log on to thegoan.net @thegoanonline FRIDAY FEBRUARY 21, 2025 page 6 Automatic convenience gains demand but price remains a barrier REVIEW: BYD Sealion 7: The electric crossover redefining power and luxury IN SHORT >> Anjuna house eviction: Prime accused arrested PANAJI: More than a week after going into hiding followed by the rejection of his anticipatory bail plea, Janardhan Khorate was finally arrested by the Crime Branch late Wednesday night in connection with the forced eviction of tenants from a house in Anjuna.  >> See pg 2 Bhatlem road to be closed till Sunday PANAJI: Imagine Panaji Smart City Development Ltd (IPSCDL) has announced that the crucial road section in Bhatlem from the Ram Mandir to the SFX Chapel at Portais will be fully closed and inaccessible to residents and vehicle users from Friday to Sunday.  >> See pg 2 Activist questioned for threats to CM PANAJI: The Panaji police on Thursday recorded the statement of activist Rama Kankonkar in a case where he has been charged with allegedly making derogatory and threatening statements against Chief Minister Pramod Sawant. As per the FIR registered against him on Wednesday, the police stated that his remarks were likely to create or promote enmity among the public and incite them against the CM.   >> See pg 5 Sonia admitted to hospital NEW DELHI: Congress leader Sonia Gandhi has been admitted to the Sir Ganga Ram Hospital here, sources said on Thursday. She is doing fine and is likely to be discharged on Friday, they said. While the exact time of admission is not immediately known, a source said. WEATHER >> Max: 31 C Min: 24 C Humidity: 67% TIDES Low: High: 11:28 --02:59 20:33 Facebook.com/thegoan The Goan E-Paper (Playstore/IOS) 13 pages PRICE ` 10 PANAJI MARGAO GOA VOLUME X, NO. 244 Instagram.com/thegoanonline Gill ton, Shami fifer help India ace CT opener  Pg 13 RNI: GOAENG/2015/65729 PWD app logs 16K road plaints in 9 months, exposes chinks in infra n AVERAGE 1,600 GRIEVANCES RECORDED PER MONTH; 90% RELATED TO BAD ROADS, POTHOLES, LACK OF ACCESS n PWD CLAIMS ALL ISSUES RESOLVED SHWETA KAMAT MAHATME THE GOAN I PANAJI Despite the BJP-led government’s claims of enhancing road infrastructure through the construction of highways and overbridges, data shows that the need for quality roads for everyday commute has been a far cry. The data accessed on PWD’s ‘Goa Mobile App’ since its launch in May 2024 provides a picture of contrast recording a deluge of road-related complaints. On an average, citizens have raised over 1,600 grievances each month, and that highlights the persistent issues faced by motorists. From May 2024 till February 17, the app received 16,414 road-related complaints on the digital portal, with all cases be- THE DATA: BAD ROADS „„Since launch of the app in May 2024, it has recorded 16,414 road-related complaints, averaging 1,600 per month „„Saligao (862), Siolim (827), Calangute (817), and St Cruz (859) reported the highest number of complaints „„Mormugao (27) and Porvorim (50) saw the fewest road complaints submitted via the app „„Sanquelim, represented by CM Pramod Sawant, recorded 432 complaints on road conditions „„Shiroda is the only constituency where not a single complaint was received ing resolved. Shiroda was the only assembly constituency from where not a single complaint was received by the department. A PWD official explains, “Once the citizen raises a grievance with proper location, an engineer visits the site to mark the defect. The contractor then carries out the repair and uploads proof of work done.” Staff selection panel to verify documents of 230 candidates ASPIRANTS FAILING TO SUBMIT CERTIFICATES WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED FOR CBT-III ELIGIBILITY LIST THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI Almost a month after conducting Computer Based Test (CBT)-II for the post of lower division clerk and recovery clerk across various departments, the Goa Staff Selection Commission (GSCC) has decided to pre-verify the documents of around 230 candidates, who cleared the test. LDC POSTS In a notice issued to these candidates, the Commission has said that upon reviving the application, it has decided to pre-verify the documents of the certain candidates with respect to the essential qualification possessed by them as required in terms of Recruitment Rules (RR) of the post of lower division clerk and recovery clerk. The Commission has sought documents like experience certificate, meritorious “The PWD engineer will then verify the work done and the citizen will receive a report of the work carried out. We update the information accordingly,” the official added. The North coastal constituencies like Saligao (862), Siolim (827), Calangute (817) reported the highest number of complaints apart from the St Cruz assembly constituency from where total 859 grievances were raised. As many as 432 complaints were raised from the Sanquelim assembly constituency of the Chief Minister Pramod AI tech to evaluate learning progress of Grade I, II students THE GOAN I NETWORK to submit release or retired or discharged certificate and PPO for pre-verification by February 24. Further, 52 candidates under Persons with Benchmark Disability with locomotors disability including cerebral palsy, leprosy cured, dwarfism, acid attack victims and muscular dystrophy are instructed to submit medical PANAJI In a significant step in strengthening Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN) assessment, the Goa government has adopted Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology to evaluate the learning progress of Grade I and II students. The AI technology will assess the students under National Initiative for Proficiency in Reading with Understanding and Numeracy (NIPUN) Bharat goal, which aims at enhancing learning outcomes at foundational stages. The Goa Samagra Shiksha through its initiatives under Vidya Samiksha Kendra (VSK) and the NIPUN Cell, in collaboration with SCERT and ConveGenius, has launched the NIPUN assessment of students which is live from February 17 to March 1, ensuring a comprehensive evaluation of student learning and guiding future educational strategies. “A key highlight of this initiative is the interactive dashboards, which allow all stakeholders — teachers, >Continued on P7 >Continued on P7 PRE-VERIFICATION PROCESS „„Around 77 candidates have been directed to submit experience certificates „„Another 84 who have applied under ex-servicemen category to submit release or retired or discharged certificate and PPO for pre-verification by Feb 24 „„52 candidates under PwBD are instructed to submit medical certificate issued by the competent authority/ permanent disability certificate issued by the Board through email by Feb 25 „„Another, 20 candidates under meritorious sportsperson category are instructed to submit meritorious sportsperson certificate and experience certificate for pre-verification sportsperson certificate, medical certificates among others. “The candidates who fail to submit the necessary documents for pre-verification as instructed shall not be considered for preparing the eligibility list for the CBT-III,” the Commission said. The Commission has directed around 77 candidates to submit experience certificates while another 84, applied under ex-servicemen category CONSTITUENCY-WISE COMPLAINTS TABLE >> See pg 7 Sawant. Also, the people from Panaji constituency raised 559 grievances pertaining to the roads. On the other hand, Mormugao (27) and Porvorim (50) saw the least number of complaints coming in. In an effort to streamline the handling of public grievances the “PWD Goa Mobile App” was launched to handle grievances related to drinking water, sewerage, potholes, speed breakers and road signages. “More than 90 per cent of the complaints were pertaining to potholes or bad roads or no proper road access. We have fixed all,” the official said adding ‘we were thrilled the way citizens responded to the App >Continued on P7 Cops crack down on 3 online networks scamming tourists SIX ARRESTED ACROSS MULTIPLE STATES THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI North Goa police have cracked down on three major online scam networks that targeted tourists, selling fake water sports tickets, fraudulent homestay bookings and fake claims of selling sex toys through an e-commerce platform. The police teams have arrested six persons operating these rackets from different places with Superintendent of Police (North Goa) Akshat Kaushal stating the teams were deployed to West Bengal, Delhi and Karnataka to trace and arrest the accused. The first case, involving fraudulent water sports bookings, came to light after multiple complaints were filed through the 1930 cybercrime portal and email. Kaushal revealed that victims reported THE CASES „„Water sports scam: Tourists paid for non-existent or misrepresented water sports services „„Homestay booking scam: A tourist lost money after booking a fake homestay via Facebook „„e-commerce scam: A bogus online store falsely claimed a local presence and failed to deliver products after receiving payments that payments were made for water sports services that either did not exist or failed to match advertised offerings. Two FIRs were subsequently registered at Panaji and Porvorim police stations on >Continued on P7 New Delhi CM, team take guard; swing into action REKHA GUPTA WITH 6 MINISTERS SWORN IN; CABINET OKAYS AYUSHMAN SCHEME, TO TABLE CAG REPORTS PTI NEW DELHI The BJP formed its government in Delhi on Thursday after more than 26 years, with Chief Minister Rekha Gupta and her six ministers being sworn in at the Ramlila Ground and the new Cabinet approved the implementation of Ayushman Bharat Yojana in its first meeting. Addressing a press conference soon after the Cabinet meeting, the chief minister announced allocation of portfolios among the newly appointed ministers and said that 14 pending CAG reports will be tabled in the first session of the Delhi Assembly. While Gupta has kept with her finance, services, vigilance, revenue, and women and child development, among other departments, her Cabinet colleague Parvesh Verma has been allotted PWD, water, legislative affairs, irrigation and flood Delhi CM Rekha Gupta and Cabinet Ministers along with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and LG VK Saxena. 5 of 7 ministers face criminal cases: ADR NEW DELHI: Five, including the chief minister, out of seven newly sworn-in ministers in Delhi have declared criminal cases against themselves, while two are billionaires, according to poll rights body Association for Democratic Reforms.  >> See pg 9 control, and gurdwara elections portfolios. Ashish Sood got home, power, education, and urban development, among other departments. After being administered the oath, Gupta, the firsttime legislator from Shalimar Bagh, said that not a single day will be wasted in realising the mission of “Viksit Delhi” and assured that the new BJP government will fulfil all the promises made to people of the national capital. The swearing-in ceremony >Continued on P7 Panama confirms safe arrival Follow Code of Ethics: OTT platforms warned on vulgarity THE ADVISORY of Indians deported from US PTI INDIAN EMBASSY TEAM GETS ACCESS, TO ENSURE THEIR WELLBEING PTI PANAMA CITY Panama has informed India about the safe arrival of a group of Indians deported from the US and the Indian mission in the country is working closely with the host government to ensure their wellbeing after obtaining consular access to them. The Embassy of India in Panama, Costa Rica & Nicaragua took to X on Thursday to share the information but did not provide data on the number of Indians arriving in Panama. The group of Indians is part THE DEPORTATION „„The group of Indians is part of a larger group of 299 migrants sent to Panama by the US government „„These people arrived in the country on three flights last week after President Jose Raul Mulino agreed that Panama would become a ‘bridge’ country for deportees of a larger group of 299 migrants sent to Panama by the US government. These people arrived in the country on three flights last week after President Jose Raul Mulino agreed that Panama would become a “bridge” country for deportees. The Trump administration has pledged to deport millions of people who crossed illegally into the US. “Panamanian authorities have informed us that a group of Indians have reached Panama from the US,” the Embassy of India in Panama, Nicaragua and Costa Rica posted on X. “They are safe and secure >Continued on P7 NEW DELHI mid a row over vulgar jokes on social media, the Centre has cracked the whip and warned OTT platforms against transmitting content that is prohibited by the law. In an advisory to overthe-top (OTT) platforms and self-regulatory bodies, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting also asked them to strictly adhere to the Code of Ethics prescribed under the IT Rules-2021 while publishing content, including stricter adherence to the age-based classification of content. It also asked self-regulatory bodies of OTT platforms to take appropriate proactive action for violation of the Code „„OTT platforms must ensure that no obscene, pornographic, or vulgar content that is prohibited by law is transmitted „„Platforms must enforce age-based content classification as per the prescribed guidelines and ensure proper access control mechanisms for ‘A’ rated content „„The platforms’ self-regulatory bodies should take proactive measures against any violations of the Code of Ethics by their members „„Platforms must exercise discretion and caution while publishing content, ensuring compliance with ethical and legal standards A of Ethics by the platforms. The ministry said it has received complaints from Members of Parliament, statutory organisations and public grievances regarding the alleged spread of obscene, pornographic and vulgar content published by certain publishers of online curated content (OTT platforms) and social media. “In view of the above it is advised that the OTT platforms adhere to the various provisions of applicable laws, and the Code of Ethics prescribed under IT Rules, 2021 while publishing content on their platforms, including stricter adherence to the age-based classification of content prescribed under the Code of Ethics,” the advisory said. It said the Code of Ethics, inter-alia, require OTT platforms not to transmit any content that is prohibited by law, undertake age-based classification of content, based on general guidelines provided in the Schedule to the Rules, implement access control mechanism for ‘A’ rated content to restrict access to such content by a child, and also exercise due caution and discretion. The advisory also comes in the wake of the Supreme Court suggesting regulation on content on social media platforms. The apex court had flagged the “vacuum” in law when it comes to sharing content on platforms such as YouTube and said “all kinds of things were going on”.