KEJRI ARRESTED!
DELHI’S Chief Minister Aravind Kejirwal was arrested at around 9.30pm on Thursday, March 21. This was after his appeal to the Delhi High Court for protection from arrest was denied. Kejriwal had skipped nine summons by the Enforcement Directorate to answer questions about the allegation of the chief minister having received kickbacks of Rs100 crore in the liquor excise scam.
All the MLAs of the AAP party including the speaker were at his residence at the time of his arrest. Through the night workers of AAP protested in Delhi, Haryana and Punjab.
ELECTORAL BOND DETAILS!
MORE information has been furnished by the State Bank of India to the Election Commission to reveal that BJP was the biggest beneficiary. Lottery king Santiago Martins contributed Rs542 crore to the Trinamool Congress. The Gujarat Janata Dal in Orissa received Rs340 crore from the Aditya Birla group. A connection between fund givers receiving favors has been established in the case of Megha Infrastructure, a giant company from Andhra Pradesh. The company got a major project after it gave Nitish Kumar Rs10 crore.
In the case of Maharashtra housing company Shirke gave Rs152 crore to the Shiv Sena. Companies in mining and power generation were the major contributors to election bonds.
IPHONE COMPANY SUED
THE Apple company which makes the Iphone has been sued by US regulators. Other private company like Google, Meta and Amazon have also filed cases of a monopoly by Apple. Apple has control over the operating system. It has been coming out with a new model which is priced more than the previous model. Apple sustains profit margins with exchange offers and higher purchase prices. Though other smart phone companies like Samsung of South Korea have equally good smart phones, but they are not able to get prices like iphone. The claim is that Samsung batteries are not as good as Iphone batteries.
VOTERS ARE DONKEYS!
THERE is a story from the “Panchatantra.” In a forest the lion king tells the fox “I am hungry. Find me something to eat or I will eat you up.” The fox meets a donkey. He tells the donkey the lion wants to make you king. The donkey goes with the fox to the lion. The lion cuts off both the ears of the donkey but the donkey escapes.
The lion asks the fox to bring back the donkey. The fox tells the donkey that the lion cut off its ears so that donkey could wear the crown. The donkey goes back. This time the lion bites off the tail of the donkey. The fox tells the donkey that its tail has been cut so that it could sit on the throne.
So the donkey returns again and is killed by the lion. The lion tells the fox to skin the donkey and present to him the brain, liver and heart of the donkey. The fox eats the brain and presents only the heart and the liver. The lion asks for the brain. The cunning fox says that the donkey does not have brains. Why would he come back to you after you have cut his ear and his tail?
Historian and environmentalist Ramchandra Guha points out that Indian voters are like donkeys. Even if you cut off their limbs they will continue to vote for Modi!
RICH BECOME RICHER!
WE do not know how many of India’s poor have become less poor. Never mind Modi’s claim the 80 crore poor people have benefited from his guarantees. We are not aware of any Goan families or migrants in Goa who have moved out of poverty. But we see how the rich have suddenly become richer. The turnover of Reliance Group has crossed over Rs 9.7 trillion. The Adanis have benefited under the Modi government. A recent survey reveals that the top 1% of India’s population holds 40% of India’s wealth. Inequality has risen sharply between 2014 and 2023. These are the years in which Modi has been in power.
SADHGURU ILL
JAGDISH Vasudev, self-proclaimed Sadhguru, underwent some emergency brain surgery. India’s most eloquent and adventurous Sadhguru suffered migraine headaches for over two months and they became worse during Mahashivratri celebration at his Coimbatore ashram estate when he danced away the Hinduism’s most auspicious night.
The migraines worsened and when he checked into the Apollo Hospital at New Delhi they did MRIs. The MRIs showed bleeding in his skull. An emergency operation was done on Wednesday, March 20 to save his life. Mercifully, the much adored Sadhguru is out of ventilator support and is now expected to return to his normal activities.
WHAT IS A BITCOIN?
UNLIKE coins or notes issued by the RBI, bitcoin is a computer-generated unit of currency. The value of each bitcoin can run into several lakh or crore. An advertisement on bitcoin in the business section of “The Times of India” urges you to invest in fractions of bitcoin. Bitcoin is like a private investors club. The current value of the bitcoin is only available to a number of people. The records, it is claimed, are publically verified. There is no truth in the get-rich-quick promos. We have not known of any ordinary investor who has made it rich.
PARTY SYMBOLS
THE Sharad Pawar group which is the founder of the Nationalist Congress party has been given the trumpet as its election symbol. The original clock has gone to Sharad Pawar’s nephew Ajit Pawar. Ajit Pawar is aligned to the BJP. Similarly, the Shiv Sena symbol has gone to the splitter faction and not to Uddhav Thackeray. The lack of original symbols will affect both Sharad Pawar and Uddhav Thackeray badly.
RECORD CONVERSION
OVERNIGHT 1,81,57611 sq mtr of land has been converted into a settlement in Pernem taluka. This is the new entertainment hub set up by the Deltin group. This will include five-star hotels, a mall, a party zone and a casino. Permission has been given to the promoters by the Town & Country Planning department. The land is close to the Mopa airport.
PARRIKAR DEATH ANNIVERSARY IGNORED?
MARCH 17 marked the 5th death anniversary of the late chief minister of Goa, Manohar Parrikar. Reportedly, the BJP and Goa’s chief minister forgot Manohar Parrikar. Pramod Sawant completed five years in power and owes his seat to Parrikar. When Manohar Parrikar was very ill he nominated Pramod Sawant to be the chief minister. It was Manohar Parrikar who promoted Narendra Modi as the chief spokesperson of the BJP ahead of the 2009 parliamentary polls.
Manohar Parrikar was made the defence minister by Narendra Modi. When Parrikar fell ill with pancreatic cancer he resigned and came back to Goa to be chief minister. Till the end Parrikar ruled Goa with an iron fist. Though we disagreed ideologically I have great respect for the late Manohar Parrikar.
His open air memorial Samadhi is open to the public freely for rest and recreation like a garden more or less; in comparison the Bhausaheb Dayanand memorial next door is forever closed like a prison. Sorry to say only a Marathi patrakar remembered Parrikar on his death anniversary this year.
(Contributed by Rajan Narayan)
SIOLIM FREE LEGAL CELL
ON March 12, 2024 the Siolim Free Legal Aid Cell of VM Salgaocar College of Law conducted an organized, comprehensive program on waste management at the Marna Panchayat Hall, Siolim. The theme was “Waste Management: Segregation and its Laws.” The program was conducted in the presence of Siolim MLA Delilah Lobo who was the chief guest. Resource persons were Dhiraj Chodankar (assistant manager, Goa Waste Management Corporation) and Vimi Salgaonkar, an educator.
The program started with faculty in-charge Dr Aamod Shirali welcoming everyone. Distinguished guests and speakers lit the traditional lamp before commencement of the talks on waste management practices. Dhiraj Chodankar shared his insight into the operational challenges faced by waste management authorities; he emphasized that there is continued need for waste segregation, highlighting its pivotal role in improving waste disposal efficiency and safeguarding public health. He also highlighted the detrimental effects of burning plastics and thermocol on human health and environment.
Delilah Lobo commended the efforts of the Siolim Free Legal Aid Cell in organizing the program and seminar, she recognized the role of legal aid societies in community development. She highlighted the significance of the Saligao Garbage Plant which is one of the best not only in the state or country, but the whole of Asia, in effective waste management practices. She urged the public to engage in waste segregation for this is of great help in waste management. She also announced stringent measures to deter illegal dumping and urged individuals to document such incidents through photographs and videos and report them to the panchayat promptly. Citizens vigilance is the key to preventing waste dumping on public roads and private properties
Vimi Salgaonkar underscored the importance of waste re-use and vermicomposting with practical demonstrations, while Sharmila Vernekar (a panch member of the Marna Panchayat) provided firsthand insights into the struggles faced by local authorities in managing un-segregated waste. Despite the seminar concluded on a positive note with active participation by all the attendees. The event was compered by Jane D’souza and Rudr Ghotge.
SHIGMOTSAV FESTIVAL FROM MARCH 26 TO APRIL 8
GOA’S celebration of the Shigmotsav festival is all set to enchant from March 26 April 8, 2024. The festival float parades will start in Ponda and move to Calangute, Sanquelim, Valpoi, Porvorim, Bicholim, Pernem, Canacona, Vasco, Shiroda, Curchorem, Quepem, Dharbandora, Margao, Mapusa, Sanguem, and Cuncolim, respectively.
The Shigmotsav parade offers traditional dances, music and unique customs associated with the festival. In capital city Panaji the parade will showcase Romtamel, Ghodemodni, Dhangar Dance, Goff, Morulo, etc. The lit floats are inspired by mythological stories from the great epics of “Ramayana” and “Mahabharata.” Victorious fights between gods and demons are artistically re-created and accentuated by light and sound effects so that the evergreen stories of good over evil are recounted.
The visual spectacle of the Shigmotsav floats with familiar mythological characters coming alive in costumes and jewellery of old, holding huge coloured flags, playing Goan drum or dhol and the singing and dancing makes for electrifying excitement and joy. The floats will also offer glimpses of life and cultural lifestyles of Goans for tourists and locals alike. It’s an enriching experience not to be missed.! Make your dates with Goa’s annual Shigmo festival of pomp and ceremony, colour and stories to beguile the senses and mind anew.
The schedule of the Shigmo Parade is as follows:
Ponda: March 26, Calangute: March 27, Sanquelim: March 28, Bicholim: March 29, Panaji: March 30, Porvorim: March 31, Pernem: April 1, Canacona: April 2, Vasco: April 3, Shiroda/Curchorem: April 4, Quepem/ Dharbandora: April 5, Margao: April 6, Mapusa /Sanguem: April 7, Cuncolim/Valpoi: April 8.