam Kakodkar by a margin of over 27,500 votes. She contested the 1984 and 1991 Lok Sabha polls, but was never re-elected. In 1984, Rane contested the parliamentary seat as a candidate of Goa Congress -- a  regional „„In 1999, Goa Vikas Party nominated Sweta Akhadkar from North Goa and in 2019 Aishwarya Salgaonkar contested as an Independent „„In 2009 NCP approached Nirmala Sawant for North Goa but internal politics led to dropping her name at the last minute „„In South Goa, Anupama Naik contested as an Independent candidate in 1998 and Auda Viegas was a UGDP candidate in 2004 party floated by late Dr Wilfred de Souza after he split from the Congress. Rane tried her luck yet again at the 1991 Lok Sabha elections, but this time as an Independent candidate and faced a defeat. The State with highest female voters has never elected a woman to either of its Lok Sabha constituencies since polls  „„In 2014, AAP tried its luck by fielding Swati Kerkar but BJP won both the seats for the very first time „„In the last election, Shiv Sena had nominated Rakhi Prabhudesai Naik from South Goa then. For the coming Lok Sabha elections, due in April-May, women will account for more than 51 per cent of the total State voters, of which another 51 per cent are dominated in South Goa constituency. For this election, total 11,66,939 voters are eligible to exercise their right to vote >Continued on P5 DABOLIM NEEDS TO DO MORE „„According to TTAG prez, Mopa airport being a new and modern has got far better facilities than Dabolim. „„Airlines mostly look for proper slots, customers’ experiences, shopping areas which Dabolim does not offer „„By improving facilities, footfalls will automatically increase and Dabolim airport will continue to be a stronghold „„TTAG seeks to review User Development Fees in order to ensure that flight tickets are at par with Mopa airport Shah said Dabolim airport, which handled 7 million passengers, despite commissioning of Manohar International airport, has great potential provided it focuses on enhancing the facilities and other recreational activities, which passengers look forward to. He said that Mopa airport being a new and modern airport has got far better facilities than Dabolim that attracts Airlines and also passengers. “Airlines mostly look for their comfort like where they will get better proper slots, what their customers’ experiences are, etc. Also passengers traveling, prefer to have shopping areas, restaurants, etc at the airport, which Dabolim does not offer,” he explained. “By consolidating and improving the facilities, the >Continued on P5 12 Tribal leaders up ante, resolve to hit BJP where it hurts Plan strategies to damage BJP’s prospects at Lok Sabha polls THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI Disheartened and unsatisfied with the proposed Scheduled Tribe (ST) political reservation bill, the  associations of STs under the banner of ‘Mission Political Reservation for STs in Goa’ on Sunday resolved to cause electoral damage to the ruling BJP in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, due in April/May. The community has got around 1.80 lakh eligible voters. The ST leaders, who were on a chain hunger strike since Wednesday, withdrew the same resolving to hold panchayat level corner meetings across 300 plus ST villages  to highlight how the community is cheated and denied from granting constitutional rights by the State and Central government. The Mission has been demanding that Centre should issue a final notification to reserve four Assembly constit- PLAN OF ACTION „„Tribal leaders to visit 300 plus ST villages and hold panchayat-level corner meetings „„Voters to be enlightened on how the community has been cheated by the State & Central government „„Strategy to defeat BJP candidates in both Lok Sabha constituencies – North & South uencies in Goa --  Sanguem, Priol, Quepem and Nuvem for the ST community candidate, before the Parliamentary polls election code of conduct comes into force. “It is resolved that, if the current central government fails to issue notification to reserve four seats for STs in >Continued on P5 Mamata dumps Cong, names candidates for all 42 LS seats PTI KOLKATA In a major development, West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC chief Mamata Banerjee dumped Congress ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha poll releasing its candidate roster for all 42 Lok Sabha seats in West Bengal. In a major overhaul, it dropped seven incumbent MPs and introduced numerous new faces, including former cricketer Yusuf Pathan. The Trinamool Congress maintained a harmonious blend of experienced leaders and fresh talent, amid the alleged power tussle between the old guards and the nextgen leaders. Film star-turned-politician Shatrughan Sinha, who won the Asansol seat in a by-poll on a TMC ticket in 2022, has been re-nominated, while former MP Haji Nurul Islam replaces actor Nusrat Jahan in the Basirhat Lok Sabha seat, where the trouble-torn Sandeshkhali is situated. While 16 of 23 sitting MPs were retained, the TMC opted not to re-nominate seven incumbents and notably excluded BJP defector Arjun Singh from Barrackpore, who joined the TMC two years ago. PASSION OF CHRIST Confrarias carry the Cross to commemorate the suffering of Jesus Christ during the Santos Passos held at Our Lady of the Rosary Church, Caranzalem on Sunday.  Stephen Dias Mangor gets police outpost in bid to clamp down on crimes THE GOAN I NETWORK VASCO Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Sunday inaugurated a new police outpost at Mangor in a bid to keep a check on the crime scene and to maintain law and order in the area. Speaking to reporters Sawant said the new facility will help control crimes in the area. “The intention of setting up a police outpost here is to maintain law and order 24x7. We need to have a proper police facility for people and have police personnel here at all times”. Inaugurating the premises in the presence of Rajya Sabha MP Sadanand Shet Tanavade, Vasco MLA Krishna Salkar, Mormugao MLA Sankalp Amonkar and others, Sawant said “this beat centre will help control law and order… this facility was necessary because crimes take place when the area is far from the main police station”. “The Police Inspector of Vasco police station will soon deploy staff at this outpost and make it operational… we will also provide adequate staff required at the outpost”, he said. Sawant also thanked Krish Logistics that has provided this outpost free of cost under their CSR activity.  2 poll commissioners Swiss watches, chocolates to cost less in Indian market India, 4 EU countries ink free trade pact; $ 100 bn investment target in next 15 years likely by March 15 PTI NEW DELHI Two election commissioners are likely to be appointed by March 15 to fill vacancies created by the retirement of Anup Pandey and the surprise resignation of Arun Goel, sources said on Sunday. Days before the poll panel is expected to announce the schedule for LS polls, Goel resigned. His resignation was accepted by President Droupadi Murmu on Saturday. This leaves Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar as the sole member of the poll authority. Pandey had demitted office A search committee will first prepare two separate panels of five names each for the two posts. Later, a selection committee will then name two persons for appointment as election commissioners on February 14 on attaining the age of 65 years. A search committee under Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal and comprising Home Secretary and Department of Personnel and Training Secretary will first prepare two separate panels of five names each for the two posts. PTI NEW DELHI ndia and the four-nation European bloc on Sunday signed a free trade agreement under which New Delhi has received an investment commitment of USD 100 billion over the next 15 years to facilitate the creation of one million jobs. As a result of the trade pact, Indian customers will get access to high-quality Swiss products such as watches, chocolates, biscuits, and clocks at lower prices. In return, India will phase out customs duties under its trade pact with the EFTA bloc on these goods. I T H E R OA D A H E A D F O R F R E E T R A D E „„India to have access to high-quality Swiss products at lower prices „„Tariffs on many Swiss goods which were there over seven to ten years removed „„Goods include seafood like tuna and salmon; fruits such as olives and avocados and coffee capsules „„Oils like cod liver and olive oil, a variety of sweets and processed foods including chocolate & biscuits also in list „„Smartphones, bicycle parts, medical equipment, clocks, watches, medicines, dyes, textiles, apparel, iron and steel products, and machinery equipment also covered The European Free Trade Association (EFTA) members are Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. The agreement was signed after a gap of almost 16 years „„Tariffs on cut & polished diamonds to be reduced from 5 to 2.5% in „„No effective tariff concessions on gold „„For wines, duty concessions similar to those given to Australia, with no concessions for wines costing less than $5 „„For wines costing $15 or more, initial duty cut is from 150% to 75% as negotiations, started in 2008, but were put on hold in November 2013. Talks resumed in Oct 2016, and after 21 rounds of negotiations were held before its conclusion. For the first time in the history of FTAs (free trade agreements), a legal commitment is being made to promoting target-oriented investment and job creation. Almost all domestic industrial goods would get duty-free access in EFTA nations, besides duty concessions on processed agricultural products. Switzerland, the major trading partner of India in the bloc, already removed duties from January this year. Helene Budliger Artieda, the Swiss State Secretary for Economic Affairs explained how the deal could benefit India. “I have been told that chocolates do make (people) happy. Switzerland is a hub for some of these energy drinks. Then I also tried to signal at the press conference, that Swiss watches will also be cheaper. It’s not only consumer goods. I think, more important is what Switzerland now can provide to India at a much better cost when it comes to machinery, precision tools, and so on. Switzerland doesn’t compete on price, we compete on quality, on innovation,” Artieda said. On gold, India has not touched the effective customs duty (which is 15 per cent) but has reduced the bound rate by one per cent to 39 per cent.