log on to thegoan.net @thegoanonline SUNDAY JUNE 9, 2024 GOA »PAGE 3 Salcete debacle: BJP failed to overcome drought in Cong’s minority strongholds Restored roads in Cuncolim a concern as vehicles get stuck in trenches Facebook.com/thegoan The Goan E-Paper (Playstore/IOS) Instagram.com/thegoanonline 17 pages PRICE ` 10 PANAJI MARGAO GOA VOLUME IX, NO. 353 RNI: GOAENG/2015/65729 GOA »PAGE 5 INDIA »PAGE 6 SPORTS »PAGE 8 ICCT20 World Cup: Afghanistan shock New Zealand with 84-run win Assagao delegation meets Rane over nightclubs issue NEET-UG row: Govt sets up 4-member panel to review grace marks Dead fish washed ashore at Velsao again 2 outposts, 70 houses torched in Manipur PM takes oath today; hectic parleys over share of berths Bangladesh edge past Sri Lanka by 2 wickets in thriller IMD puts Goa on red alert today n FOREIGN LEADERS TO ATTEND n DELHI DECLARED A NO-FLY ZONE PTI >> SEE PG 2 POST ELECTION RESULT, ALL EYES ON ACTION AGAINST LEADERS WHO FAILED THE BJP MAGAZINE MAGAZ 9 Safety tips to keep in mind while visiting water bodies during monsoon Fishing ban: Monsoon conservation efforts Home remedies for prickly heat Deciphering 10 complexities the of brain tumours Confeitaria 31 de Janeiro: Preserving Goan-Portuguese culinary heritage 11 Auto Review BMW X1: Bigger, more modern, more handsome IN SHORT >> Velim duo caught poaching frogs MARGAO: The Forest department has apprehended the season’s first frog hunters in South Goa on Friday night. On night patrolling, officials of the Pissonem Forest range under the South Goa forest division caught two persons from Velim and allegedly recovered from their possession head lamp torches and four frogs.  >> See pg 3 Burglars target two kiosks at Margao MARGAO: Burglars targeted two kiosks, including a mobile repair shop, near the Pick-up stand, Margao and stole mobile phones and cash all amounting to over Rs 50,000. The mobile phones belonged to customers that were kept for repairs. Warns of floods along 18 June Road, Patto, Mala, Taleigao; mudslides in Altinho THE GOAN I NETWORK NEW DELHI Prime Minister-designate Narendra Modi is set to take oath on Sunday for a third straight term as the head of a coalition government after two full tenures in which the BJP enjoyed a majority on its own. Modi, 73, will be equalling the feat of first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru, who won in 1952, 1957 and 1962 general elections. Leaders from India’s neighbourhood and the Indian Ocean Region are among the dignitaries and special invitees expected to attend the swearing-in ceremony of the prime minister and his council of ministers at the Rashtrapati Bhavan at 7.15 pm. Sri Lanka President Ranil Wickremesinghe, President of Maldives Mohamed Muizzu, Vice-President of Seychelles Ahmed Afif, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Prime Minister of Mauri- CWC okays Rahul as Leader of Opposition NEW DELHI: The Congress Working Committee (CWC) on Saturday unanimously urged Rahul Gandhi to take on the mantle of the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha to which he told the party’s top brass that he will take a decision on it “very soon”. At a meeting of the CWC, the party’s highest decision-making body, chaired by Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge and attended by Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, among others, the party’s Lok tius Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, Prime Minister of Nepal Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘’Prachanda’’ and Prime Minister of Bhutan Tshering Tobgay have accepted invitations. Also invited to the ceremony are people from different walks of life. Surekha Yadav, the pilot of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Ter- Sabha polls showing was hailed but it was also decided that separate committees would be set up in States where the performance was not good or below expectations, to take corrective measures. Asked if Rahul Gandhi had agreed to take on the position, Congress general secretary K C Venugopal said Gandhi took note of the sentiments of the CWC members and told them that he would take a decision on it “very soon”. minus-Solapur Vande Bharat train, is among 10 loco pilots of Indian Railways who have been invited. Security has been stepped up with Delhi Police imposing prohibitory orders and the national capital has been declared a no-fly zone for June 9 and 10 for the ceremony. Meanwhile, hectic parleys AS NEP MAKES DEBUT IN CLASS IX… Govt juggles syllabus in other grades for smooth transition Unaided primary schools permitted to use custom textbooks along with SCERT, NCERT THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI The Goa government introduced the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 for Class IX this academic year, with plans to extend its implementation to the ‘preparatory’ and ‘middle’ stages in the coming academic year. It was decided to implement the latter two stages from the next academic year so that NEP covers all standards from Foundational Level 1 to XII (5+3+3+4 system) by 2027-28. With this, there are no changes in the textbooks for 2024-25, as NCERT textbooks are being followed by the schools in Goa. Given this development, some unaided Goa Board-affiliated schools – which used their prescribed books alongside those from the SCERT/ NCERT -- have reverted to the SCERT guidelines. The authorities have made it mandatory to follow the curriculum by SCERT/NCERT, or  else the violation would be taken seriously. BJP, MGP MLAs to attend ceremony Students must go beyond textbooks, says Edu director PANAJI: Education Director Shailesh Zingde said, “we are in the process to ensure that our students compete with their counterparts from the other States and that is the reason we are trying to provide them with exposure like the MCQs at an early stage. Students beyond the elementary stage of education should not limit themselves to textbooks and must go beyond and refer to the other books and various other materials available on the net.” “As schools defined under Section 2(n) of RTE Act 2009 have to follow the Curriculum and evaluation procedures prescribed by SCERT/ NCERT as the case may be. If a school is found to follow/ prescribe curriculum (syllabus/textbooks) and evaluation procedures in elementary classes other than the other prescribed by SCERT/NCERT, prima facie it shall be treated as violation of RTE Act, 2009,” reads a circular issued by Director SCERT Meghana Shetgaonkar --- that brought in a change in unaided schools. However, after some unaided schools approached the SCERT for relief, the authorities have permitted respective managements to include their own prescribed books to ensure local issues that might otherwise be overlooked are taught to the students. A principal of an English primary school explained that solely implementing the SCERT/NCERT curriculum would provide only partial knowledge about some major chapters and local-centric issues to students at the preparatory level. “There are no changes in languages and Mathematics but SCERT curriculum >Continued on P5 PANAJI: Even as Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and Rajya Sabha MP Sadanand Shet Tanavade are already in Delhi to attend the oath ceremony of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday, MLAs from ruling BJP, MGP and Independents will also fly to Delhi for the ceremony. A few, however, are likely to miss due to personal reasons. involving BJP leadership and allies were on over the share of berths of different constituents of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in the new government. Senior BJP leaders such as Amit Shah and Rajnath besides party president Nadda have been consulting allies, including TDP’s Chandraba- Babar Azam’s side will have to nullify Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah for a win and get their campaign back on track CONCERN „„Pitch is a major talking point facing criticism for its unpredictability „„Four drop-in pitches at the venue are yet to settle down „„Uneven bounce raises safety concerns for batters HEAD TO HEAD (Past 5 matches) MARGAO ome Monday and the new double railway track between Majorda and Cansaulim, the stretch, which had attracted opposition to the controversial double tracking project, will under undergo statutory inspection and speed trial run by the Commissioner of Railway Safety, Southern circle. The double track along the 4.5 km Majorda-Cansaulim section has been laid as part of the Tinaighat-Vasco double C The new Cansaulim railway station constructed as part of the track doubling project. line project. While the railways have advised the public to be cautious and not to trespass or cross the railway track, which may endanger the lives, warning MASSIVE SECURITY The scale and magnitude of security will be more compared to when USA President Barack Obama was hosted some years ago OCT 2022: India won by 4 wickets SEPT 2022: Pak won by 5 wickets AUG 2022: India won by 5 wickets OCT 2021: Pak won by 10 wickets MAR 2016: India won by 6 wickets India versus Pakistan T20 World Cup match will be streamed on the Hotstar App and telecast on the Star Sports Network WEATHER WIN PROBABILITY New York City will likely experience partly cloudy weather with a thundershower predicted in some parts 31% 69% MATCH STARTS 8 PM IST South Western Railways to conduct speed trial run on June 10 has been issued that the trespassers will be liable for prosecution. The new Majorda-Cansaulim line will be opened for public carriage after the certification of Commissioner of Railway Safety, Bengaluru. With the completion of the Majorda-Cansaulim track doubling line, the railways have said the line will help improve the train operations given that the Majorda-Cansaulim stretch will now get a double track, which will provide a dedicated line for the trains on PTI FOCUS ON KOHLI, BUMRAH PITCH the Vasco-Margao stretch. Railway sources said the Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd has built a new railway station at Cansaulim as part of the track doubling project. After Majorda-Cansaulim, the railways have now set the target to complete work on the Cansaulim-Sancoale stretch, which is likely to be complete later this year. If senior RVNL officials are to be believed, the railways have also set the target to complete the last stretch of the line >Continued on P5 vulnerable, low-lying areas. The IMD also advised the public to remain vigilant and safe, as intense rainfall may cause temporary visibility reduction, damage to mud houses, dislocation of roofing sheets due to strong winds, traffic chaos and localized mudslides in areas such as Altinho. There is also a risk of weak trees and structures falling, branches breaking, and significant damage to horticultural crops. In the past 24 hours, the IMD recorded highest rainfall in Canacona at 192.2 mm, followed by Sanquelim with 184.2 mm, Quepem with 170.2 mm, Sanguem with 153.7 mm, Margao with 143 mm, Mormugao with 58.8 mm and Ponda with 58.0 mm. Media baron Ramoji Rao passes away India look to capitalise on an unpredictable Pakistan’s vulnerable state when the traditional rivals lock horns in their eagerlyawaited T20 World Cup clash on Sunday Testing time for Majorda-Cansaulim double track THE GOAN I NETWORK bu Naidu, JD(U)’s Nitish Kumar and Shiv Sena’s Eknath Shinde, to finalise their share of representation. There is a view that heavyweight portfolios like home, finance, defence and external affairs besides education and culture, two ministries with strong ideological hues, will be kept by the BJP. PANAJI As the monsoon is active over the State with moderate to very heavy rainfall experienced in several areas, the India Meteorological Department (Goa) issued a red alert for June 9, warning of extremely heavy rainfall. A red alert was also in place on June 8, during which several incidents of trees falling, minor waterlogging and traffic disruptions were reported in parts of Goa. An orange alert has been issued for June 10 and 11, while a yellow alert has been issued for June 12, advising the public to remain cautious. The Disaster Management Authority, in a separate advisory on Saturday, urged people to avoid waterlogged, flood-prone areas while the IMD specifically warned about possible waterlogging/ flooding on 18 June Road, Patto, Mala, Taleigao, and other RAINS DAMPEN HOPES OF SMART CITY WORK WINDING UP BY JUNE 10 >> See pg 3 HYDERABAD Media baron and Ramoji Group chairman Ch Ramoji Rao, who revolutionised the news and entertainment industry, passed away at a hospital here early on Saturday. He was 88. Ramoji Rao, who was admitted to the hospital on June 5 following respiratory problems, breathed his last at 4.50 am, according to Eenadu sources. The mortal remains were shifted to his residence in the famous Ramoji Film City. President Droupadi Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, chief ministers of several states including West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and film personalities mourned the death of Ramoji Rao. Former Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu, former Chief Justice of India N V Ramana, TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu, Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Telangana Deputy CM Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, Jana Sena Party president Pawan Kalyan, BRS leader K T Rama Rao, superstar Chiranjeevi, several leaders paid homage to Rao. >> See pg 6 Advocacy group pushes for rights, interests of Comunidades in State THE GOAN I NETWORK VASCO Comunidade activists from across the State who have formed an advocacy group ‘Justiça Para Comunidades’ (JPC) met at Cuelim on Saturday evening to protect the rights and interests of the Comunidades in the State. The JPC, which comprises shareholders/Gaonkars of various comunidades and is an initiative of Mahesh Kenkre from the Nerul Comunidade, discussed several pressing issues plaguing the Comunidades. A three-member committee was formed on the occasion while members pledged to work hand in hand for betterment and for safeguarding Comunidades all over Goa A committee comprising Oswald Pinto (president), Colin Coelho (attorney) and Aliette Heredia (treasurer) was formed on the occasion. The members pledged to work hand in hand for the betterment and for safeguarding Comunidades all over Goa. A discussion was held on the latest notification by the govt giving powers to administrators to sign sales deeds to transfer Comunidade land. Key concerns raised included the paralysis and incompetence in the functioning of Zonal Administration offices that oversee Comunidades and the tenure of Administrators. A committee was formed to take up shareholder grievances before the administration offices. Issues like inordinate delays in transfer of shares, non-payment of >Continued on P5