log on to thegoan.net @thegoanonline MONDAY FEBRUARY 9, 2026 GOA Inflation, Q3 results among key triggers for investors to watch IN SHORT >> 2.5K farmers yet to get compensation  PANAJI: Nearly 2,500 farmers in Goa are still waiting for compensation after unseasonal late rains devastated their ready-to-harvest kharif paddy crop. The payouts are to be made under the Shetkari Nidhi Yojna, a State scheme that provides financial assistance for crop losses due to natural disasters.  >> See pg 3 Fake CRPF officer dupes Bardez man MAPUSA: Colvale police have registered a case of cyber fraud after a 63-year-old Bardez resident was allegedly duped of Rs 3.95 lakh by an online scamster posing as a CRPF officer. According to police, the complaint was filed by Adrian D’Souza, a resident of St Ann Colony, Thivim.   >> See pg 3 Bike rider crushed to death at Zuarinagar The Goan E-Paper (Playstore/IOS) 12 pages PRICE ` 10 PANAJI MARGAO GOA VOLUME XI, NO. 232 GOA Bid to regularise unauthorised structure lands panch in trouble Ten common yoga mistakes and how to avoid them  >> See pg 5 WEATHER >> Max: 34.2 C Min: 21.3 C Humidity: 80% TIDES Low: High: 09:52 21:24 02:41 16:50 SPORTS Mendis duo powers Sri Lanka to 20-run win over Ireland 12 Pakistan may do U-turn on India match boycott n MEA FLAGS 15 UNREGISTERED AGENCIES OPERATING IN PCB-ICC HOLD TALKS TO STATE, SEEKS POLICE ACTION TO CRACK DOWN ON OPs RESOLVE STANDOFF SHWETA KAMAT MAHATME THE GOAN I PANAJI Despite repeated warnings and a steady rise in complaints, illegal recruitment agents continue to operate in Goa with little fear of immediate action. In a stark revelation, the Union Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has identified 15 unregistered recruitment agencies functioning in the State as of December 2025, prompting the Centre to seek police action to crack down on such operators. Also, there are 13 registered active recruitment agents or agencies in the State. The Ministry has released the list on its eMigrate portal after receiving grievances from emigrants and their families, while simultaneously cautioning prospective job-seekers against falling prey to unauthorised agents. Significantly, official data shows that only five of the listed agencies or individuals have verifiable addresses, CENTRE’S CAUTION TO JOB SEEKERS „„Goa has 13 registered and active recruitment agents, according to official records „„Of the 15 unregistered agencies, only five have verifiable physical addresses; others operate only via phone/mobile numbers „„MEA reiterates no agent can operate without valid Registration Certificate under Emigration Act, 1983 „„Registration certificates issued only by Protector General of Emigrants „„Centre coordinating with State govts to curb illegal recruitment and strength- en enforcement „„List of unregistered agencies compiled based on complaints filed by affected emigrants or families „„List of recruitment agents published on eMigrate portal „„Registration of four agents/agencies has expired while that of one is dormant while the remaining ten are operating solely through mobile or phone numbers, making tracing and enforcement difficult. The names listed on the MEA website include Ms Maushmi Khan from Navelim; Nitin Kumar Juvekar and Swapnil Jadhav from New Vaddem, Vasco; Perfect Tour and Travels (Umesh Chavan) from Calangute; Sabir from Margao; and Nova Life Global Recruiters from Patto Plaza, Panaji. Others flagged include Oman Travels & Moula International, Borkar, Sagar Enterprises, Masthan, Rabab Pintu, Kasim Shaik, Fathima, Imran, Ocean Travel and Mohidini. “As per Section 10 of the Emigration Act, 1983, no person or agency can function as a Recruiting Agent (RA) without a valid Registration Certificate (RC) issued by the Registering Authority, i.e., the Protector General of Emigrants (PGE),” the Ministry said in its advisory. It added that it regularly coordinates with State governments to address the challenge of illegal recruiting agencies and to strengthen enforcement of emigration rules and regulations. Sources in the State government said the list of unregistered agencies was prepared based on complaints filed by Portugal votes in presidential runoff; all eyes on José Seguro 1 Centre-left Socialist Antonio José Seguro is widely expected to defeat hard-right populist André Ventura in Portugal’s presidential runoff on Sunday, a vote seen as a test of public support for Ventura’s confrontational brand of politics. Anganwadi teachers protest: All cleared 70-year-old dies at gram sabha meeting RNI: GOAENG/2015/65729 INFO VASCO: A 32-year-old two-wheeler rider was crushed to death in a hitand-run accident on Sunday morning opposite the main gate of BITS Pilani Goa campus, Zuarinagar. The deceased a resident of Dabolim and a native of Kolhapur was employed with Cipla at the Verna Industrial Estate and was on his way to work at the time of the accident.   >> See pg 5 PANAJI: The Judicial Magistrate First Class in Panaji has discharged all accused in a case related to the 2021 protest by anganwadi teachers outside the Chief Minister’s official bungalow. Police had booked and chargesheeted several individuals for allegedly intimidating officers during the demonstration.   >> See pg 3 Instagram.com/thegoanonline 3 2 9 Centre sounds alarm as illegal job recruiters flourish in Goa South District Hospital battling against all odds >> pg 6 Facebook.com/thegoan ENG SURVIVE NEPAL SCARE: Liam Dawson celebrates with teammates after taking the wicket of Aasif Sheikh (Nepal) during the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup at Wankhede Stadium on Sunday. England beat Nepal by just four runs.  (Report on pg 12) ESIC shifts gears on medical college, seeks Varsity nod THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI The Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) has approached Goa University seeking permission to establish an affiliated medical college at the ESI Hospital premises in Margao, with an initial intake capacity of 50 MBBS seats. If approved, the proposed institution will become the second government medical college in the State after the Goa Medical College (GMC), one of the oldest medical institutions in the country. GMC currently has an intake ca- pacity of 200 MBBS seats, of which 85 per cent are reserved under the State quota. Confirming the development, Goa University Registrar Sunder Dhuri told The Goan that the University has received the proposal from >Continued on P7 2 Opinion polls indicate Seguro could secure roughly double Ventura’s vote share in the head-to-head contest, after no candidate won an outright majority in last month’s first round. Still, Ventura’s advance to the runoff marks a milestone for his Chega (Enough) party, which has rapidly emerged as a significant force amid a broader rightward shift across Europe. 3 Seguro, a veteran Socialist, is campaigning as a moderate willing to cooperate with Portugal’s centre-right minority government, distancing himself from Ventura’s anti-establishment and antiimmigrant rhetoric. >> See pg 7 emigrants or their families. “Once grievances are received and verified, the data is shared with the State authorities for further crackdown and legal action,” sources said. “In most cases, the addresses and phone numbers provided are either fake, or the offices are found locked and non-functional, with phones remaining unreachable or out of network, making it virtually impossible to trace the operators,” sources said. The MEA’s warning comes against the backdrop of several recent cases where Goans were allegedly duped in the name of overseas employment followed by deportation of Goans from US -- some who were found living there illegally. In the last month alone, Goa police registered two separate cases in Valpoi and Porvorim wherein the youths were duped of over Rs 8 lakhs, together, for promised jobs in foreign countries. PTI ISLAMABAD Pakistan is set to backtrack from its stance of boycotting the upcoming T20 World Cup 2026 match against India. Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Mohsin Naqvi on Sunday met his Bangladesh counterpart Aminul Islam and ICC deputy chair Imran Khwaja in Lahore, as efforts to resolve the standoff over Pakistan’s proposed boycott of the high stakes match gathered pace. While PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi remained defiant despite the warning from the ICC, it has been learned that some board officials are reportedly open to the idea of playing the match. According to sources, ICC officials warned the PCB of the severe consequences of a boycott during a meeting with Naqvi at the Gaddafi Stadium on Sunday. Khwaja, who represents Singapore in the ICC, is an influential personality in the Despite ICC warnings of severe consequences, PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi remained defiant, though sources reveal that some board officials were open to playing the match after discussions at Gaddafi Stadium world governing body and has voting rights on the board as an associate member director. Khwaja arrived in Lahore for talks with PCB officials amid growing indications that the deadlock over the high-profile February 15 clash between arch-rivals India and Pakistan in Colombo could be resolved, paving the way for the match to go ahead. A source close to the PCB confirmed Khwaja has been nominated by the ICC board as a mediator on the controversial subject. 10 pm curfew for weddings, but free run for nightclubs VAGATOR, ANJUNA CLUBS HOST ALL-NIGHT PARTIES, DRAW HUNDREDS OF TOURISTS THE GOAN I NETWORK MAPUSA By 10 pm wedding music is silenced without mercy. Bands pack up and celebrations end – by law. Along the northern coastal belt, 10 pm is when the party begins. This weekend, as Saturday rolled into Sunday, techno beats thundered across Vagator and Anjuna. Venues such as Jungle Origen and Masaya at Ozran and Aura Beach Café in South Anjuna hosted packed, all-night parties, drawing hundreds of patrons. The music spilled across hillsides and beaches, travelling far beyond venue limits and into residential pockets. For locals, sleep was once again a casualty. There was a brief pause. Around 9 pm, a Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB) official was seen patrolling the stretch. Almost instantly, the music dipped. Silence re- NIGHTLONG TECHNO PARTY „„Techno beats echo across Vagator-Anjuna during the weekend „„Jungle Origen, Masaya host major events „„Music at Istorea By The Sea started from 9 pm–9 am „„Dynamo advertised Sunday plans till 5 am „„Raeeth lined up an all-night event turned – but it was just momentary. When the official left the music surged back. “Everyone knows when inspections happen. The music stops for show and resumes the moment officials leave. This is enforcement in name only,” said Desmond Alvares, a long-time noise pollution campaigner. At Jungle Origen, an openair venue carved into a hill overlooking the sea, the party continued full-blown. Locals allege the venue operates without clear permissions and is located on comunidade land, issues previously flagged. Elaborate installations, heavy sound systems and floodlighting transformed the hilltop into a high-decibel nightlife hub. “They say it’s far from homes. But sound doesn’t care about distance. At night, it carries and hits hard,” said Ozran resident Nilesh Mandrekar. What angers residents is not just the noise, but its predictability. Events are advertised openly on social media days in advance, often promising music till dawn. >Continued on P7 Mid-day meal boost! Centre clears UIDAI hits 1 cr milestone in student biometric updates Goa’s entire allocation of `  2 cr 2 UIDAI’S STUDENT UPDATE CAMPAIGN PTI OVER 4,000 MT OF FOOD GRAINS ALSO ALLOCATED THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI Goa has received its full Central allocation of Rs 22.26 crore under the Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman (PM-POSHAN), popularly known as mid-day meal scheme for the ongoing academic year, benefiting over 1.58 lakh students across the State. The funds were released in two equal instalments of Rs 11.13 crore each. Sources said that while Centre has released its total allocation, the State government, too, has been releasing its share on time and, in fact, often supplements the scheme with additional funds beyond the earmarked amount. For the current year, the total expenditure under PM-POSHAN in Goa has been pegged at Rs 35.51 crore, to be jointly borne by the Centre and the State. As per prescribed norms, the mandatory State share stands at Rs 13.25 crore. The State government contributes Rs 9.33 per student per day for pre-primary stu- dents and Rs 12 per student per meal for upper primary students. The Central assistance was approved after Goa submitted its Annual Operational Plan (AOP) to the Programme Approval Board (PAB) of the PM-POSHAN scheme. Along with the financial support, the Centre has also allocated 4,506.48 metric tonnes of food grains for the academic year. During the current term, mid-day meals are being provided to 1.58 lakh eligible >Continued on P7 NEW DELHI adhaar custodian UIDAI has completed mandatory biometric updates (MBU) for one crore school children covering 83,000 schools across the country, an official statement said. A child under the age of five can enrol for Aadhaar by providing the photograph, name, date of birth, gender, address and birth certificate but the fingerprints and iris biometrics of a child are not captured for Aadhaar enrolment below the age of five as these indicators are not mature by then. Therefore, providing fingerprints and iris information in Aadhaar by following the pro- A „„Special Mission-Mode Update drive launched for school children in Sept 2025 „„Drive became possible after tech integration with UDISE+, which showed MBU status of students „„Schools & UIDAI could identify children due for MBU and organise update camps in schools „„MBU camps presently being held in schools across the country „„Campaign to continue until all schools are covered „„Children can also complete MBU at Aadhaar enrolment centres and Aadhaar Seva Kendras cess of MBU, upon crossing the ages of 5 and 15 years, is an essential requirement for children. Lack of MBU in Aadhaar may lead to difficulties while carrying out authentication for receiving benefits under various government schemes, registering in competitive and university examinations like NEET, JEE, CUET etc. “The UIDAI has crossed the milestone of completing over one crore Mandatory Biometric Updates (MBUs) for school-children studying in 83000 schools across the country,” the statement said. Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has made MBU free for children in the age group of 7 to 15 years from October 1 for one year period. “UIDAI had initiated this special MBU drive for school-children in September 2025 after a successful technological integration with the Unified District Information System for Education Plus application, that enabled visibility of MBUs status of children at schools. This breakthrough helped the UIDAI and schools to jointly identify children who were due for a mandatory biometric upadte, and hold camps at schools to complete the MBU,” the statement said. UIDAI CEO Bhuvnesh Kumar has written to Chief Secretaries of all States and Union Territories about the initiative by the authority and requested their support in conducting focussed MBU camps at schools.