“I congratulate Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and his team. Whatever Goa has achieved is unprecedented. What the people of Goa have done is worthy of pride,” Modi said…reports Asian Lite News.
Praising Chief Minister Pramod Sawant’s governance, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said that apart from Goa’s unique identity linked to its natural beauty, the coastal state had developed a new identity by trumping other states in fulfilling good governance parameters.
“Goa’s natural beauty has always been its identity. But the incumbent government is making Goa known for another identity. This new identity is staying number one in every task,” Modi said on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the state’s Liberation.
“In other places, when work starts or there is some progress, Goa has already completed it. As a tourist destination, Goa has always been the choice of people, but now when it comes to good governance, Goa is at the top,” the Prime Minister said.
Modi also said that the state was on the top of the states’ list when it came to good governance, per capita income, reining in open defecation, making available separate toilets for girls in schools, door-to-door garbage collection, water tap connectivity, Aadhaar enrolment, food security, etc.
“I congratulate Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and his team. Whatever Goa has achieved is unprecedented. What the people of Goa have done is worthy of pride,” Modi said.
“I want to specially congratulate the Goa government and all residents of Goa for one new achievement — to complete 100 per cent (Covid) vaccination. All eligible persons have been vaccinated in Goa. The second dose vaccination is going on.
“You are among the first states in the country to have done this wonder. I congratulate you,” Modi also said.
PM launches developmental projects worth over Rs 650cr
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday offered five infrastructure projects worth nearly Rs 650 crore to the service of the nation, which includes a renovated Fort Aguada Jail Museum, a super speciality block at Goa Medical College, the new South Goa District Hospital, an Aviation Skill Development Centre at Mopa Airport and a Gas insulated Substation at Dabolim-Navelim, Margao.
The Prime Minister is in Goa on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the state’s Liberation from Portuguese rule on December 19, 1961.
The re-development of Aguada Fort Jail Museum as a Heritage Tourism destination under the Swadesh Darshan Scheme, has been carried out at a cost of over Rs 28 crore. Before Goa’s liberation, the fort was used to incarcerate and torture freedom fighters. The Museum will highlight the contributions and sacrifices made by the prominent freedom fighters who fought for liberation of Goa and will be befitting tribute to them.
Modi also virtually inaugurated a super speciality block at the state’s apex medical facility, the Goa Medical College and Hospital, which has been constructed at a cost of over Rs 380 crore under the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana scheme.
Among other projects, which the Prime Minister inaugurated includes the New South Goa District Hospital, built at a cost of around Rs 220 crore, the Aviation Skill Development Centre at the upcoming Mopa Airport, built at a cost of around Rs 8.5 crore, a Gas Insulated Substation at Davorlim-Navelim, Margao has been constructed at a cost of around Rs 16 crore under Integrated Power Development Scheme of the Ministry of Power, Government of India.
Brick and mortar structures, most of these big temples are 400-year-old, have unique tiled, sloping roofs and almost all of them have ‘deep maal’, a vertical decorative pillar with niches to keep earthen oil lamps…writes Nivedita Khandekar
When Pune’s D.S. Pai visited Goa four years ago for an official conference, he took out time early one morning to visit his Kuldev, family deity, Ramnathi temple at Bandivade. “My colleagues were interested and came along with me. They said they did not even know of the existence of such a beautiful temple,” Pai, who is India Meteorological Department’s (IMD) head, Long-Range Forecast, told on phone.
Pai’s family migrated to Kerala in the 17th century when the Portuguese took over Goa. Like him, several others chose to make Kerala their home, but almost all of them have retained ties with the family deity even now. The trips have increased since he was posted to Pune, he said.
Pai is not the only example. Not all visitors to this sunshine state go to the beach first but a bulk of them are actually temple goers. In fact, even when for the majority of tourists visiting Goa, the equation is simple: ‘Goa = Sun, Sand & Sea’, over a dozen major temples and several smaller ones attract regular and annual crowds that have a sizable contribution to Goa’s economy.
World Tourism Day: Jaipur, Goa, Kochi to be most popular leisure destinations.
According to India Tourism Statistics 2019, a government of India publication, in 2017, Goa had 68,95,234 domestic and 8,42,220 foreign tourists while in 2018, the respective number of 70,81,559 and 9,33,841 showing a growth rate of 2.70 per cent and 10.88 per cent, respectively. Of course, the pandemic changed the situation, and the tourism sector was the hardest hit. In 2021, even when the domestic sector has picked up slowly, foreign tourists’ numbers are no match.
But even before the pandemic and lockdown, tourists in general were unaware of Goa’s rich tradition of multiple temples for centuries, and it would only be the niche tourists who would opt for it or those like Pai, who came for their deities.
Amongst the 50-odd main temples across Goa, about a dozen stand out for various reasons, their distinct architecture being one of them. Brick and mortar structures, most of these big temples are 400-year-old, have unique tiled, sloping roofs and almost all of them have ‘deep maal’, a vertical decorative pillar with niches to keep earthen oil lamps. Each temple compulsorily has a tank / water body next to it.
Shiva temple at priol ponda about 22 km from Panaji, Goa. (Wikipedia)
Mangeshi temple is amongst the most famous, but there are scores of others. Shantadurga at Kawale, Mhalsa Narayani at Mhardol, Lakshmi Nrusinha at Veling, Ramnathi and Mahalakshmi at Bandivade, Kamakashi at Shiroda, Santeri at Kelshi are amongst the bigger temples. Many of them are listed on the official website of Goa Tourism Development Corporation (GTDC).
And then there are temples with even older vintage. The 1000-year-old Mahadev temple at Tambdi Surla near the border with Maharashtra and about 700-year-old Rudreshwar temple at Harale are the stone temples. When the Portuguese conquered Goa, devotees of several temples lining the coastal areas took the deities away to either deep inside the forests and undulating landscape of Goan territory, which now comprises the area between Panaji and Fonda, or further away to coastal Karnataka. With it, a lot of community members — all Konkani speakers — too migrated away to almost the entire coastal belt from south Gujarat to Kerala. Konkani speaking Gaud Saraswat Brahmins (GSBs), scores of Marathi speaking families from across Maharashtra and of course, many from Goa itself, all have their family deities in Goa.
Shanta Durga at Amone is the family deity, the Kuldevi, of senior journalist Rajdeep Sardesai’s family that hails from Madgaon. Not much into religious rituals — “God resides in my heart” — Sardesai said, “but I visit Goa for family functions regularly”.
Sardesai agreed that outsiders are unaware of the rich temple traditions. “Goa lives by the river and not by the sea. Once you start discovering the river, you discover the real Goa. There is nothing wrong in promoting beaches but there is more to Goa than the beaches,” he said.
Over the decades, especially after Independence, the diaspora spread to other states and even abroad. Many families make it a point to annually visit their family deities, many visit when there is a special occasion such as a marriage in the family and likewise. “The Goan temples are unique by the fact that the deities are identified not just as Brahminical, but those belonging to all types of communities. The temples had a land of their own, they supported the economy of the area around them,” said Padmashree Vinayak Khedikar, author who has documented the folk arts and literary traditions of Goa.
Families and villages from ‘thal’, a local term meaning the catchment for that temple, were dependent on the temple as a central institution and in turn they donated to the temple. “Each of the temples is an independent Sansthan institution. Till a few decades ago, anyone from the thal getting married would get a saree and dhoti from the temple. Also, some minor repairs or such chores to be carried out at people’s homes were supported by the temple,” said Khedikar, who has authored a book ‘Goa Dev Mandal: Unnayan aani Sthalantar’ (Goa temple boards: upgradation and migration). e
“Except for the law & order, the temples reigned over their respective thal even in the Portuguese era. There was a Mahajan system — which led to a Mahajani Act in the late 18thecentury — who were responsible for the maintenance of the temples and all its real estate. There were separate families identified for daily puja. Much of it has changed later,” he said. But he was non-committal about the popularity of these temples. Sardesai said, “Temples would have to be promoted by the local community.”
“Last 6-8 years, lots of people who read my blogs budget a day or two for temples and inform me or ping me or ask for information. Sometimes, they also put out a thread on social media and tag me to say, it was because of my blog,” said Anuradha Goyal, author, columnist and blogger based in Goa and who has extensively written about Goa temples.
There has been no active promotion of temples by the state either. The BJP government for the last 10 years has had no promotional schemes for popularising temples to domestic tourists. However, given the political mileage that ‘pilgrimage’ is yielding — Delhi Chief Minister has announced trains to pilgrim places from Goa; West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said Trinamool Congress stood for the temple, mosque and church; the Congress seems to have slowly woken up to the opportunity.
Former Deputy Chief Minister Ramakant Khalap agreed that temple tourism has been neglected and also acknowledged the contribution of temples in Goa’s economy. “Ahead of the Assembly elections, we are preparing the Congress manifesto. It will prominently feature dev ghar (temple) promotion and planning to celebrate Goa as ‘God’s Own Abode’,” Khalap said.
However, his idea of places of worship is not restricted to Hindu temples. “We plan to promote all places of worship. Puranas tell us this is a place reclaimed by Parshuram. Parvati did her penance here, we have Shanta Durga. Then much later came the Buddhists and Jain, there are a lot of remnants. Jews were here, Muslims were here and last were the Portuguese. Goa is a good example of how all religions have a syncretic existence. The temples, churches, and mosques, we have all of them,” he said.
“Our manifesto will demand to have designated state festivals from each religion,” Khalap added.
The arc of history sometimes bends in unexpected ways as seen in the Portuguese leadership 60 years after the liberation of Goa…writes Arul Louis
Soon after the liberation, Portugal’s dictator Antonio de Oliveira Salazar vowed that Goa would always be a part of Portugal and announced that “the functioning of the organs of government of the Province of India” would continue from Lisbon.
In a twist to that claim, Portugal is now led by people of Indian descent with family ties to the former colony: Prime Minister Antonio Costa, Finance Minister Joao Leao and Planning Minister Nelson de Sousa.
Indian-origin leaders shine in Portugal
“I am very proud of visiting my father’s land as prime minister, and especially the first prime minister of Indian origin in the European Union. This visit has a strong emotional side in the personal motivation,” Costa said during a visit to India in 2017.
Costa’s grandfather Luis Afonso Maria da Costa was from Margao, where his relatives still live and his 200-year-old ancestral home is located, according to the Portuguese American Journal.
Luis Costa emigrated to what was then another Portuguese colony, Mozambique, where the prime minister’s father Orlando da Costa was born in the capital Maputo.
The elder Costa was a writer and his son released an English translation of his book, Sem Flores Nem Coroas (Without Flowers or Wreaths) while visiting India.
The journal reported that Costa’s nickname is ‘Babush’, Konkani for “Little Boy”.
Running counter to the conservative trend in Europe, Antonio Costa who was the General Secretary of the Socialist Party became Prime Minister in 2015 after getting enough parliamentary votes with the backing of leftist parties, including the Communists and the Greens.
He was re-elected in 2019.
Antonio Costa started out as a member of the Lisbon City Council and on the road to Prime Ministership served as the minister for parliamentary affairs and for internal administration.
He has also been a Vice President of the European Parliament.
Finance Minister Leao is the grandson of Leao Fernandes, a professor at a lyceum in Panjim originally from Sarzara, according to O Heraldo.
Joao Leao’s father Claudio Fernandes moved to Portugal and worked for the government, according to the publication.
Joao Leao has a PhD from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology where his thesis advisor was Abhijit Banerjee, the Nobel laureate in Economics.
Indian-origin leaders shine in Portugal
Following his grandfather’s footsteps, he started off as an academic and became the secretary of state for budget in 2015 and rose to finance minister last year.
A specialist in finance and economy, de Sousa was born in India, according to his official biography.
He became the secretary of state for trade and services in 1999 and for development and cohesion in 2015 and was appointed planning minister in 2019.
He also did stints as the general director of the Industrial Association and as Lisbon’s municipal director of finance.
Salazar railed in 1962 against the UN Security Council where a Western-sponsored resolution demanding that India withdraw from Goa was vetoed by the Soviet Union.
He said it was “better to consider it (the UN) defunct on the spot” and predicted that Portugal would be among the first countries to leave the world organisation.
But history marches on to its own beat: the UN’s Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is from Portugal.
And he is married to Catarina Marques de Almeida Vaz Pinto who was born in Goa.
“Her father was a doctor and the family moved back to Lisbon after it became part of IndiaeBut we have been back to visit, to see where she was born, where she was baptised,” Guterres has recalled.
The US, Britain, France and Turkey then moved a four-point resolution against India. Seven UNSC members voted in favour, four against. But the motion was defeated by a Soviet veto…reports Asian Lite News.
International reaction to India’s annexation of Goa, hitherto a colony of Portugal, was at best mixed; indeed, quite hostile in western countries when it happened 60 years ago.
Keesing’s Record of World Events, reveals the Portuguese delegate at the United Nations Dr Vasco Vieira Garin on December 18 requested an immediate meeting of the Security Council. He described Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru’s move as “the result of cold-blooded premeditation” and “a clear and flagrant violation of the sovereign rights of Portugal and of the UN Charter”.
In a letter to the president of the council, Dr Omar Loutfi of the United Arab Republic (a political union between Egypt and Syria, dissolved in 1961), Dr Vieira Garin said India had launched “a full-scale unprovoked armed attack on the territories of Goa, Daman and Diu, comprising the Portuguese State of India”. Portugal sought the council meeting “to put a stop to the condemnable act of aggression by the Indian union” and to “order a ceasefire and withdrawal forthwith from the Portuguese territories of Goa, Daman and Diu of the invading forces of the Indian Union”.
Dr Loutfi expressed his country’s reservations about the Portuguese charges; but a council debate was approved by majority vote among the members. The Soviet Union opposed the debate on the grounds that the matter was “exclusively within the domestic jurisdiction” of India and the territories concerned could not be considered to be anything “other than provisionally under the colonial control of Portugal”.
The United States, Britain, France, Turkey, Chile, Ecuador and Taiwan (then a permanent member of the UNSC), however, supported a debate. Other than the Soviet Union, Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) opposed the request, while the UAR and Liberia abstained. The debate was held without a vote.
Goa
The Indian Representative at the UN, C.S. Jha, when asked to state his country’s case, said the “elimination of the last vestiges of colonialism in India” was an “article of faith” for the Indian people. He described Goa, Daman and Diu as “an inalienable part of India unlawfully occupied by Portugal”. He cited that Lisbon had “rudely rejected” all previous Indian attempts at a settlement.
The US, Britain, France and Turkey then moved a four-point resolution against India. Seven UNSC members voted in favour, four against. But the motion was defeated by a Soviet veto.
President Leonid Brezhnev was, in fact, on a state visit to India when the Indian takeover took place. He asserted in Mumbai that the Soviet Union had “complete sympathy for the Indian people’s desire to liberate Goa, Daman and Diu from Portuguese colonialism”. Soviet premier, Nikita Krushchev cabled Nehru to say “the resolute actions of the Government of India to do away with outposts of colonialism in its territory were absolutely lawful and justified”.
Non-aligned countries like Yugoslavia, Indonesia, Ghana, Morocco, Tunisia endorsed India’s move, as did the Afro-Asian bloc in general, other than Pakistan, which called it “naked militarism”. West Germany, Australia and New Zealand fell in line with the West.
Spectacular Goa set to allure visitors at EXPO2020 DUBAI
On 3 January 1962, Dr Antonio de Oliveira Salazar, prime minister of Portugal, told the Portuguese National Assembly: “Since we do not accept the validity of the fait accompli, the Goa question has not yet ended and we might truthfully say that it is just the beginning.” Portugal continued to recognise parliamentarians elected to the National Assembly from Goa, Daman and Diu. They continued to be eligible for Portuguese citizenship. The upshot of this is Antonio Costa, who is of Goan origin, is today Portugal’s prime minister.
Salazar blamed Britain. “The very prudent British school of diplomacy has one special feature that I greatly admire,” he sarcastically said, “which is, to make every effort, even in the gravest circumstances, to obtain concrete undertakings in exchange for vague promises.”
India’s relations with Portugal remained tense for decades, until Lisbon’s rhetoric and resistance gradually petered out.
The 159 passengers onboard the charter flight from Almaty were welcomed by Goa Protocol Minister Mauvin Godinho …reports Asian Lite News
The season’s first international charter tourist flight arrived from Almaty in Kazakhstan at Goa’s Dabolim international airport on Wednesday, even as an Airport Authority of India official said that domestic passenger movement has already surpassed pre-Covid levels in the tourist state.
“The first charter has landed from Almaty belonging to Air Astana. After that we have a SCAT airlines, which is also going to operate from Almaty. We have given slots to Rosiya also. Right now we have given 40 slots to these three airlines,” Goa airport director Gagan Malik said.
The 159 passengers onboard the charter flight from Almaty were welcomed by Goa Protocol Minister Mauvin Godinho and Tourism department officials at the Dabolim international airport. Charter flights account for the bulk of the international tourists arrivals to Goa. Nearly half a million foreign tourists arrived in Goa in 2019.
Pic credits @MauvinGodinho
“Slowly I am expecting these numbers to increase because as confidence grows more slots will be asked for. Today, we have 159 passengers coming in the first charter flight. It is a good sign in itself. All protocols are being followed. After two years it is a good sign that tourism is reviving itself as far as international tourism is concerned,” Malik also said, adding that more international flights could be expected to operate from Goa by the end of December.
He also said that the number of domestic flights operating at the Goa airport had already exceeded pre-Covid levels.
“As far as domestic passengers are concerned, we have crossed pre-Covid levels long back. Last Sunday I had 75 departures which has never been the case even at pre-Covid levels. Tourists are coming into Goa,” Malik said.
For wellness enhanced by the crisp mountain air, head to the Yoga Capital of the world – Rishikesh or explore the rolling tea gardens of Darjeeling, where one can indulge in myriad local experiences…reports Asian Lite News.
The festive season brings with it much cheer aside from the usual celebrations as India welcomes international travellers once again. Re-connect with friends and family you haven’t had an opportunity to meet in the past year while exploring the rich heritage and diverse geographical beauty of India.
For those looking to chase the winter sun, Goa is the perfect destination for a touch of sea, sand and susegad. Bond with family in the seclusion of an exclusive heritage bungalow or villa or lounge to the sound of the waves with friends at a resort of your choice. For a taste of life like the Maharajas and Maharanis of yore, gift the memories of your loved one of a lifetime with a royal getaway to the many authentic palaces across Rajasthan.
For wellness enhanced by the crisp mountain air, head to the Yoga Capital of the world – Rishikesh or explore the rolling tea gardens of Darjeeling, where one can indulge in myriad local experiences.
From serene backwaters to coffee plantations, culinary delights and mountain adventures that will satiate thrill-seekers, delight in India’s fascinating kaleidoscope of experiences, rediscover the many facets of the country.
Taj, Vivanta, SeleQtions and amã Stays and Trails feature properties across the length and breadth of the country, be it the breath-taking vistas of the snow-laden mountain ranges in Srinagar or the quaint town of Shimla, introduce your loved ones to India’s white Christmas in style this December or on the sunny shores of Goa.
Sardesai, a sitting MLA and president of the Goa Forward party said that the upcoming election was proving to be a challenge for regional parties…reports Asian Lite News
The political fizz erupting in Goa ahead of the 2022 state assembly polls has the makings of Cola wars of the past, according to former Deputy Chief Minister Vijai Sardesai.
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday at the state legislative assembly complex, Sardesai, a sitting MLA and president of the Goa Forward party said that the upcoming election was proving to be a challenge for regional parties who are being swamped out by national parties with massive campaign funding.
Sardesai likened the stand-off between Goan regional parties like the Goa Forward and Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party and national parties like the AAP, Trinamool Congress, Congress and the BJP to a past era when the entry of Coca Cola in the Goa market in the early 1990s, wiped out the popular local brand Top Cola.
“This prevailing situation is such that even if regional forces come together, you can be subsumed by bigger players. It is like Top Cola versus Coca Cola,” Sardesai told reporters.
“It is panning out like that. Everyone wanted (Erasmo de) Sequeira’s Top Cola. But Top Cola disappeared after Coca Cola arrived (in Goa). We do not want to disappear,” Sardesai said.
Top Cola was the state’s most popular cola before the advent of Coca Cola in the Goa fizzy drink market. Manufactured in Ponda sub district in South Goa, Top Cola was registered as a trademark in 1981 and was synonymous with a cola drink in the state until Coca Cola made a splash in Goa and the rest of the country in the early 1990s, after which the Goa-born cola brand was swamped out of the market.
Goa is heading for polls in early 2022, with several national parties like the ruling BJP, Congress, Aam Aadmi Party and the Trinamool Congress. The Trinamool Congress is making a re-entry into state politics after facing bitter defeats in the 2012 state assembly polls and the general elections in 2014.
“Today Congress family is fragmented. There is YSR Congress, Sharad Congress and Indira Congress. My dream is to bring the Congress family together,” he added…reports Asian Lite News.
As expected the two-time Chief Minister of Goa and former Congress leader Luizinho Faleiro joined Trinamool Congress on Wednesday in Kolkata. Ten other Congress leaders also joined Trinamool along with Faleiro.
Flanked by Trinamool Congress All India General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee, State Minister of Panchayat Subrata Mukherjee and the party MP Sougata Roy, Faleiro took the flag of the party from Banerjee and said that his primary job is to fight the divisive policies, vengeance and the culture of intolerance of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Addressing a press conference, Faleiro said, “I would like to quote the last testament of Mahatma Gandhi — the Father of the Nation. Just three days before his heinous assassination he had said — ‘Congress which is the oldest national political organisation and which have fought many battles in a non-violent way cannot be allowed to die. It can only die with the nation. A living organism ever grows or dies’.”
Expressing his profound happiness to join Congress, the seven-time MLA of Goa said, “My resignation is the beginning of the unification of the congress family. I have started my journey from the west coast and have reached the east. I am a Congressman and I have lived with that for the last 40 years. I have the same ideology, principles and programs that Congress has. When I am joining Trinamool Congress it is to fulfill my dream to bring the congress family together”.
“Today Congress family is fragmented. There is YSR Congress, Sharad Congress and Indira Congress. My dream is to bring the Congress family together,” he added.
“I will strive to consolidate Congress but before that my main mission is to fight the divisive policies, vengeance and the culture of intolerance of the BJP,” he said.
“Like the country Goa is also suffering because of the BJP. There is economic meltdown, administrative collapse and sharp unemployment. In Goa, 65 per cent of the population is living below the poverty line. The BJP has taken our country 45 years back,” the former veteran Congress leader said.
Before addressing the chief minister, Faleiro met Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee at the state secretariat in Nabanna. After meeting with Banerjee, Faleiro tweeted, “Meeting the Hon Chief Minister of Bengal, Smt @MamataOfficial with my compatriots. We pledge to protect the people of Goa against divisive and fascist forces. The fight for a new dawn in Goa begins today”.
During the debate Jain said that the free 300 power units would serve as a boon to nearly 87 per cent households in Goa…reports Asian Lite News.
Goa Power Minister Nilesh Cabral and his Delhi counterpart Satyendar Jain on Monday had a much anticipated public face-off over the virtues of the power tariff structures in place in the two states.
The public debate between the two ruling politicians took place in Panaji, more than a week after Cabral challenged the Aam Aadmi Party — which is gearing up for a high visibility election campaign ahead of the 2022 polls and which has promised free 300 units of power for domestic connections, as well as uninterrupted 24×7 power supply, if the party comes to power.
During the debate Jain said that the free 300 power units would serve as a boon to nearly 87 per cent households in Goa.
“Nearly 87 per cent households consume less than 300 units of electricity. The announcement made by the AAP will benefit all these households. They will get a zero bill,” Jain said.
Cabral however contended that there are no free lunches and that if power is given free of cost or at a highly subsidised rate, then a government would invariably tax the taxpayer through other channels.
“Nothing is free in this world. Whatever they are providing for the people of Delhi is taken from the taxpayers of Delhi and besides, their government’s borrowings run into crores of rupees,” Cabral said.
The Goa Power Minister also said that private power distribution companies in the national capital were indirectly benefited by the Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal-led government.
Cabral also said that the tariff structure in Goa was unique and the power rates in the coastal state were already low compared to the national average.
“Here, the Goa government is itself the distributor and we have kept rates low. Our power tariff, no matter how many units one uses, doesn’t go beyond Rs four per unit for the consumer. In Delhi, if you cross 200 hundred units, even after the subsidy from the government, the rate is higher than what is paid for the same number of units in Goa,” Cabral shot back.
This is the second time that tariff structures in the two states, have triggered rhetoric between leaders of two political parties.
In November last year, Cabral and AAP MLA and Delhi Jal Board vice chairman Raghav Chaddha had also raised hype about a debate over the power tariffs in their respective states.
“Pramod Sawant has done a good job. There has been all round development under Pramod Sawant’s leadership. We are moving ahead with his leadership,” Nadda said…reports Asian Lite News.
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and not Union Minister of state for Tourism and Ports Shripad Naik — an MP from Goa — may be the face of the party for the 2022 state Assembly polls, BJP national president J.P. Nadda hinted on Sunday.
Nadda, however, said that the final decision on the selection of the party’s leader for the polls would be taken by the Bharatiya Janata Party’s national parliamentary board, the political outfit’s highest decision-making body.
“Pramod Sawant has done a good job. There has been all round development under Pramod Sawant’s leadership. We are moving ahead with his leadership,” Nadda said.
The top BJP official, however, said that such a decision is declared by the party’s deciding authority, the parliamentary board.
When asked about the demands made by some party leaders to appoint Union Minister of State Shripad Naik, who is a Lok Sabha MP from North Goa, as the party’s face for the 2022 polls, Nadda said that the Union Minister was doing a “very good job” in Delhi.
“He is doing a very good job in Delhi and he is taking care of things… Everybody has an interest, but the interest has to be taken care of by the party. He (Naik) has been assigned a job in Delhi, which he is doing very well,” Nadda said.
Sawant assumed charge as the Chief Minister of Goa in 2019, following the death of former Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar following a prolonged battle with pancreatic cancer.
