log on to thegoan.net @thegoanonline FRIDAY JUNE 14, 2024 GOA THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI The Pramod Sawant-led Cabinet on Thursday approved holding the monsoon session of Goa Legislative Assembly session starting July 15. In the first Cabinet held after the Lok Sabha polls, the CM further announced that the session would be fullfledged spanning 21-22 days, which will extend into the second week of August. “It will be a full session. The days won’t be reduced. The business advisory committee will decide the schedule,” he said. Earlier, the Budget session was held on February 2 but it came under criticism as the session was reduced to a week. IN SHORT >> Govt amends scheme for shelter homes PANAJI: The State government has notified the amended scheme for Shelter Homes for Women to give shelter and rehabilitation to those women who have no social support systems due to family problems, mental strains, social ostracism, exploitation and other causes. The assistance includes Rs 10 lakh for staff salary annually, other expenses. Road mishaps claim 6 in Ponda in 20 days PONDA: Roads in Ponda have claimed six lives in the last 20 days and locals have felt that authorities have not done enough to curb road mishaps in the taluka. On May 23, a scooter rider was killed following a collision between a scooter and a cargo truck near the Top Cola factory at Borim. On the next day, a motorcycle rider rammed into an electricity pole on the flyover at Curti, killing the rider on the spot.  >> See pg 5 POCSO case: NBW against Yeddiyurappa BENGALURU: A Bengaluru court on Thursday issued a non-bailable arrest warrant against former Chief Minister and senior BJP leader B S Yediyurappa in a POCSO related case. The CID, probing the POCSO case against Yediyurappa, had earlier summoned him for questioning. He, however, had sought time to appear the officials. WEATHER >> Max: 27 C Min: 25 C Humidity: 89% TIDES Low: High: 09.40 23.46 04.13 16.42 The Goan E-Paper (Playstore/IOS) 14 pages PRICE ` 10 PANAJI MARGAO GOA VOLUME IX, NO. 358 Sopo fee collection in wholesale fish market comes back to haunt SGPDA Monsoon session of Assembly to be held from July 15 Facebook.com/thegoan 2 GOA Ferreira challenges OCI rules amidst Goan-Portuguese citizenship debate 3 Instagram.com/thegoanonline RNI: GOAENG/2015/65729 INFO Do you really need supplements for better skin? Know the flipside 10 SPORTS ICC T20 WC: West Indies beats Kiwis by 13 runs, qualify for Super 8 14 Centre scraps NEET grace Govt to HC: Settlement of forest rights by July 24 marks of 1563 candidates TELLS APEX COURT THEY HAVE OPTION OF RE-TEST ON JUNE 23 OR FORGO COMPENSATORY MARKS PTI NEW DELHI Amid a raging row over the NEET-UG examination, the Centre told the Supreme Court on Thursday it has cancelled the grace marks given to 1,563 candidates who took the examination for admission to MBBS and other such courses. They will have the option to either take a re-test or forgo the compensatory marks awarded to them for loss of time. Refusing to stall the counselling for NEET-UG, 2024, scheduled to commence from July 6, the top court made it clear that the admission of successful candidates to medical colleges and other institutions will be subject to the outcome of the petitions which have sought reliefs like cancellation of the examination held on May 5 on grounds of No evidence of paper leak in NEET-UG, Opposition spreading lies: Pradhan NEW DELHI: Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Thursday rejected allegations of paper leak or rigging in the medical entrance exam NEET-UG, saying there is no evidence to substantiate the claims, and accused the opposition of spreading lies without knowing facts. “No concrete evidence of any kind of rigging, corruption or paper leak has been found so far in the NEET exam. All the facts related to this are before the Supreme Court and are under consideration. The kind of politics being done on this issue is only an attempt to spread confusion and it affects the mental peace of the students,” Pradhan said. question paper leak and other malpractices. A vacation bench of justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta termed as “fairly reasonable” the decision to cancel the grace marks awarded to 1,563 candidates on the recommendation of a panel set up to look into the grievances voiced by the petitioners. The National Testing Agency (NTA) conducts the all India pre-medical entrance test. AS DEMAND FOR PROFESSIONAL COURSES RISE... Colleges clamour for hike in Science stream seats DHE CONSIDERING REQUESTS ON CASE-TO-CASE BASIS THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI Even as admissions for medical, pharmacy, engineering and nursing courses are ongoing, nearly all undergraduate colleges offering Science streams have requested an increase in seats due to the growing demand among students aspiring for these professional courses. The Directorate of Higher Education (DHE) is allowing seat increases on a case-bycase basis. “This is an annual trend. The demand for BSc courses arises because admissions for professional colleges, including medicine, pharmacy, and agriculture, among others conclude in August-September. To be on the safer side, students initially take admissions for BSc and then opt out once they secure places in their preferred courses,” said an official wishing anonymity. While the demand for Science courses is high, the increase in seats for Commerce is minimal and almost non-existent for Arts. “This is nothing new. The number of seats across all streams typically remains the same, except during the admission WHAT THE GUILDELINES SAY… „„Min strength for students in multidisciplinary courses set at 30 „„Skill enhancement courses (including all Science courses, psychology, and geography) require 20 students „„If student numbers exceed upper limit, institutions need to request increase in seats „„If student numbers fall below the minimum process,” the official added. According to guidelines issued to colleges, the minimum strength for students in multidisciplinary courses is set at 30, while skill enhancement courses (including all Science courses, psychology, and geography) require 20 students. For Commerce and Arts, the minimum is 30 students. Value-added courses also have a minimum strength of 30 students, except for NCC, where the actual strength will be accepted. When asked about varia- prescribed by DHE, the institution must seek relaxation „„If any program has less than 10 students in any two of the last three years, it will be discontinued tions in student numbers, the official stated that institutions must obtain permission for relaxation. “If student numbers exceed the upper limit, institutions request an increase in seats, as is currently happening in the Science stream. If student numbers fall below the minimum prescribed by the DHE, the institution must seek a relaxation, which is then reviewed by the DHE,” the official explained. For other major and minor courses in all disciplines, >Continued on P5 At the outset, lawyer Kanu Agarwal, appearing for the Centre and the NTA, said the committee set up to look into the grievances decided on June 12 to “allay the fears of the students”. It was of the view that the grace marks be withdrawn and replaced with an option of re-test for these candidates which will be conducted on June 23. A notification to this effect will be issued during the day. He said the committee was of the view that the award of grace marks on grounds of loss of time while taking the test resulted in a “skewed situation” as it had to be limited only to the questions that remained un-attempted. After examining all aspects, the panel concluded that it would be appropriate >Continued on P5 8 more anti-poaching camps set up; govt in process of complying with all directions, court told THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI The State government has informed the Bombay High Court at Goa that claims under Forest Rights and Scheduled Tribes Rights for residents of the Mhadei and nearby wildlife sanctuaries will be settled by July 24, 2024. This submission, made on June 10, was in response to a contempt petition filed by the Goa Foundation against the Goa government for failing to notify the tiger reserve. During the hearing before the Division Bench of Justices M S Karnik and Valmiki Menezes, Advocate Norma Alvares, representing the petitioner, stated that the court had issued several directions, including the notification of the tiger reserve, which is currently pending before the Supreme Court. Advocate General Devidas Pangam informed the court that eight additional anti-poaching camps have already been established and that the government is in the process of complying with the directions dated July 24, 2023. On July 24, 2023, the High Court directed the government to notify a tiger reserve in the Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary and other contiguous areas within three months and to determine and settle the rights and claims of Scheduled Tribes and other forest dwellers within a year while hearing a Public Interest Litigation filed by Goa Foundation. “It is submitted that the State Government is directed to comply with... the judgment and order for determining and settling the rights and claims of the Scheduled Tribes and other forest dwellers following the law as expeditiously as possible within 12 months from the date of the judgment and order. The 12-month period is expiring on July 24, 2024,” the Court observed while accepting the submission by the AG. The Bench has scheduled the next hearing for the contempt application on July 30. Extension sought AFTER KALA ACADEMY CONTROVERSY… till June 30 for completion of Smart City works THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI The Imagine Panaji Smart City Development Limited (IPSCDL) has sought an extension until June 30 to complete the remaining works including the 150-meter Taad-Maad road in St Inez. The agency made this submission before the Bombay High Court at Goa after the government’s statement to the Bench indicating a need for more time to complete the 150-meter road stretch from the Taad Maad temple to STP in Tonca. This area reported the collapse of a just-constructed drain on Monday morning, sparking public anger and demands from opposition parties for an investigation into the alleged corruption in the Smart City projects. The PILs on the matter are scheduled for further hearing on June 18. During the last hearing on Tuesday, IPSCDL Chief General Manager Eduardo Pereira submitted a compliance report to the Court, stating that the closure of the incomplete 150-meter St Inez road segment does not significantly inconvenience the public and cited alternative arrangements. However, the report did not make any reference to the drain collapse. Leaking Assembly building roof new headache for govt PWD UNDERTAKES `2 CR WATERPROOFING WORK THE GOAN I NETWORK MAPUSA Following the recent controversy over the leaking roof at the Kala Academy, Goa’s primary cultural centre, the State Assembly building, the main seat of power, has also been found to be leaking. The roof has been leaking at several places, including the central assembly hall, library, and various cabins, for the past several years. Senior officials from the Public Works Department (PWD) have informed that waterproofing work on the roof, costing approximately Rs 2 crore, is nearly complete. The State Assembly Complex, inaugurated in 2000 by former prime minister late Atal Bihari Vajpayee, has completed 24 years but has shown signs of wear and tear. Damp patches have appeared on the roof, and water leakage has damaged panelling and walls in several areas. Sources within the Secretariat revealed that the building’s leakage issues stem from its design. The roof, comprising a dome and flat sections, coupled with an inadequate Waterproofing work being carried out at the State Assembly building. drainage system, has exacerbated the problem. Water has seeped inside, causing significant damage over the years. Despite these issues, no structural audit has been conducted on the building to date. The situation worsened when the central assembly hall’s roof began to leak, causing inconvenience to Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) during the monsoon session. Leakage was also reported in the library, some cabins, and other halls within the building. In response to the crisis, the government has taken pre-emptive measures by initiating waterproofing of the roof. Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and Speaker of the Goa Legislative Assembly Ramesh Tawadkar recently assessed the situation and held meetings with PWD officials. Instructions were issued to immediately undertake the necessary repairs. Due to time constraints, only the waterproofing of the dome has been completed in >Continued on P5 GMR gets more time to pay ‘Fake police’ stumped by language barrier in Goa revenue share of airport Do not fall prey to fraudsters, Sawant tells parents K THE GOAN I NETWORK THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI Considering the Covid pandemic in 2020, the State Cabinet on Thursday granted an extension to GMR International to pay the State’s gross revenue from Manohar International Airport (MIA) at Mopa. The revenue share of 36.99 per cent would now be payable from December 7 onwards instead of the earlier date of May 31 as per the concession agreement. The decision was taken during the Cabinet meeting on Thursday wherein Chief Govt had sought an opinion from Advocate General Devidas Pangam, who said an extension of the date of commencement of annual premium of 180 days may be granted Minister Pramod Sawant refuted Opposition allegations regarding revenue sharing between GMR and the government. “Goa government’s share of 36.99% of the gross revenue from MIA will be payable from December 7, 2024. The delay is due to the petition before the Supreme Court and previously due to the Covid-19 pandemic, which affected overall operations,” he told reporters after the meeting. In November 2016, the State government entered into an agreement with GMR Goa International Airport for the construction and development of a greenfield airport on a PPP basis. The airport is to be developed in four phases with a design capacity of 4.4 million passengers per annum (mppa) in Phase I, and >Continued on P5 MARGAO onkani appears to have spared many unsuspecting parents from falling into the trap of fraudsters across the State even as there has been no decrease in the number of calls made by the “fake police” to parents. For, the callers identify them as police in Hindi, without realizing that majority of Goa police officers and personnel communicate with the citizens in their mother tongue. A parent told The Goan that he became suspicious when the caller spoke in Hindi. “I became alert when the caller spoke to me in Hindi. The Hindi language and their PANAJI: Close on the heels of several instances of parents complaining of calls from ‘fake police’, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Thursday advised parents not panic or pay money to fraudsters who call and inform them that their child has been kidnapped. accent indicated the callers cannot be Goa police officers or personnel”, the parent said. Another parent pointed out that the caller disconnected the call after he told the caller that he can meet him at the police station. A day after the Goa police “No such kidnapping cases have been reported in the State. Home department is keeping a strict watch... Cybercrime Cell is also investigating the matter. The State is also in touch with the Centre to block the VPNs from where such calls originate”, Sawant said.  issued an advisory that people should not take calls of the fraudsters, there seemed no let up in the calls made by the “fake police” to parents of students on the ground their wards have landed in trouble in fraud and other cases. While many a parent from Chinchinim village had received the calls from the fake police in the last couple of days, many a parent from Navelim village have come under the scanner of the miscreants as they have started receiving similar calls. Former Margao Municipal Chairperson Savio Coutinho received a call identifying himself as a police officer. Conversation between the caller and Coutinho revealed that the caller, speaking in Hindi, first sought to know whether a particular girl is her daughter or not. The caller went on to instill fear that his daughter is in the police custody having been arrested in a fraud case. Coutinho was asked by the caller whether he would like to talk to his daughter, but when Coutinho insisted on speaking to her, one could hear cries of a girl in the backdrop. As Coutinho kept insisting on talking to his daughter, the caller had no option than to shout at the former, before disconnecting the call.