VANMOHOTSAVA JOYS: Chief Minister Dr. Pramod Sawant planted a tree sapling as part of monsoon time Vanmahotsava duties at the Goa University campus at Taleigao plateau. Minister for Labour & Employment Jennifer Monserrate, Chief Secretary Parimal Rai (IAS) and Principal Chief Conservator of Forests Subhash Chandra (IFS) were present on the occasion. The CM also flagged off a van of the department containing a variety of saplings to be distributed in all the taluka of Goa

WALKING UPHILL

BELIEVE it or not but a brisk walk uphill, especially in an area that is heavily canopied with a green forest, can be a big boost by assisting the lungs to increase supply of fresh oxygen-enriched air — due to faster breathing and thus, killing the coronavirus. It is a natural immunity barrier.
The lungs in turn transfer the extra oxygen into haemoglobin of blood so that blood vessels will carry extra oxygenated blood to the extremities of the body such as brain, tips of fingers and toes. This process will also be aided by the heart becoming stronger and pumping extra oxygenated blood into every nook and corner of the body.
It’s therefore a good reason to believe that your lungs and your entire body will fight coronavirus and make you immune to Covid-19! Try it out for a week and enjoy the highly beneficial effect.
— Elvidio Miranda, Panaji

IMA THANKS
IMA Goa State is extremely thankful to Dr Pramod Sawant of Goa for allowing Covid-19 positive members of Indian Medical Association private doctors and their staff to be accommodated in Margao Residency, Margao. There can be no better gift to all my IMA doctors community on Doctor’s Day’. We also appreciate Health Minister Vishwajit Rane and efforts of Chief Secreatary Parimal Rai, Health Secretary Nila Mohanan and energetic collector South Goa Ajit Roy. Thanks to Director, Health Services, Dr Jose D’Sa for his ever helping nature in solving doctors’ issues. IMA Goa State now will also be actively managing Covid Care Center with the help of government staff. We will be meeting the director for fine tuning this arrangement. — Dr Samuel, President, IMA Goa State 18% GST ON HAND SANAITIZERS NOW! THE Authority for Advance Rulings (AAR) has now (of course, at the behest of the Central BJP government) reportedly decided to impose 18% GST on all alcohol-based hand sanitizers across the country. The Modi government increased petrol and diesel prices on a daily basis for 20 days. It was to check the reaction of people and Opposition parties. There was no significant protest either from political parties or public, except some trolling on social media. It’s proven that nobody dares to question this government. So now there is GST 18% on sanitizers! And in days to come many more such tax increases may be expected. Governments around the world think of how to make the lives of their people easier but our government wants to make poor common people suffer torture so that it can somehow squeeze out their earned money -- by taxing all essential commodities including and hand sanitizers these days. Around the world millionaires are heavily taxed for benefits to the poor but our Indian billionaires are given special concessions and allowed to becometrillionaires’ at the cost of the poor!
Our government has opened a fund, taken money from different sources (including the poor) in the name of fighting the coronavirus pandemic, but it refused any accountability of the same. These funds cannot be audited.
Why do we need a government which knows only how to take advantage of every single situation to loot people’s money for its own ache din enjoyment, buy up MLAs MLAs even during the current ongoing coronavirus pandemic?
— Jerry Fernandes, Saligao

SCIENTIFIC ANALYSIS
TULIP Diagnostics, a Company which also make Covid- 19 Test kits, were badly hit by the coronavirus with 56 employees testing positive on a single day. Hopefully all employees are young, without comorbidities. The company must stand by its employee and assure their families and neighbors that they would be tested for their own reassurance that they are not infected by the virus.
Being a diagnostic company with science and B Pharm graduates, all well versed in testing, quality control and analysis, this incident is a golden opportunity to find out more about the coronavirus. With experience in manufacturing of culture medium and stains for international markets they can get a better understanding on how the infection spread, what known measures: social distancing, proper or improper mask wearing, common canteen items, whatever is being compromised with.
A detailed questionnaire must be designed and filled by all. The objective being not to hide but disclose: It will help others. When Italy was reeling under the virus, their medical folk and researchers came out with an animated data clips about the epidemic and this was shared even on WhatsApp…detailing how doctors failed to take adequate self-sanitizing measures in a hospital and this resulted in the spread of the viral infection. They disclosed details so that other medical facilities did not commit the same mistakes as they made!
At the risk of sounding boring they can even make use of the free WHO software Go.data designed for field data collection, chains of transmission and contact follow up. Their sample size of infection is large enough for a worthy study.
— R Fernandes, Margao

TAKE MVR CONSTRUCTIONS TO TASK!
THAT A 45-metre stretch of the under construction highway at Pernem caved in comes as no surprise, while the only saving grace is that there were no causalities. The very shoddy works of this Hyderabad-based MVR Constructions is on display across Goa. On account of proximity with a senior Andhra BJP leader, this company is awarded all the major contracts despite its very substandard works. In fact, it is high time such irresponsible contractors are blacklisted, financially penalized and criminally prosecuted, for not ensuring quality control in their works.
To ensure that every government project is properly and meticulously executed, Goa desperately needs a full- fledged quality control department which is well equipped to technically and administratively monitor and ensure strict compliance of all established standards. A successful project is the one which can achieve a balance between cost, time, quality and meets the agreed goals of the project. This success can only be achieved with transparency, accountability and zero tolerance to corruption.
It is also imperative that citizens be vigilant about public projects coming up in their neighborhood as ensuring quality, sustainable infrastructure with respect for the environment, is everyone’s responsibility. Quality is never an accident; it is always the result of good intention, sincere effort, intelligent direction and skillful execution. There should be no room or excuse for substandard constructions for this is a criminal waste of taxpayers’ money.
— Aires Rodrigues, Ribandar