CM Pramod Sawant eyes garbage-free Goa

Times of India | 1 week ago | 13-05-2022 | 09:16 pm

PANAJI: Chief minister Pramod Sawant on Friday said Goa will be the only state in India to have facilities to treat various types of waste, including construction waste, even as he pointed out that the government is working to make it garbage-free by setting up a number of waste treatment plants. He also exuded confidence that Goa would top the list if the Union government began ranking states for waste management. Sawant, who was speaking at the inauguration of the common biomedical waste treatment facility at Kundaim, went on to urge citizens not to dump garbage along roads and in water bodies but to deposit it in the designated spaces to facilitate collection and treatment. He announced that the state now has various types of waste management facilities, including those for biomedical waste, solid waste, construction waste and industrial waste. The common biomedical waste treatment facility at Kundaim, he said, is one of the best facilities in India. The plant has been developed under public-private partnership, with the Goa Waste Management Corporation providing 10,000 sqm of land to the concessionaire, Biotic Waste Solutions Pvt Ltd, for operating the facility. It has been constructed on the build, own, operate, transfer (BOOT) model. “The state has not invested a single paisa in this biomedical waste treatment facility and will not do so even in the future as the company will collect fees from customers. We have only invested in the land,” the chief minister said.

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Sawant meets GCCI, promises Telangana industry model in Goa

Times of India | 21 hours ago | 20-05-2022 | 04:12 am

Times of India

21 hours ago | 20-05-2022 | 04:12 am

Panaji: Chief minister Pramod Sawant held a meeting with Goa Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) on Thursday to discuss efforts to attract new private investments into the state along with steps that can improve the ease of doing business for existing local industries. GCCI president Ralph de Sousa said that administrative reforms need to be introduced in all government departments so that the private sector can operate efficiently. Pointing out that the government aims to remove the need for various licences, Sawant said that the government has introduced ease of doing business reforms in the town and country planning department with more reforms planned in other departments. GCCI also urged the state government to reduce power transmission and distribution losses, obtain more power from the Centre and form district-level committees to oversee the power situation. “Regarding labour issues, GCCI requested a dialogue with the industry and government in labour-related matters. We have also asked the government to promote mass plantation of Goan fruit bearing trees along national highways,” Sousa said. GCCI has assured full support to create awareness about various schemes announced both at the state and the national level. Chief secretary Puneet Kumar Goel along with other officials were present for the meeting. During his interaction, Sawant spoke about nurturing Goa into an agro industry state, while also facilitating growth of tourism, logistics, retail and manufacturing sectors. The chief minister also agreed to set up a Grievance Redressal Committee with GCCI members and industry stakeholders. The committee will directly connect with the chief minister’s office and discuss industry specific issues. Sawant said that the committee would aim to resolve all major concerns within six months. Sawant informed GCCI that the state government is working with the Telangana government to emulate their industrial model in Goa. He also said that a retail policy and logistics policy for Goa is on the anvil. The chief minister assured industry representatives that the Mormugao port connectivity will be completed within the next six to nine months. “This will be part of the multimodal linkage under the Gati Shakti programme and modernisation of infrastructure,” Sawant said.

‘90 MW of power is lost in transmission and distribution’

Navhind Times | 23 hours ago | 20-05-2022 | 02:02 am

Navhind Times

23 hours ago | 20-05-2022 | 02:02 am

GCCI suggests improvement in power infrastructure in the statePanaji: With the state in the grip of frequent power cuts, the GCCI has suggested lowering the transmission and distribution (T&D) losses of Goa electricity department as the way out for improving power supply to consumers.The industry body pointed out that about 90 MW of power is lost in transmission and distribution which if controlled can help in addressing the 150 MW shortage of power presently in the state.The GCCI also recommended more power sanction for Goa from the Centre.Chief Minister Pramod Sawant visited the GCCI office on Thursday for his first interaction with members of local industry during his second term. Chief Secretary Puneet Kumar Goyal and secretaries of various government departments were also present at the meeting.During the interaction, the GCCI suggested improvement in power infrastructure in the state and also requested a dialogue with the government in labour-related matters. Promoting mass plantation of Goan fruit-bearing trees along the national highways was also one of the suggestions made by the GCCI.From the government side, the Chief Minister promised ease of doing business (EoDB) by removing multiplicity of various licences. He said that EoDB has already started in the Town and Country Planning (TCP) department and more reforms would be initiated in other departments.Sawant also assured of implementing the Public Service Delivery Act (2013) in principle. He said that the government would give accreditation to local hotels and venues having facilities to host marriages or public events under EoDB.He has also agreed to set up grievance redressal committee wherein GCCI members, industry stakeholders can directly connect with Chief Minister’s office and discuss on industry specific issues and ensure fast-track resolution of long-pending as well as current difficulties faced by trade and industry. With the setting up of the committee the government aims to sort out all major issues faced by industry in six months, said Sawant.The Chief Minister sought industry help in increasing agriculture yield. “Goa spends over Rs 10 crore per day towards procuring milk, vegetables, fruits, poultry etc., from other states. The agriculture sector needs rejuvenation,” he pointed out.The state will follow the industrial model of Telangana, disclosed Sawant.During the meeting, a skill gap study prepared by the GCCI with the Goa Institute of Management was submitted to the Chief Minister.GCCI president Ralph de Sousa, vice-president Shrinivas Dempo, vice-president Pratima Dhond, secretary Yatin Kakodkar, treasurer Chandrakant Gawas, director general Sanjay Amonkar along with the managing committee members were present at the meeting.

Panchayat polls may be deferred

Navhind Times | 23 hours ago | 20-05-2022 | 01:57 am

Navhind Times

23 hours ago | 20-05-2022 | 01:57 am

Panaji: Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Thursday said that his government will recommend to the state election commission (SEC) to defer the elections to 186 village panchayats so as to adopt triple test for reserving wards for other backward classes.Interacting with media persons in Panaji, Sawant said the government will not do any injustice to the people belonging to OBCs.“I have received the opinion of the Advocate General on the recent verdict of the Supreme Court. If we hold the polls immediately then we will have to hold elections without reserving even a single ward; we don’t want to do this. We want to give reservation to OBCs as they constitute 27% of the state’s total population,” Sawant explained.“Government can’t postpone the elections; it is the discretion of the SEC. We will seek time.”“If the poll panel grants time then we will ask the OBC Commission to complete the triple test exercise. Once the report of the OBC Commission is ready then it will be sent to the SEC for consideration and thereafter the SEC will announce the election schedule,” he added.It is pertinent to note that the triple test has been mandated by the apex court for reservation of wards for OBCs for the local body elections.“As per the state Advocate General’s opinion, the government will seek time from the SEC for asking the OBC Commission to prepare a report, based on which reservation of wards can be done for the panchayat elections in accordance with Supreme Court directions,” the Chief Minister added.“The related file will be sent to SEC tomorrow,” Sawant said.In a related development, Goa State Commission for Backward Classes chairman Manohar Adpaikar expressed his readiness to undertake the triple test exercise.“We are ready. But we need the required manpower to conduct a survey. Government should allow us to rope in its employees. With their assistance, we can complete the task keeping the last survey as base, provided it is accepted by the concerned authorities,” Adpaikar said.He said that if need arises then the government can consider engaging an agency to conduct a totally fresh survey across the state.“Agencies have experience and all machinery with them. They are familiar with conducting big surveys in quick time,” Adpaikar said.He informed that the last survey was conducted in December 2013, where it was found that 26.26% of the state’s population belonged to the OBC category.

Will protect mining workers interest: CM

Times of India | 1 day ago | 20-05-2022 | 01:21 am

Times of India

1 day ago | 20-05-2022 | 01:21 am

Bicholim: Following a demand by mining union workers to know their fate after June 6 when the government will take over lease areas, chief minister Pramod Sawant assured to protect their interest. Sawant was responding to a delegation that met him at the Sanquelim Ravindra Bhavan and submitted a memorandum calling upon the government to take care of workers’ interests. The workers demanded that existing workers get the opportunity to work even after the leases are handed over to a third party. They also said that they should continue to get salaries and those without salaries should be aided through the workers' security fund. “The government should extend full cooperation towards the education of workers’ children, and workers should get employment at the same place after the corporation is formed,” they said.

BJP and Revolutionary Goans fight for credit over Goa Shipyard Ltd ‘jobs to locals’

Times of India | 1 day ago | 20-05-2022 | 01:18 am

Times of India

1 day ago | 20-05-2022 | 01:18 am

Vasco: Revolutionary Goans (RG) and BJP are engaged claiming credit for getting locals employment at the Goa Shipyard Ltd (GSL). Even as RG said that GSL has assured them of giving jobs to Goans, Vasco BJP MLA Krishna ‘Daji’ Salkar and BJP functionaries stated that it was their efforts that played a major role in highlighting the employment issue. On Wednesday, RG’s Tukaram ‘Manoj’ Parab and St Andre MLA Viresh Borkar met the management of GSL to discuss the matter of employment opportunities for Goans. Parab and Borkar said that the shipyard’s management has assured them to give priority to recruiting Goans. They said that, according to available information, over 600 jobs had opened up at GSL, but only 30% Goans were employed. In other central government shipyards in other states, local people with knowledge of the local language are given preference during recruitment, but at GSL this is not happening, RG said. Parab and Borkar also stressed on the need for imparting training in technical skill to Goan youth. Meanwhile, the Vasco MLA posted on his official social media page: “Grateful to chief minister Goa Pramod P Sawant for calling this meeting on our request with T N Sudhakar CMD (addl charge) and HR head Goa Shipyard Ltd to address long-pending issues pertaining to local employment.”

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