log on to thegoan.net @thegoanonline Facebook.com/thegoan The Goan E-Paper (Playstore/IOS) Instagram.com/thegoanonline Pg 11 12 pages PRICE ` 10 PANAJI MARGAO GOA VOLUME XI, NO. 358 RNI: GOAENG/2015/65729 CBC 44101/13/0003/2627 CBC 44101/13/0003/2627 CBC 44101/13/0003/2627 MONDAY JUNE 15, 2026 Connolly century saves Australia from sweep AS RESERVOIR LEVELS DECLINE… IN SHORT >> Freedom fighter Moye no more PANAJI: Veteran freedom fighter Prabhakar Prabhu Moye from Siolim passed away in the early hours of Saturday following a brief illness. He was 96. A revered figure, Moye was widely respected for his contribution to India’s freedom struggle and his commitment to the cause of education. His passing marks the end of an era and leaves behind a rich legacy of public service, patriotism and educational advancement. Truck driver killed in Anmod Ghat mishap PANAJI: A sand-laden tipper truck transporting material from Karnataka to Goa met with a fatal accident near the Dudhsagar Temple at Anmod Ghat on Sunday. The driver, identified as Sudip Kapoz, a native of West Bengal, died in the mishap. According to reports, the tipper truck was travelling towards Goa when the accident occurred. SAWANT ASKS WRD TO ISSUE CIRCULAR TO AVERT CRISIS THE GOAN I NETWORK MAPUSA Expressing concern over the rapidly declining water levels in Goa’s reservoirs, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has directed the Water Resources Department (WRD) to issue a circular making water conservation measures compulsory for borewell owners to help recharge water sources and avert a deeper water crisis next year. The Chief Minister’s remarks come just two days after  The Goan  highlighted the alarming situation at the Anjunem reservoir, where water storage had fallen to a critical 11 per cent, raising concerns over both drinking water availability and water quality. Speaking on the issue, Sawant said the State could face a difficult year ahead due to the possibility of be- Salary hikes, benefits for private sector workers soon, assures CM PANAJI: With unemployment emerging as a crucial issue and talking point in the run-up to the 2027 assembly elections, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Sunday announced a raft of welfare measures for private sector employees at a mega job fair organised by the Labour Department at the Shyama Prasad Mukherjee stadium, where more than 150 companies offered over 5,000 vacancies. Sawant said, his government is drafting rules to mandate fair salaries, periodic wage hikes, and regularisation of employees in industries, particularly those operating in IDC industrial estates.  >> See pg 3 low-normal rainfall. “Given the present situation, it is expected that rainfall will be less this year. Therefore, conserving water has become extremely important,” he said. Sawant said he has instruct- ed the WRD to issue a circular requiring all borewell owners to implement water conservation and recharge measures. “I have directed the WRD to issue a circular under which all borewell owners will have to compulsorily undertake 8 killed in lightning strikes in Jharkhand RANCHI: At least eight people, including three women and two boys, were killed in lightning strikes across Jharkhand, police said on Sunday. Of the eight people, two each were killed in Ranchi and Garhwa districts. WEATHER >> Max: 33.6 C Min: 26.3 C Humidity: 76% TIDES Low: High: 04:16 17:06 11:33 22:11 >Continued on P7 THE GOAN I NETWORK MARGAO In a major setback to Goa’s Dhangar community, the Union Ministry of Tribal Affairs has rejected the community’s long-standing demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status. The decision has triggered widespread disappointment and resentment among community leaders, who expressed anger over being kept in the dark about the development for more than two months. Community leaders informed that the Union Tribal Affairs Ministry took the decision on April 1, and the communication reportedly reached the Goa government on April 8. However, members of the Dhangar community claim they were not informed about the rejection until recently. Leaders of the All Goa Dhangar Samaj, led by president Chandrakant Kavlekar, convened a meeting at the Multipurpose Hall in Borda COMMUNITY LEADERS SHOCKED „„Question basis of rejection of ST demand „„Claim were of unaware of any rejection by RGI „„Cannot understand how ministry reached its decision „„Urge Centre to reconsider, withdraw rejection „„Voice concern over lack of support from Gawdas, Kunbis, Velips „„To request CM to lead delegation to meet Amit on Sunday to discuss the implications of the decision and chart the community’s future course of action. Addressing the media after the meeting, Kavlekar expressed shock over the Union Tribal Welfare ministry’s decision, questioning the basis for rejecting the demand when the application had reportedly been under consideration by the Registrar General of India (RGI) for several years. “We fail to understand why the Union Tribal Affairs Ministry has rejected our demand. As far as we know, the Registrar General of India had not rejected our long-pending application. We do not un- derstand how the ministry arrived at this decision,” Kavlekar said. He announced that a delegation of the Dhangar Samaj would soon meet Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and request him to lead a delegation to meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah. “We want the Chief Minister to discuss the matter with the Union Home Minister and help undo the injustice caused by this decision. We will urge the Centre to reconsider and withdraw the rejection,” he said. Kavlekar, however, NCZMA turns heat on Goa over stalled coastal plan SEEKS REGULAR QUARTERLY PROGRESS REPORTS Chorao man collecting clams goes missing PANAJI: A pall of gloom enveloped Chorao on Sunday after as word spread that 38yearold Umesh Shirodkar had gone missing during a predawn clams (kube) collecting expedition. Shirodkar had set out with friends around 4 am to collect clams.  >> See pg 2 water conservation measures,” he said. The Chief Minister stressed that replenishing reservoirs and groundwater sources must become a priority across the State. “To recharge the reservoirs, it is important to take water conservation measures. Wherever such measures can be implemented, they should be undertaken. Otherwise, next year we may face an even more severe water shortage,” he warned. The concern comes amid poor rainfall recorded across Goa over the past week and forecasts by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) indicating the possibility of deficient rainfall in parts of the country due to the El Niño effect. Apart from Anjunem, the LEADERS FURIOUS OVER BEING KEPT IN THE DARK THE GOAN I NETWORK DREAM START: Deepti Sharma celebrates after taking the wicket of Pakistan's Gull Feroza. India thrashed Pakistan by 64 runs to make a winning start to their Women's T20 World Cup campaign in Birmingham on Sunday.  (Report on pg 11) 29-yr-old cop dies after tourist car rams scooter in Calangute THE GOAN I NETWORK MAPUSA A 29-year-old tourist police constable succumbed to injuries sustained in a tragic road accident at Saunta Vaddo in Calangute during the early hours of Saturday. The deceased, identified as  Ketan Gaude, a resident of Cumbarjua, was attached to the Tourist Police Unit and was returning home after completing his duty when the accident occurred. According to police sources, Gaude was riding his scooter along the Baga–Calangute road when a car driven by a tourist allegedly collided head-on with his two-wheeler at Saunta Vaddo. The impact of the collision threw Gaude off his scooter, leaving him with severe injuries. He was immediately rushed to the North Goa District Hospital, Mapusa, for emergency treatment. Due to the >Continued on P7 PANAJI The National Coastal Zone Management Authority (NCZMA) has expressed concern over the continued delay in finalisation of Goa’s Coastal Zone Management Plan (CZMP) 2019 and has directed the State government to submit mandatory quarterly status reports to the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) on the progress made. During its meeting held last month, the NCZMA noted that while several coastal States and Union Territories have made significant progress in preparing and finalising their CZMPs under the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) Notification, 2019, Goa continues to lag behind, hindering the overall implementation process. According to the minutes of the meeting, Goa remains the only coastal State where preparation of the draft CZMP is still underway. In contrast, all other coastal States and 26 Peace hopes, rupee movement, crude oil to shape market mood this week Water conservation made must for borewell owners Dhangars’ ST dream dashed; Centre turns down demand ON CZMP DELAY DEEPENS AS FISHERIES DEPT YET TO COMPLETE FISHERMEN INFRA >> See pg 2 UTs have either completed the draft preparation and public consultation process or have already finalised their plans. States such as Odisha, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Kerala, along with Lakshadweep, have completed the exercise. “The Authority urged the State to expedite the completion of CZMP and also direct- 20 >> pg 6 13 JU N E ed the States/UTs to submit quarterly status reports to the Ministry in this regard,” the minutes stated. The NCZMA further suggested that an urgent meeting be convened under the chairmanship of the Additional Secretary, MoEFCC, with Principal Secretaries of all coastal States and UTs to accelerate the updation and revision of CZMPs, Integrated Coastal Regulation Zone Plans (ICRZPs) and Integrated Island Management Plans >Continued on P7 >Continued on P7 TMC rocked as rebel LS MPs merge with Tripura Party PTI NEW DELHI The rebellion in the Trinamool Congress appeared to reach a crescendo on Sunday as dissident MPs announced their merger with the Tripura’s Nationalist Citizens Party and met Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla seeking a separate seating arrangement in the House. Speaking to reporters after meeting the Speaker, rebel MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar claimed that two-thirds of the TMC’s Lok Sabha members had submitted a letter seeking recognition as a separate group. “Two-thirds MPs of TMC have given a letter to the Speaker for a separate seating arrangement. We will merge with the Nationalist Citizens Party and support the NDA,” she said. Senior TMC leader and Lok Sabha MP Sudip Bandyopadhyay said the dissident camp had already merged with the Nationalist Citizens Party, which he described as a regional party. The Nationalist Citizens Party is a lesser-known registered, unrecognised party from Tripura. Ayush ministry scripts Guinness AMID FEAR AND UNCERTAINTY… history with ‘live yoga stream’ Over 500 Indian sailors stranded in Strait of Hormuz DRAWS RECORD 4.35 LAKH VIEWERS WORLDWIDE PTI NEW DELHI In a landmark achievement ahead of the International Day of Yoga (IDY) 2026, the Ministry of Ayush created a new Guinness World Record on Sunday for the “Most Viewers for a YouTube Live Yoga Stream”, with 4,35,831 viewers joining a special global online yoga session streamed live through the ministry’s channel on the platform. The record attempt was organised as part of the ministry’s outreach activities for IDY 2026 and witnessed enthusiastic participation from yoga practitioners, students, institutions, professionals and wellness enthusiasts from across India and around the world. The event featured the Common Yoga Protocol (CYP) and reinforced the ministry’s vision of promoting yoga as a daily practice through the “Yoga 365” movement, according to an official statement. The Ministry of Ayush recorded 4,35,831 verified viewers, surpassing the previous Guinness World Record of 2,46,252 viewers set in 2024. “The new record exceeded the previous benchmark by 1,89,579 viewers, establishing a new global record for the largest viewership of a YouTube live yoga stream,” the statement said. Addressing participants, Union Ayush Minister Prataprao Jadhav congratulated citizens across the world for contributing to the achievement. “Today’s achievement demonstrates the power of yoga to connect people across regions” he said. AGENCIES NEW DELHI ome 562 Indian sailors have been living in an atmosphere of fear and uncertainty aboard 13 Indian-flagged vessels in the Strait of Hormuz for 107 days even as the body of Nishant Urthanathan, an Indian national who died of an illness aboard the vessel MT Celestial, would soon be brought back to India, officials said. The Indian embassy in Muscat, Oman, issued a statement on Sunday saying it was in “constant touch with the family of Urthanathan -- who unfortunately passed away due to medical reasons -- as well as S Indian dhow sinks off Oman, 14 rescued DUBAI: An Indian-flagged dhow sank off the Oman coast following a mechanical failure, and all 14 crew members were rescued on Sunday, officials said. The Indian Embassy in Oman said all 14 crew members rescued are “safe and in good health”, adding that they were moved to a vessel which is heading to Mumbai. The Mumbai-bound vessel, MV Jabal Ali, is the ship’s crew members and relevant authorities.” At least 13 Indian-flagged vessels carrying 562 sailors have been stranded in the Strait of Hormuz for 107 days. learnt to be a cargo ship. “Rescue operation involving Indian Flagged MSV Virat 1 has been successfully completed. All 14 crew members have been rescued and are presently onboard Jabal Ali 9 heading to Mumbai. The crew members are safe and in good health,” the mission said in a post on X. Authoritative sources said the vessel sank because of “mechanical failure”. According to the Ministry of Shipping, 329 are stranded west of the strait, while 233 are stranded in the Gulf of Oman, which is to the east. These 562 sailors have been stranded in the strait and the Gulf of Oman since the onset of hostilities between the US and Iran on February 28, forced to live in difficult conditions amid an atmosphere of fear and uncertainty. Meanwhile, the Directorate General of Shipping (DGS) has advised maritime recruitment and placement agencies to restrict deployment of Indian seafarers to conflict areas until further orders. DG Shipping in a circular said masters of vessels operating in or transiting through the Gulf region, including the Strait of Hormuz and adjoining waters, are advised to maintain heightened security awareness, closely monitor navigational warnings received and advisories issued from security agencies, and implement all applicable ship security measures and company security procedures.