OPPOSITION SILENCED

NARENDRA Modi does not tolerate dissent even within parliament. More than a 100 Opposition MPs have been suspended during the current session. The INDIA group is the target. More than two thirds of the suspended MPs are from the INDIA group. The MPs have been suspended because they had the cheek to ask the prime minister to make a statement of the breach of security which took place in Parliament on December 13. It may be recalled that some miscreants got into the house to let off smoke bombs to create a scare. During the time important bills were rushed through in the absence of the Opposition MLAs. The BJP already has a majority in the house. The BJP cannot tolerate any opposition because power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. We are not sure if there is any democracy left.

SUNBURN TALK

NOBODY is convinced that the Sunburn music festival will not continue from December 28 into New Year’s eve also.  The historical experience is that entrepreneur Shailendra Singh has too much power. It may be recalled that he played a major role in IFFI and claimed that he got his friend American Hollywood actor-philanthropist Michael Douglas to come to IFFI as chief guest. We are inclined to believe the truth that officially Sunburn hasn’t got an extension for the concert on New Year’s eve but tickets are selling out. The rumour is that the rave and trance party will continue after-partying nearby at the open-air grounds of a hotel near the present location overlapping Vagator-Anjuna. The entire Goa Cabinet has been invited for dinner to celebrate the New Year’s eve turning into New Year 2024.    

MUSLIMS ALOOF?

WHILE Christians have fully integrated in Goa, Muslims somehow insist on retaining their separate  identity. This is true of Muslims the world over. For example, we see Hindus also participating in Catholic events like the St Xavier’s feast. Similarly, Catholics enjoy preference in the zatra of Shanta Durga. However, Muslims do not participate in major festivals of the Hindu or Catholic community although an observation has been made that they love to come shopping at the stalls which come up with their sweets and other goodies in the vicinity of the Catholic feasts and Hindu zatras.       

VMSCL CELEBRATES GOLDEN JUBILEE…

Justice BV Nagarathna says family support vital for women!

IT WAS a momentous occasion for the VM Salgaocar College of Law when it celebrated its golden jubilee in the presence of legal luminaries, dignitaries and guests on  December 20, 2023. It has been an outstanding 50-year journey of legal education for the VMSCL in Goa. The occasion had for chief guest  Justice B V Nagarathna (Sitting Judge, Supreme Court of India), guest of honour Justice Mahesh Sonak, president of VMSCL management Dattaraj Salgaocar, VMSCL Principal Dr Shaber Ali G and other dignitaries.

The Hon’ble Mrs Justice Nagarathna appreciated the VMSCL’s commitment to excellence and equality in her insightful address, while stressing on the critical role played by law colleges in administering legal education. She congratulated the institution’s commitment to practising the idea of equality, with over 70% of students being women. Justice Nagarathna candidly acknowledged the societal and professional challenges women face. 

She further spoke of transformative constitutionalism advocating  equality, justice, liberty and fraternity in society. She said the Constitution goes beyond being a legal document, encompassing social, economic, political and historical dimensions. She also highlighted the judiciary’s indispensable role in imparting justice for effective functioning of society. Recognising the importance of family support, she observed, “Behind every successful woman is a family!”

Reflecting on the growth of VMSCL Dattaraj Salgaocar emphasized ethics, responsibility and commitment. The holistic and practical knowledge imparted contributes to its students pursuing excellence, this is a collective achievement and worth celebration by students, alumni, faculty and management.

Justice Mahesh S Sonak acknowledged Justice Nagarathna’s success as a significant milestone in judiciary history, marking the beginning of women getting justice at the Supreme Court. Stressing on challenges and societal struggles, he referenced women such as Belva Lockwood and Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Altogether it was truly a gathering of legal luminaries and guests at the event which took place on December 20, 2023 to mark the VMSCL’s Golden Jubilee. Other familiar guests at the celebration were  Justice BP Deshpande, Justice Valmiki Sa Menezes, Justice Prof Dr Venkata Rao, Deepti Salgaocar and senior advocates Saresh Lotlikar, Sudhir Usgaokar, Nitin Sardessai, and Coelho Pereira, also academicians Dr Kim Couto, Dr MRK Prasad, Dr Manoj Kamat, Prof Anil Dinge, Prof Bhaskar Nayak, Dr KS Rao, Dr BS Patil, Dr Sandhya Ram and others.

GOVERNOR’S PET PROJECTS

ON Goa Liberation Day on December 19, 2023 Governor PS Sreedharan Pillai inaugurated Jalkund and The Faunal BioDiversity Centre at the Raj Bhavan Premises. Secretary to Governor  MRM Rao, IAS was present and officials and staff assembled near Jalkund behind the New Durbar Hall. Governor Pillai was accompanied by the First Lady in unveiling the Jalkund Plaque which marks commencement of the ceremony.

Thereafter the governor departed to the New Aushadhi Vaatika for the inauguration of The Faunal BioDiversity Centre. It was a significant moment as the centre will contribute to the conservation and understanding of Goa’s rich biodiversity. Attendees witnessed a captivating 3-minute video showcasing birds photographed by Goa University students under the guidance of ornithology Prof Minial Shirodkar at Raj Bhavan premises on BirdWatch Trails.

The governor insisted on ascending to the  top of the centre to appreciate the panoramic views and review the bird-watching instruments placed here. Present at the event were  Nazareth Vaz (ex-engineer, WRD),  Rajesh Tarkar (assistant engineer), Sha Phaldesai (junior engineer) and others.  

COSUMER RIGHTS AWARENESS! 

       MINISTER for Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs Ravi Naik, attended the National Consumer Rights Day function, organized by the Department of Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs in collaboration with the Electricity Department at Ponda on December 21, 2023. The event was on the theme of “Consumer Protection in the Era of E-Commerce and Digital Trade.”  In his address the minister emphasized the importance of consumers reporting fraud or cheating and highlighted the negative impact of counterfeit products on the state’s reputation among tourists. He commended the joint efforts of the Central and State governments in safeguarding consumer rights and ensuring citizens wellbeing. He further underscored the significance of honest tax payments for the overall development and growth of the people.

Present were Sanjit Rodrigues (IAS, Secretary, Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs) who urged citizens to be aware of their rights and utilize the avenues for redressal if those rights are not met. He highlighted different incidents of frauds or cheating stating that the consumers need to know how to tackle E- marketing challenges.

Also present were Shailesh Naik Burye, (superintendent engineer, Electricity Department); Amit Sawant (Dy Director, Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs); Priya Chari (ZP, Curti Khandepar) and Sanjana Naik (Sarpanch, Curti Khandepar). There was a special session on “Asserting Rights and Perceiving Remedies.” Informative stalls were set up to educate participants on various aspects of consumer rights and protection. Purva Prabhu compered the function while Sunny Narvekar (assistant account officer) proposed the vote of thanks.

FACT CHECK PLEASE!

Says digital media expert Sree Sreenivasan

INTERNATIONALLY acclaimed US-based digital media expert Sree Sreenivasan was here at the International Centre Goa on December 20 with an important message for social media users. And this is to constantly “fact-check” information, especially “forwards’ received.

Seenivasan is former chief digital officer of the City of New York and presently a successful digital media consultant. He was speaking on the topic of “Social and digital media trends, 2024 – what to know and what to skip.” He rued the proliferation of fake news and fake videos and said, “With the general elections due to be held in India next year and in many parts of the  world, it is important for social media users to exercise caution while circulating “forwards.”

He hailed the YouTube platform as a platform for the present and the future, to quote,  “Social media is all about storytelling and the YouTube is an ideal platform for this purpose. It holds a lot of promise.” Sreenivasan called for brevity, said it was better to be specific  and precise in one’s narrative to attract wider readership. Social media is about capturing moments, about trust, relationships, generosity and people.

However, he debunked the theory of  “followers” as being merely numbers and a misleading yardstick often inaccurate. The number of followers a content creator has does not necessarily reflect high quality content, he said.  He asked advised Facebook users to sign the “Facebook Legacy contact” as it helped family members gain access your FB account in the event of sudden demise or passing. He also advised FB users to add the  “favourites” list to their account, as it would give them access to more relevant content. The digital media expert also followed up his public talk by conducting a media workshop for local college students at the ICG in the afternoon.