Panaji: The Serendipity Arts Festival should inspire the artist community to make Goa a hub for art and culture, said chief minister Pramod Sawant at the inauguration of the festival being held in the state capital from December 15 to 23.“We are glad that the Serendipity Arts Festival is back after a gap of two years. Goa is the melting pot for culture, and we want people to enjoy community and the arts. While it is the responsibility of the state to boost tourism in Goa, we need foundations and patrons like Serendipity Arts to provide impetus to the arts movement and to strengthen the culture. I hope that this festival will inspire the arts community at large to make Goa the culture hub for the region,” he said.This year the programme will have exhibitions, culinary delights, craft, and music that will reflect Indian classical, fusion, folk, indie pop, rock, and other genres, to projects intersecting dance, drama, music and storytelling. Founder and patron of Serendipity Arts Foundation, Sunil Kant Munjal, said that this year, they have experimented with different forms and intersections, hoping it will leave a lasting impression with audiences with the quality of projects, diverse art practices and creative experimentations within the arts.Stressing on the importance of art in a post-Covid world and the festival’s commitment to sustainability, inclusivity, accessibility, and arts education, director of Serendipity Arts Foundation and the festival, Smriti Rajgarhia, said that the festival, with its many offerings from the world of the arts, is expanding boundaries. “This year’s programmes continue to be inclusive and experimental in reflection of our values. We have stood by our beliefs and have brought more and more interesting and intriguing experiences within the fold of the festival,” she added.
KERI: A dance-drama narrating Goa's history from the pre-historic times up to the region's liberation from Portuguese colonial powers was presented recently at the Institute Menezes Braganza in Panaji, leaving the audience in awe. With more than 100 artistes and performance of nearly all folk dance forms of Goa, the effort found wide appreciation from the audience. "It had more than 100 artistes participating from various parts of Goa and it made us aware of the heritage and history of our land in the most inspiring way. I am sure that if the present generation is made aware about the history of the struggles of Liberation through cultural performances, their love for the land will be enhanced," Dasharath Parab, president of Institute Menezes Braganza, told TOI. Sulakshana Pramod Sawant, after inaugurating the programme, called citizens to imbibe the socio-cultural values in our young generations. President of the Goa Marathi Academy, Anil Samant, said the organisation had carried out various activities to celebrate 60 years of Goa's liberation. The dance-drama began with the history of Goa during the stone ages, when prehistoric human beings were moving in the region's forests and living near the Mandovi and Zuari river basins. It traced the history of rulers who made immense contribution in the fields of art, religion and culture and told of the origins of the temples of Shree Chandreshwar and Shree Saptakoteshwar. The performances narrated the destruction of the then capital city and the port of Gopakpattanam, Ela. It touched upon the invasions that influenced the cultural patterns of Goa. Jayandranath Haldankar directed the drama that was written by Pournima Kerkar. The folk dances of 'ghodemodni', 'goff', 'musala khel', 'gawda jagor', 'fugdi', 'dhalo', 'kunbi', 'dekhni', and 'gajanrutya' displayed the socio-cultural heritage of tribal and non-tribal communities through theatrical performance.
Keri: A dance-drama narrating Goa’s history from the pre-historic times up to the region’s liberation from Portuguese colonial powers was presented recently at the Institute Menezes Braganza in Panaji, leaving the audience in awe. With more than 100 artistes and performance of nearly all folk dance forms of Goa, the effort found wide appreciation from the audience.“It had more than 100 artistes participating from various parts of Goa and it made us aware of the heritage and history of our land in the most inspiring way. I am sure that if the present generation is made aware about the history of the struggles of Liberation through cultural performances, their love for the land will be enhanced,” Dasharath Parab, president of Institute Menezes Braganza, told TOI.Sulakshana Pramod Sawant, after inaugurating the programme, called citizens to imbibe the socio-cultural values in our young generations. President of the Goa Marathi Academy, Anil Samant, said the organisation had carried out various activities to celebrate 60 years of Goa’s liberation.The dance-drama began with the history of Goa during the stone ages, when prehistoric human beings were moving in the region’s forests and living near the Mandovi and Zuari river basins. It traced the history of rulers who made immense contribution in the fields of art, religion and culture and told of the origins of the temples of Shree Chandreshwar and Shree Saptakoteshwar.The performances narrated the destruction of the then capital city and the port of Gopakpattanam, Ela. It touched upon the invasions that influenced the cultural patterns of Goa. Jayandranath Haldankar directed the drama that was written by Pournima Kerkar. The folk dances of ‘ghodemodni’, ‘goff’, ‘musala khel’, ‘gawda jagor’, ‘fugdi’, ‘dhalo’, ‘kunbi’, ‘dekhni’, and ‘gajanrutya’ displayed the socio-cultural heritage of tribal and non-tribal communities through theatrical performance.
Panaji: For the first time, people with disabilities will be able to feel the waves at Miramar beach as part of an initiative by the Purple Fest.The iconic beach is in the process of being made accessibility friendly through the installation of a ramp and the use of special wheelchairs that can transport people with disabilities to the beach area.“We have conducted an access audit of Panaji from the Dona Paula jetty till the Entertainment Society of Goa (ESG) office as part of the Purple Fest and have found that it is possible to make spaces accessible by adding ramps and lifts,” said Guruprasad Pawaskar, commissioner of the State Commission for Persons with Disabilities, Goa, and spokesperson for the Purple Fest, 2023.“Currently, there are 19 government buildings in Goa that are accessibility friendly. However, we need to also look at accessibility related to banking, education and tourism. We are working on making Panaji the first disability accessible city in the country in the coming two years,” he said.All-in-all, 40 buildings in Goa and three more beaches — Colva, Arambol and Baga — will be made accessibility friendly in a year’s time.Pawaskar further said the ESG has been made fully accessible and that the commission is in the process of installing a lift in inaccessible spaces of the GMC, Bambolim.“There are several old structures and lanes that make it difficult to access some houses. We may not be able to make the city 100% accessible, but we can attempt to reach at least 70-80%,” he said.
Panaji: For the first time, people with disabilities will be able to feel the waves at Miramar beach as part of an initiative by the Purple Fest.The iconic beach is in the process of being made accessibility friendly through the installation of a ramp and the use of special wheelchairs that can transport people with disabilities to the beach area.“We have conducted an access audit of Panaji from the Dona Paula jetty till the Entertainment Society of Goa (ESG) office as part of the Purple Fest and have found that it is possible to make spaces accessible by adding ramps and lifts,” said Guruprasad Pawaskar, commissioner of the State Commission for Persons with Disabilities, Goa, and spokesperson for the Purple Fest, 2023.“Currently, there are 19 government buildings in Goa that are accessibility friendly. However, we need to also look at accessibility related to banking, education and tourism. We are working on making Panaji the first disability accessible city in the country in the coming two years,” he said.All-in-all, 40 buildings in Goa and three more beaches — Colva, Arambol and Baga — will be made accessibility friendly in a year’s time.Pawaskar further said the ESG has been made fully accessible and that the commission is in the process of installing a lift in inaccessible spaces of the GMC, Bambolim.“There are several old structures and lanes that make it difficult to access some houses. We may not be able to make the city 100% accessible, but we can attempt to reach at least 70-80%,” he said.
Panaji: Goa tourism department on Wednesday issued showcause notices to three online booking portals — makemytrip.com, lohono.com and goavillasforrent.com — for sale of rooms without having registered themselves with it.Under the Goa Registration of Tourist Trade Act, no person can provide online tourism services or tourist-related activity without registering with the department.A tourism official said the notices were issued after its tracking and monitoring team noted the agencies were operating in violation of the law. They sold online hotel rooms, private villas, cottages and offered other services.The showcause notices issued by deputy director of tourism Kuldeep Arolkar questions why action should not be taken against the three portals for violating the provisions of the act. It further stated that if they fail to reply within the given time, or do not attend the hearing on the given date, the authority will presume that the grounds for action mentioned were correct and will initiate further action.All three booking portals have been given 10 days to reply to the notices and will have to submit their justification on December 27.
PANAJI: Goa tourism department on Wednesday issued show cause notices to three online booking portals including Make my Trip for sale of rooms without having registered with it. The show cause notices were also issued to Lohono. com and Goa villa forrent.com. Under Goa Registration of Tourist Trade Rules, no person can provide online tourism services such as booking of hotel rooms and other accommodation or any other tourist related activity without registering with the tourism department. A tourism official said notices to the three entities have been issued giving them ten days to reply after the department’s tracking and monitoring team noted that the agencies operated in violation of law. They sold online hotel rooms, private villas, cottages, and offered other services. The show cause notices issued by Kuldeep Arolkar, deputy director of tourism states why an action should not be taken against them for violating the provisions of the Goa Registration of Tourist Trade Act. If they fail to reply within the given time, or do not attend the hearing on a given date, the notices stated, the authority will presume that the grounds for action mentioned in the notices were correct and will initiate further action. An entity held guilty can be punished with a fine which may extend up to Rs 1 lakh. All three will have to submit their justification or reply to the director of tourism on December 27. The tourism department has a special team which tracks online activity of illegal operators, and notices are issued when such entities are noted.
Panaji: PM Narendra Modi said on Sunday that promoting ayurveda and naturopathy can take Goa’s tourism sector to greater heights.Speaking at the valedictory function of the 9th World Ayurveda Congress in Panaji, Modi said that there is one more aspect of the growing popularity of ayurveda, and that is ayurveda and yoga tourism.“In a state like Goa, which is a hub for tourism, promoting ayurveda and naturopathy can take the tourism sector to a greater height,” he said. “The All India Institute of Ayurveda in Goa can prove to be an important start in this direction.”The Prime Minister said that there are new opportunities in the field of ayurveda, such as farming of herbs, manufacturing and supply of Ayush medicines, and digital services. He said that there is huge scope for Ayush startups in these areas.Modi said that about 40,000 MSMEs are active in the Ayush sector. The Ayush industry, which was worth about Rs 20,000 crore eight years ago, is now worth Rs 1.5 lakh crore. “This means that there has been a 7-fold growth over 7-8 years,” he said.Modi said that the current global market for herbal medicine and spices is around $120 billion (Rs l0 lakh crore). “This sector of traditional medicine is expanding continuously, and we have to take full advantage of its every possibility. For the rural economy, a whole new sector of agriculture is opening up for our farmers, in which they will also get very good prices. Thousands and lakhs of new jobs will be created for the youth,” Modi said.The PM spoke of the “futuristic vision” of one earth one health that India has put forward to the world. “’One Earth, One Health’” means a universal vision of health. Whether it is marine animals, wild animals, human beings, or plants, health is interconnected. Instead of seeing them in isolation, we have to see them in totality.” he said.
Panaji: The opening of the All India Institute of Ayurveda at Dhargalim will boost Goa’s tourism profile, bringing in more medical tourists to the state, said Union minister for Ayush Sarbananda Sonowal.Sonowal said that due to the efforts taken by the Centre, adoption of Ayush (Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy) has increased nationally as well as globally.“The Ayush hospital, which is a satellite institution of the All India Institute of Ayurveda, will provide great benefits to the world. Goa is already an attractive tourist destination and domestic as well as international tourists come here every year and now the Ayush hospital will make Goa a medical wellness place,” said Sonowal.The cumulative value of Ayush exports from 2013–14 to 2020–21 was $18.2 billion, an over six-fold rise from the $3 billion it reported in 2014. “Because of the steps taken in the last eight years, the Ayush industry has created an $18.2 billion market in the world. People now trust Ayush products, whether they are food supplements or medicines. People have seen the benefit and today believe that in order to live a healthy and active life they need to use Ayush,” said Sonowal.He was speaking to the media after paying homage to the activists and martyrs who gave their lives for the Assam movement. Sonowal, who also heads the ports, shipping and waterways ministry, had asked Mormugao Ports Authority to coordinate the tribute to the Assamese martyrs.“We are here to remember the martyrs, those who courageously gave their life for the nation. We remember them today and I only hope that the path of patriotism that they have shown us will be followed by all of us today,” said the Union minister.
PANAJI: Chief minister Pramod Sawant on Thursday said that the state government aims to make Goa a prominent destination for wellness tourism. “We all perform various roles as students, teachers, researchers, practitioners, manufacturers, distributors etc, and being stakeholders in the field of Ayurveda, it is our duty to propagate this system of medicine. Being an Ayurvedic practitioner myself, I have supported the endeavour of making Goa a prominent place for wellness tourism,” Sawant said at the inaugural function of the 9th World Ayurveda Congress and Arogya Expo, 2022, at Panaji. As many as 3,700 delegates have registered for the Ayurveda Congress. Urging Ayurveda practitioners to tap the recognition the field is receiving across the world, the chief minister said an increasing number of people are turning to Ayurveda and meditation during pre-natal, gestational and ante-natal periods to produce healthy progeny. Sawant also released the third edition of the comic book series, Professor Ayushman and exchanged an MoU between the Rosenberg European Academy of Ayurveda and the All India Institute of Ayurveda to strengthen and develop cooperation to study the traditional system of medicine and to set up collaborations. Union minister of state for tourism Shripad Naik said Ayush is already being practised in 60 countries and will reach beyond 100 nations in the next two years. “Ayurveda is not only medicine but our tradition and magic passed down by our ancestors,” he said. Secretary of the Ayush ministry, Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha, said that an impact assessment study has found that 89.9 per cent of Indians turned to Ayush during the Covid-19 pandemic for treatment or prevention of the disease. Kotecha also said that the ministry’s budget has grown five times over the past eight years and that the Ayurveda manufacturing sector has expanded from a $3 million to a $13 million avenue. Punjab health minister Chetan Singh Jouramajra urged the Centre to explore Punjab for Ayush projects. Minister of state for Ayush, Daya Shankar Mishra, Goa health minister Vishwajit Rane, art and culture minister Govind Gaude were also in attendance.
PANAJI: Chief minister Pramod Sawant on Thursday said that the state government aims to make Goa a prominent destination for wellness tourism. “We all perform various roles as students, teachers, researchers, practitioners, manufacturers, distributors etc, and being stakeholders in the field of Ayurveda, it is our duty to propagate this system of medicine. Being an Ayurvedic practitioner myself, I have supported the endeavour of making Goa a prominent place for wellness tourism,” Sawant said at the inaugural function of the 9th World Ayurveda Congress and Arogya Expo, 2022, at Panaji. As many as 3,700 delegates have registered for the Ayurveda Congress. Urging Ayurveda practitioners to tap the recognition the field is receiving across the world, the chief minister said an increasing number of people are turning to Ayurveda and meditation during pre-natal, gestational and ante-natal periods to produce healthy progeny. Sawant also released the third edition of the comic book series, Professor Ayushman and exchanged an MoU between the Rosenberg European Academy of Ayurveda and the All India Institute of Ayurveda to strengthen and develop cooperation to study the traditional system of medicine and to set up collaborations.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi Sunday inaugurated the first phase of the greenfield international airport at Mopa in North Goa, during his visit to the coastal state.Speaking on the occasion, the Prime Minister said that the new airport would be named Manohar International Airport as a tribute to former Goa Chief Minister (late) Manohar Parrikar.The state-of-the-art airport in Mopa will significantly improve connectivity as well as boost tourism in Goa. https://t.co/rY9M4OY6Z5— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 11, 2022While addressing the gathering, PM Modi said: “I am happy that this airport terminal has been named after my dear friend Manohar ji, Manohar ji will now be in the memory of everyone who comes here through this airport.”He also targeted the previous governments, saying they had adopted a vote bank approach for decades instead of finding what people needed in terms of public amenities.Mentioning that the airport was planned when the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government was in power, PM Modi said that successive governments, however, neglected the work. “When our government came to power in 2014, it worked fast for this. I myself laid its foundation stone and today this airport is in front of all of you.”He further stated: “Today, the country is working with modern thinking and we can see its results. After independence, air travel was limited to big cities but we have connected it to small cities. About 72 new airports have been built in the country in the last eight years.”Claiming that India has become the third-largest aviation market in the world today, the Prime Minister said: “The manner in which the UDAN scheme made air travel easier for the middle class, should actually be a subject of research by a university. When the power of a country increases, the world will be more attracted towards it.”The Mopa airport in North Goa is the second international airport in the coastal state apart from the existing airport at Dabolim, which is operated as a city enclave from Indian naval air station INS Hansa, news agency PTI reported. The foundation stone for the airport at Mopa was laid by PM Modi in 2016.The first phase of the airport will be able to handle 44 lakh passenger movement every year.(With inputs from PTI)
PANAJI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday evening inaugurated the new international airport at Mopa which has been named after former Goa chief minister and ex-defence minister Manohar Parrikar. The prime minister laid a strong emphasis on boosting connectivity in the country, saying that Goa's second airport will boost connectivity and spur further economic development. We are working on resolving traffic issues in #Goa and on promoting heritage tourism in the state. Happy that the s… https://t.co/3bT7g6vxSM— TOI Goa (@TOIGoaNews) 1670765818000Modi laid the foundation stone of the airport in November 2016. The Manohar International Airport is built on 2,132 acres, of which 232 acres are earmarked for city-side development for commercial purposes. The configuration of the airside facilities and terminal facilities is done based on traffic projections. The expansion of the airport will be as per future requirements. The ultimate capacity of the privately operated airport is around 33 MPPA traffic. The current passenger handling capacity of Dabolim airport is 8.5 MPPA (million passengers per annum). When the Manohar Parrikar airport starts operation on January 5 it will be able to handle 4.4 MMPA, which takes Goa's total passenger handling capacity to around 13 MPPA. The Dabolim airport offers direct connections with 15 domestic and 6 international locations. Through Mopa airport, these will increase to 35 domestic and 18 international locations. Also, while there was no night parking facility at Dabolim airport, Mopa airport has provision for night parking facility as well. Moreover, while there was no cargo terminal at Dabolim, the Mopa airport will have the facility with a handling capacity of 25,000 MT. The number of operational airports in the country has almost doubled from 74 to over 140 since 2014. The government plans to develop and operationalise 220 airports in the next 5 years. The airport promotes local artisans by creating a designated area for a flea market under Prakal Initiative the airport operator. The Manohar International Airport aims to be a Zero Carbon Footprint airport.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the first phase of the international airport at Mopa in Goa on Sunday during his visit to the coastal state, where he will also address the valedictory function of the World Ayurveda Congress, officials said.He will also virtually inaugurate a host of other projects, including the All India Institute of Ayurveda in North Goa’s Dhargal, the National Institute of Unani medicine in Ghaziabad (Uttar Pradesh) and the National Institute of Homeopathy in Delhi’s Narela, they said.The Goa Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) said that the prime minister will address the World Ayurveda Congress event at 2 pm.At 4 pm, he will commission the first phase of the Mopa intenational airport, where state Governor P S Sreedharan Pillai, Union Minister for Civil Aviation and Steel Jyotiraditya Scindia, Union Minister of state for Ports, Shipping and waterways Shripad Naik, Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant will be present, it said.The airport at Mopa in North Goa, being built at a cost of Rs 2,870 crore, will be the second facility in the state in addition to the existing airport at Dabolim.The airport will have the capacity to handle 44 lakh passengers per annum in the first phase and it will go up to one crore passengers per annum after the completion of the entire project, the officials said.The existing Dabolim Airport has the capacity to handle 85 lakh passengers in a year, but it does not have the facility for cargo transportation, which is there at the new airport.
PANAJI: CM Pramod Sawant said on Friday that Goa will host eight G20 summit meetings on topics like tourism, health, education, and sustainability. Sawant said that the first of these events will be held in April, and that the focus would be on the exchange of knowledge and tourism. PM Narendra Modi held a video conference with the chief ministers of states, governors, lieutenant governors, Union ministers and others to review preparations in their respective states for the G20 summit. “It is important for Goa, being a small state, because the state is hosting eight meetings on subjects like tourism, health, education and sustainability, among others. Most of these meetings will be held at a starred hotel at Bambolim,” said Sawant, who interacted with Modi. The chief minister said that the state government has started preparations for the G20 summit meeting. “Sustainability goals and zero carbon emission are the main topics. We will see how we can move to negative carbon emission,” he said. The chief minister said that the G20 summit meetings will help Goa tourism in a big way. “Because G20 countries contribute 80% of the world’s GDP, we will make efforts to get benefits of the summit to boost tourism in the state,” Sawant said. He also said that delegates will be served Goan cuisine and handicraft items manufactured by local artisans will be given to them as tokens of love from the state.
PANAJI: CM Pramod Sawant said on Friday that Goa will host eight G20 summit meetings on topics like tourism, health, education, and sustainability. Sawant said that the first of these events will be held in April, and that the focus would be on the exchange of knowledge and tourism. PM Narendra Modi held a video conference with the chief ministers of states, governors, lieutenant governors, Union ministers and others to review preparations in the state for the G20 summit. “It is important for Goa, being a small state, because the state is hosting eight meetings on subjects like tourism, health, education and sustainability, among others. Most of these meetings will be held at a starred hotel at Bambolim,” said Sawant, who interacted with Modi. The chief minister said that the state government has started preparations for the G20 summit meeting. “Sustainability goals and zero carbon emission are the main topics. We will see how we can move to negative carbon emission,” he said. The chief minister said that the G20 summit meetings will help Goa tourism in a big way. “Because G20 countries contribute 80% of the world’s GDP, we will make efforts to get benefits of the summit to boost tourism in the state,” Sawant said. He also said that delegates will be served Goan cuisine and handicraft items manufactured by local artisans will be given to them as tokens of love from the state.
