MISSIONARIES DENY CHARGES
THE Missionaries of Charity, started by Nobel prize winner Mother Theresa, have clarified that the foreign contribution regulation registration of their order has not been suspended or cancelled or frozen. It was a fake post and which West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee picked up and twittered that all Mother Theresa’s order bank accounts and even its petty cash account were frozen from Christmas day by the Central government.
The missionaries have clarified that the FCRA renewal application has not been approved. Therefore, as a measure to ensure there is no lapse, we have asked our centres, including those in Goa, not to operate any of the foreign contribution accounts. FCRA accounts deal with contributions received by Indian organisations from foreign governments or non-governmental organisations.
OMICRON MAKES IT TO GOA!
THE first case of Omicron, the new variant of the dreaded Covid-19 was identified in an eight-year-old boy who had come to Goa with his father from the United Kingdom about 11 days ago. Omicron is a matter of great concern as it multiplies rapidly and doubles every two days. In the light of the threat of a third wave of Covid-19 vaccination of teens in 15-18 years group starts from January 1, 2022.
The state expert panel has recommended that night curfew be imposed if the case positivity rises above 3.5%. On Monday, December 27, the state’s positivity rate was nearly 4%. The expert committee has also directed that out of state travellers be asked to produce RT-PCR negative reports before checking into a hotel. The New Year celebrations in Goa has attracted thousands of revellers and the state may even call for a cancellation of celebrations if the positivity rate goes beyond 15%.
POLLS ON SCHEDULE
THERE is no risk as of now of the upcoming Assembly elections scheduled in February this year will be postponed due to the Omicron threat. As many as five states, namely UP, Punjab, Uttarkhand, Goa and Manipal are expected to go to the polls in February. Of them only Goa has reported a confirmed Omicron case. The EC has asked the Centre to focus on vaccinations and direct political parties and candidates to observe Covid-19 protocols. As of now hardly any Covid-19 protocols are being observed during the massive political rallies held by senior leaders of all political parties, including PM Narendra Modi!
SUNNY’s SONG BANNED!
THE song titled “Madhuban mein Radhika nache…” by former porn star Sunny Leone has been banned by the Madhya Pradesh government. The producer and T-series who have the rights over the songs have been asked to withdraw it immediately. The song gives the impression that the song is all about the romance between Lord Krishna and his consort Radha in Hindu religious mythology!
AIRFARES SOAR
THE prices of airline tickets back home from Goa have shot up steeply to four times the normal fair. The airfare from Goa to Kolkatta will prove expensive for the TMC as it has gone up from Rs4,483 to Rs13,276. It will be equally expensive for AAP’s Arvind Kejriwal with the fare to Delhi going up from Rs4,048 to Rs9,558. The steepest increase in air fares is between Goa and Bengaluru which has gone up from Rs2,517 to Rs9,411.
NEW YEAR PARTY RULES
WITH a spike of 170 new cases as on Thursday December 30, the Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has decided not to take chances. The parties will go on but subject to every participant presenting either a double vaccination or a Covid-19 RT-PCR certificate. However, curiously the order issued by the State government does not make any specific mention about New Year events, including musical festivals and outdoor parties. The condition requiring double vaccination and an RT-PCR certificate will apply only to restaurants, pubs, bars, cinema auditoriums, river cruises, entertainment parks and wedding avenues. January is the peak of the wedding season and the chief minister is attributing the spike in Covid-19 cases not to the arrival of the charters from abroad but to two mega weddings in Margao, one of which had guests from UK. The chief minister is anxious to protect the tourism industry and any further curbs will be imposed only after the New Year is ushered in on December 31, 2021 and on Monday, January 3, 2022.
ORE DUMPS EXPORT
THE State government has decided to permit the export of iron ore from the dumps outside and inside mining leased lands with immediate effect. Mining dumps are made up of the rejects from the mining operations with very low iron content which are considered not profitable to export. There are reportedly 20 million tonnes of iron ore lying in the form of dumps. However, regular mining will not resume and the auctions have been postponed.
MASTERMIND ARRESTED
THE mastermind of the attack on the iconic Souza Lobo restaurant at Calangute on December 29, 2021 is a allegedly a Delhi-based businessman who has been arrested by the Goa police. The main culprit, Rajeev Arora, allegedly offered the Lobos Rs40 crore for their property. But the mastermind is reported to be Gajendra Singh, a Delhi resident, who has a chain of hotels. On Tuesday night the restaurant was attacked by a crowd of 80 people armed with stones, forks, knifes, bottles and reportedly they succeeded in damaging property worth Rs30 lakh.
ABHISHEK PROUD HINDU
THE nephew of Trinamool Congress’ Mamata Banarjee, Abhishek Banerjee, visited Goa on December 26 and insisted that he was a proud Hindu. To counter the charge that TMC is appeasing the minorities, he made it a point to visit the Rudreshwar temple in Sanquelim, and also visited His Holiness Shreemad Vidyadheesh Teerth Shreepad Vader Swamiji at the Shri Samsthan Gokarn Partagali Jeevottam Math at Canacona. The head priest of the Partagali Jeevothum mutt is the leader of a section of Goa’s Saraswat community.