CASINOS REMAIN CLOSE
CHIEF MINISTER Pramod Sawant has extended the Covid-19 curfew further till August 16, which includes August 15 — the day of the platinum jubilee of India’s Independence and 60th anniversary of Goa’s Liberation. No further relaxation have been announced except that bars will be allowed to stay open till 11pm. Casinos and multiplexes will remain closed.
SWITCH PAD CAMPAIGN
CAMPAIGN is targeting young girls in particular and women in general to shift to re-usable menstrual products available in the market. The sanitary pads now available are not biodegradable and disposing them is a major problem. The Eco-Switch Campaign hopes to raise awareness on the accessibility of reusable and sustainable products like cloth pads and menstrual cup which are less hazardous for the environment and more economical. The initiative has been started by Applesta Marian D Costa and with the support of the Human Touch Foundation.
50% GRADUATES JOBLESS
POINTING out that over 50% of the students who complete their graduation remained unemployed, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant is going all out to promoting skills education. With the fastest developing industries being the infotech and pharma industries, there is a proposal under way to start short term courses which will attract employers. A large number of even post-graduates who have done their MA, MSE and MCom also remained unemployed. The response for vacancies for stenographers is very low with only 25 applications received. But for the post of Lower Division Clerk more than 25,000 applications were received. Sawant has asked colleges to start skills based courses.
SMART SLUM CITY!
THE Panaji Smart City project for which Rs608.4 crore was allotted by the Centre has been able to use only Rs16 crore so far. Seven big projects worth Rs330 crore are yet to be awarded to contractors. Among the major projects are the setting up of CCTV cameras, the cleaning up of the St Inez Creek which is in an abysmal mess and the beautification of Mala district-Altinho and others parts of Panaji. Even the Rs63 crore underground power cable project for Ribandar is proceeding at snail’s pace for want of funds. The main issue is clearly the failure of the State government to transfer the funds to concerned organisations supposed to implement the projects. The Centre has pulled up the State government.
AFFECTION FOR MIGRANTS
WHEN Goans are deeply agitated over the Bhumiputra Bill, Archbishop Filipe Neri Ferrao has appealed to Catholics to show greater love and affection for migrants from the lower economic sections of society. “Many of them live amidst difficult and challenging situations. Quite a few do not have basic necessities like a decent home, basic education for their children and adequate food. Children and women are forced to live and work in harsh conditions.” However, the archbishop has not offered to permit the migrants to stay in the many unoccupied properties of the church.
RAHUL TWITTER ACCOUNT
THE Twitter account of senior Congress party leader Rahul Gandhi has been temporarily suspended. His post, where he shared the photograph of the parents of the nine-year-old Dalit girl who was allegedly raped and murdered in south west Delhi, has been removed. There is a demand for registration of a case against Rahul Gandhi for revealing the identity of the victim. A rape victim’s identity and pictures are legally protected and anyone depicting them over any media are liable for arrest and punishment.
ACTION AGAINST ATMs
IT is the experience of several bank account holders even in leading banks like SBI, HDFC and Punjab National Bank, that many of their ATMs run out of cash. There have been instances where some ATMs have not been able to permit withdrawal of cash for ten hours or more. The RBI has decided to impose a fine of Rs10,000 for every instance of an ATM being out of cash for more than 10 hours. The banks concerned will also be fined for not keeping ATM machines updated. The problem has arisen because banks subcontract the operation of ATMs to private agencies.