RETURNING astronaut US Sunita (Pandya) Williams is closely related to the late Haren Pandya, who was the home minister in the then Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi’s cabinet in 2002. This was during the post-Godhra riots in Gujarat when the Muslims were systematically targeted. Haren Pandya testified before the VR Krishna Iyer fact-finding committee that on the evening of the train burning incident. Narendra Modi had organized a meeting in the chief minister’s residence. At the meeting where Pandya was also present, Chief Minister Narendra Modi apparently instructed senior police official to allow Hindus to vent out their anger during the riots.
Haren Pandya was assassinated on March 26, 2003. The dramatic space rescue of Sunita Pandya Williams comes 22 years after the killing of Haren Pandya. The special investigation team appointed by the Supreme Court had concluded that there was no truth in the allegations that Modi encouraged Hindutva violence in his meeting with cops on February 27, 2002.
Incidentally, Sunita Williams had made a space trip on a Boeing star line spacecraft as part of a private space mission. The Boeing starliner developed technical problems and could not bring back Sunita Williams. Sunita along with her fellow astronaut Butch Wilmore were to return to earth in eight days but were stuck in space for nine months. The stranded astronauts were finally brought back by SpaceX, tech moghul’s Elon Musk company.
INCOME-TAX UNDER UNIFORM CIVIL CODE
UNDER the Uniform Civil Code, all property owned by Goans including current income, is equally shared by husband and wife. This also apparently applies to all those who have been married under the Uniform Civil Code. So much so that for income-tax purposes the earning member, normally the husband, can split his income with his wife to reduce the income-tax liability.
Unfortunately, for Goans the Income-Tax department has been rejecting the claim of Goan couples who have been filing separate tax returns for the income shared by them. Under instructions from finance minister, Nirmala Sitaraman, the department is addressing the concerns of Goans to file returns in accordance with the Uniform Civil Code.
Goa is the only state in the country that follows the Uniform Civil Code in respect of property equal rights of women in the income of the husband, even if they are not working themselves.
NO FREE FERRY TRIPS!
AT present all ferry rides from Old Goa jetty to Divar are free for pedestrians and two-wheelers. Since Divar is an island of river Mandovi tributaries there is no way of getting to Divar except by ferry. The government has now decided to start charging for ferry rides even for pedestrians and two-wheelers. The fee for cars is also proposed to be increased.
KOTA COACHING CLASSES
KOTA in Rajasthan has largest number of training coaching classes for students appearing in competitive exams for admission to the Indian Institute of Technology and medical colleges. Severe restrictions were placed on these coaching classes after the series of suicides at this coaching centre in Rajasthan. Among the restrictions was a minimum enrolment age of 16 years. This minimum enrolment age has been lowered to 12 and other controls have also been relaxed. Over one lakh students attend to coaching classes and stay in hostels in Kota generating a turnover of over Rs7,000.
DIGITAL CUSTODY OF 86-YEAR-OLD
AN 86-year-old women was held in illegal digital custody in her south Mumbai residence by cyber fraudsters for two months. The super senior citizen was living alone with just some caretakers. The accused threatened her with arrest and extorted over Rs20crore from her. The accused would call her at home every three hours to check her location and forced her to stay only at home under digital arrest.
GOA CM COMPLETES 6 YEARS!
DR PRAMOD Sawant took over as the 11th chief minister of Goa on March 19, 2019 post demise of Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar on March 17, 2019. Pramod Sawant has completed six years as chief minister and is the only political leader who has served a term of six years continuously as chief minister.
NO IMPOSITION OF HINDI
THE Central government has clarified that three languages be learned under the National Education Policy and the states will decide which languages. There will be no pressure to choose Hindi as one of the three languages. The Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin has refused to include Hindi among the three languages to be taught in the schools of Tamil Nadu. All the southern states are also opposing the imposition of Hindi. Incidentally, INFOSYS philanthropist and author Sudha Murty has been insisting that students should learn as many languages as they can. She herself claims she knows more than eight languages.
FIRST IRAN CHARTER
THIS tourism season’s first charter flight from Iran landed at Dabolim airport on Tuesday, March 18 on the eve of Navroze, which is the Parsi new year day. This is the first time tourists from Iran have arrived by charter flight to Goa. The charter flights have been organised by Iran Air Tour. The ground handling of the Iran charters are handled by Freedom Holidays Pvt Ltd travel built up and owned by Martin Joseph. He is a travel hospitality man extraordinary as you will see in this issue elsewhere.
ANNUAL ART EXHIBITION
THE Goa College of Art at Panjim’s Altinho has organized an exhibition of the work of Francis Newton Souza and Manoharrai Sardessai between 10am and 5pm from Friday, March 21 to 28, 2025. Some of the paintings are part of the vintage collection of the art college.
GOEVERNOR VISITS OLD AGE HOMES
ON March 15 governor of Goa, PS Sreedharan Pillai, paid courtesy visits to the Gujarati Samaj Educational Trust’s Special School, Margao and later Dr Alfredo Antao Home For Aged, Chandor, recently. He extended financial assistance of Rs1 lakh each to both institutes. He was welcomed by former chief minister and MLA of Margao Digamber Kamat, Mukesh Saglani (chairperson of the trust) and other dignitaries. Also present were MRM Rao, IAS, Secretary to Governor, Mihir Vardhan, Special Officer, Ajit Panchwadkar, Director, Social Welfare and Varsha Naik.
Trust chairperson Mukesh Saglani welcomed everybody and briefly traced the activities of the Gujarati Samaj Educational Trust and Special School. In his address Governor Pillai said that Constitution of India mandates that the people of India are supreme. “MLAs, ministers or myself, we all are here, to serve the people of Goa.”
He added, “I feel privileged to contribute to the State by the grace of God. Service to people is a way to realize realize God, and I aim to continue service oriented initiatives through Raj Bhavan, which I believe should be a ‘Lok Bhavan.'” He invited people of Goa to visit Raj Bhavan to foster a heart-to-heart connection.
Digamber Kamat described the governor as a unique governor who has travelled all over Goa to acquaint for himself the problems of Goans. The governor communicates with the people and extends all his support to the needy and vulnerable; he added that the Gujarati Samaj Educational trust works continuously to help children and give them the affection and love of parents.
Special Officer Mihir Vardhan spoke about the various activities conducted by Raj Bhavan and informed that more than Rs 6.26 crore have been distributed by way of financial assistance to patients and 97 institutions across Goa. While Governor Pillai handed over the financial support to Gujarati Samaj chairperson he also said hello to Santosh Polkar, Devidas Survant, Zahir Shaikh and Sunita Fernandes.
At Chandor the governor was welcomed by Yuri Alemao, Leader of Opposition, Jacinto Fernandes, chairman of the Dr Alfredo Antao Home For Aged and others with floral bouquet. Sarpanch Euginio Dias as well as panch members were present on the occasion. Yuri Alemao in his address said the governor has a golden heart and used his funds for uplifting the poor people, “It’s always wonderful to hear about Raj Bhavan initiatives using resources to uplift the poor.”