log on to thegoan.net @thegoanonline THURSDAY MAY 28, 2026 GOA FOREIGN WORKER MONITORING STILL MISSING >PG 6 CELEBRATING EID BETWEEN GOA AND THE GULF FESTIVAL OF SACRIFICE AND CHARITY >PAGE 8 TOWARD A COMPUTATIONAL THEORY OF TASTE: THE NEXT FRONTIER IN AI IN SHORT >> `11 cr assets in Birch fire probe attached PANAJI: The Directorate of Enforcement (ED) has provi‑ sionally attached immovable properties worth Rs 11.01 crore as part of its money laundering investigation into the alleged illegal operations of the Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub, where a mas‑ sive fire in December 2025 claimed 25 lives.  >> See pg 3 Man dies in fall while cleaning solar panels MAPUSA: A 47-year-old man from Maharashtra died after allegedly falling from a height while cleaning solar panels at a property in North Goa, highlighting the dangers faced by workers involved in maintenance of rooftop solar installations.  >> See pg 3 Bihar native electrocuted VASCO: A 33-year-old la‑ bourer from Bihar died after allegedly suffering an electric shock while working at a site under construction near IOC Junction in Vasco on Tuesday evening. The deceased has been identified as Sola Ku‑ mar Ram, a native of Shumb‑ ha in Bihar.  >> See pg 5 One held for stabbing brother-in-law PORVORIM: A 39-year-old man from Vazri-Pernem has been arrested on charges of stabbing his brother-in-law at Paithona in Salvador do Mundo late Tuesday night. WEATHER >> Max: Min: Humidity: 31 C 29 C 81% The Goan E-Paper (Playstore/IOS) 14 pages PRICE ` 10 PANAJI MARGAO GOA VOLUME XI, NO. 340 Attempt to murder charge filed against driver in Sirlim hit-and-run case >PAGE 5 Facebook.com/thegoan 2 GOA Hotmixing blitz across State aims to prevent repeat of last year’s chaos 3 Instagram.com/thegoanonline RNI: GOAENG/2015/65729 INFO The new age of orthopedics: How tech is changing patient experience 11 School enrolment drops in Goa, Centre seeks answers PAB DIRECTS STATE TO IDENTIFY REASONS BEHIND DECLINE IN PRIMARY AND UPPER PRIMARY ADMISSIONS; PRAISES IMPROVED MEAL COVERAGE THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI The Union Education Ministry has directed the Goa government to ascertain the reasons behind the decline in student enrolment in schools after recording a drop in overall admissions for the academic year 2025-26. The Ministry, however, appreciated the State for increased student coverage under the mid-day meal scheme. The observation was made by the Project Approval Board (PAB) during the meeting held earlier this month to consider the annual work plan and budget for the PM-POSHAN scheme (mid-day meal) for the financial year 2026-27. As per the data, total enrolment in Goa declined marginally by 374 students, from 1,61,643 in 2024-25 to 1,61,269 in 2025-26, registering a 0.2 per cent drop. The fall was mainly recorded in the Primary and Upper Primary segments. Primary „„Overall enrolment falls by 374 students in 2025-26 „„Primary and Upper Primary record EDUCATION sectionsin addecline REFORMS: missions PAB REVIEW „„Bal Vatika enrolment rises sharply by 32.5% „„State directed to take corrective measures over declining enrolment enrolment fell by 582 students, from 92,501 to 91,919, while Upper Primary enrolment declined by 628 students, from 66,571 to 65,943. However, Bal Vatika recorded a significant rise, with enrolment increasing by 836 students from 2,571 to 3,407, marking a 32.5 per cent jump. The PAB appreciated the State for improving student coverage under the mid-day meal scheme in Bal Vatika and Primary classes. Average student coverage increased from 1,56,947 to 1,58,358, reflecting an addition of 1,411 students and a 0.9 per cent rise. Coverage in Bal Vatika increased by 820 students (32%), while Primary coverage rose by 1,111 students (1.2%). However, Upper Primary coverage also registered a decline of 520 students, dropping Hubballi interception exposes Goa’s ID verification challenge POLICE STRUGGLE TO DISTINGUISH GENUINE CITIZENS FROM SUSPECTED MIGRANTS WITH FORGED PAPERS THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI The interception of a group in Hubballi, allegedly travelling towards Goa, has exposed one of the biggest challenges confronting enforcement agencies in tracking undocumented Bangladeshi nationals, in verifying whether identity documents are genuine or forged. The group, suspected to be Bangladeshi nationals heading towards Goa, was intercepted in Hubballi earlier this week but was later released after producing Indian identity documents. Sources in the Goa Police told The Goan that verification of the documents is still underway, while pointing to the difficulty in distinguishing genuine Indian citizens from undocumented migrants allegedly carrying sophisticated forged papers. “The documents may appear authentic at first glance. Verification takes time and requires coordination between multiple agencies. That is the real concern,” the source said, adding that the Goa Police are SECU R I T Y CO N CE R N S „„Suspected Bangladeshi nationals released after producing Indian IDs „„Goa Police continue verification of documents and identities „„Authorities say forged papers appear authentic at first glance „„STF, railway police intensify checks across Goa entry points „„RPF monitoring trains arriving through West Bengal routes „„Intelligence inputs suggest possible movement of undocumented migrants to other states „„Police fear Goa could become transit or destination point for illegal entrants in touch with their counterparts to ascertain the authenticity of the documents and identities submitted by those persons. The episode has triggered heightened alert across Goa, with Special Task Force (STF), district police teams and railway police intensifying checks at railway stations, bus stands and interstate entry points. Goa Police are also coordinating with the Railway Protection Force (RPF) to monitor trains arriving through West Bengal routes. Police sources said intelligence inputs suggest undocumented Bangladeshi nationals allegedly residing in West Bengal may attempt to move to other states amid increasing scrutiny and political developments there. “There are always apprehensions that Goa could become either a destination or transit point because undocumented persons can blend easily into labour and informal employment networks, >Continued on P9 from 64,801 to 64,281. “The PAB advised the State to ascertain the reasons for this drop in enrolment and average coverage in Upper Primary and take corrective measures,” PAB directed. The ministry’s observation comes amid concerns over falling student strength in higher classes despite overall improvements in access and coverage indicators. For the „„Centre pushes for 100% Aadhaar biometric authentication of students „„Goa asked to update MIS portal data monthly „„Mid-day meal coverage increases by 1,411 students „„PAB appreciates Goa for improved PM-POSHAN coverage „„Upper Primary meal coverage drops by 520 students current academic year, PAB has approved mid-day meal supply to 1,58,358 students as against 1,56,947 last year. The Board has also advised the State to ensure that the Aadhaar authentication of students is done through Biometric mode for 100% students and also update the data in MIS portal on monthly basis. Currently, the enrolment is around 99 per cent. SPORTS India hopes to regain rhythm in series against England ahead of T20 WC 14 Air India cuts over 790 domestic flights amid fuel cost surge Airline reduces frequencies on select routes and weekly services PTI MUMBAI Air India has temporarily cut 22 per cent of its domestic flights as the loss-making airline grapples with the impact of the high fuel prices, according to sources. The decision comes two weeks after the Tata groupowned airline announced a 27 per cent reduction in international flights amid airspace curbs, as well as costlier jet fuel, which have pushed the operational costs higher for overseas sectors. Air India operates around 4,400 weekly flights. Out of them, about 3,600 are domestic, and 800 are international services. "In continuation of our previously announced adjustments to select international services between June and August 2026, we have temporarily rationalised operations on certain domestic routes during the same period, with a reduction in frequencies on select routes," Air India said in a statement on Wednesday. RISING FUEL TEMPORARY CUTS „„Air India temporarily cuts 22% of domestic flights „„Decision follows 27% reduction in international operations „„Rising jet fuel prices cited as key reason „„Airline operating around 4,400 weekly flights overall „„Domestic route frequencies reduced for June–August period The sources said 20-22 per cent of the domestic flights would be reduced. Based on around 3,600 weekly domestic flights, the 22 per cent cut would result in a reduction of more than 790 weekly services. The airline said these adjustments are driven by the sustained impact of high fuel prices on overall operations. 3 private players in race to build India's homegrown stealth fighter jet SCRIPTS IPL HISTORY ʻSPECTACULARʼ SOORYAVANSHI AGENCIES NEW DELHI In a landmark move for India's defence industry, the government today issued the request for proposal (RFP) for the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft, or AMCA, the country's first homegrown fifth-generation stealth fighter. For the first time in a major fighter jet programme, the Defence Ministry has kept out state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) and invited three private players: Tata Advanced Systems, the L&T-BEL-Dynamatic consortium, and the Bharat ForgeBEML-Data Patterns consortium. The Rs 15,000 crore project will see the winning private partner build five prototypes of the AMCA at a new greenfield facility in Andhra Pradesh. This is historic as it opens fighter jet manufacturing to the private sector in India and promises faster development. It also strengthens India's push for self-reliance in cutting-edge aerospace technology. The government is fully funding the Rs 15,000 crore project to build the AMCA prototype. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi surpassed Chris Gayle’s record of 59 sixes, hitting 65 to register the most sixes in a single IPL season The 15-year-old has scored more than 600 runs this season, becoming the youngest batter to achieve the feat in IPL history Rajasthan Royals crushed Sunrisers Hyderabad by 47 runs in the IPL Eliminator clash to reach Qualifier 2 >> Report on Pg 12 Fake passport trail emerges as FRRO nabs 2 Kenyans THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) Goa has traced two Kenyan nationals staying in the Calangute-Candolim belt allegedly in violation of immigration laws, including one woman who was found carrying a Ugandan passport in suspected attempt to conceal her identity. The operation, carried out by the FRRO Panaji as part of an intensified crackdown on overstaying foreign nationals, has also opened a wider probe into suspected use of forged or manipulated travel documents and illegal cross-border movement into India. Sources told The Goan that one of them is suspected to have entered India illegally through Nepal before arriving in Goa. Officials are now probing the circumstances under which she obtained the Ugandan passport and the purpose behind her stay in the country. In the second case, the Kenyan national is alleged to have submitted a photocopy >Continued on P9 Aadhaar not proof of citizenship, Goa sees 59 pc rise in revival of fallow farmland says Supreme Court in SIR ruling AGRICULTURE: STATS AT A GLANCE THE GOAN I NETWORK BENCH BACKS ELECTION COMMISSION’S DOCUMENT NORMS PTI NEW DELHI The Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld the documentation framework adopted by the Election Commission for the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, saying it was neither arbitrary nor outside the statutory scheme. In a landmark judgement reinforcing the autonomy of the poll panel, a bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi upheld the Com- mission's authority to conduct the SIR of electoral rolls and said that Aadhaar is not proof of citizenship. Authoring a 124-page verdict, the CJI separately dealt with the validity of the documentation regime prescribed by the Commission as part of the enumeration process. The verdict said the EC was entitled to classify documents on the basis of their evidentiary value in establishing statutory conditions such as residence and eligibility. A central point of the judgement was the validity of the Aadhaar card in the enumeration process. The court provided a clarification on Aadhaar cards and said the law on the 12-digit unique identifier does not treat the card as proof of citizenship or domicile. Therefore, the EC is justified in not treating it as a primary document to establish statutory eligibility for voting, it said. "Insofar as the exclusion of Aadhaar is concerned, the justification advanced by the Commission needs to be >Continued on P9 PANAJI oa recorded a sharp 59 per cent rise in fallow land brought under cultivation in 2025‑26, according to official data with the Agriculture Department reporting that 10.75 hectares of neglected farmland were revived, compared to 6.76 hectares last year. Officials said the increase was driven by new incentive schemes where farmers were offered one‑time assistance of Rs 15,000 per hectare to clear weeds and prepare the land for crops. In 2025‑26, 11 farmers received subsidies worth Rs 1.61 lakh even though the G „„10.75 hectares revived in 2025-26 against 6.76 hectares last year „„Farmers offered Rs 15,000 per hectare to reclaim neglected fields „„11 farmers received subsidies worth Rs 1.61 lakh this year „„Goa still has nearly government had budgeted Rs 2.58 lakh, showing a mediocre 62 per cent fund utilisation. In 2024‑25, 10 farmers had reclaimed 6.76 hectares and pocketed Rs 1.06 lakh in subsidies. 8,000 hectares of identified fallow land „„Only 130 hectares reclaimed across State in last five years „„34 hectares revived under PMKSY and Community Farming Scheme „„State targets revival of 30 additional hectares in 2025-26 „„Mechanisation seen as key to tackling labour shortages and high costs Despite the rise, officials admit the scale of the chal‑ lenge is daunting as Goa has nearly 8,000 hectares identi‑ fied as fallow against which, only 130 hectares have been reclaimed over five years, a mere fraction. Separately, initiatives in 2025 had seen 34 hectares revived by 115 farmers across four villages under the Water‑ shed Development Compo‑ nent of the Pradhan Mantri Kri‑ shi Sinchayee Yojana and the Community Farming Scheme. The State had set a target of 30 more hectares for 2025‑26. The department’s perfor‑ mance budget for 2025‑26 mentions only one major pro‑ ject – converting 100 hectares of non‑cultivable land in Surla, Bicholim, into farmland. Officials say mechanisation is key to overcoming Goa’s historic labour shortages and high costs. “We are committed to com‑ munity farming and mechani‑ sation. But the pace must pick up if a difference has to be made,” a senior officer said. Policy measures have also been introduced with the 'Goa >Continued on P9