Need to design crop patterns as per agro climatic zone: Shripad Naik

Times of India | 10 hours ago | 06-12-2022 | 08:37 am

Need to design crop patterns as per agro climatic zone: Shripad Naik

PANAJI: Union minister of state for tourism Shripad Naik appealed to scientists to focus on organic farming and agricultural scientists to give maximum emphasis on not allowing soil texture to deteriorate. He was speaking at the World Soil Day event at ICAR-Central Coastal Agricultural Research Institute on Monday. “Designing crop patterns according to the ‘agro climatic zone’ is essential as is encouraging intercropping. These steps need to be taken effectively,” he said. Himanshu Pathak, secretary, department of agriculture research and education and director general ICAR, joined the programme virtually and highlighted the soil health card schemes and ‘neem’ coated urea to increase fertiliser use efficiency. Parveen Kumar, director, ICAR-CCARI stressed on maintaining good soil health to get healthy food. More than 100 farmers joined physically and 6,000 scientists, technical staff of ICAR joined the programme virtually across the nation. On this occasion, soil health cards were also distributed to 100 farmers. Suresh Kumar Chaudhari, deputy director general (Natural Resource Management), ICAR, New Delhi, stressed on bringing students and stakeholders who are not directly related to research under the Soil Day programme to create awareness. World Soil Day is held annually on December 5 as a means to focus attention on the importance of healthy soil and to advocate for the sustainable management of soil resources.

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Not so smart: In dug-up Panaji, bus stand to Miramar now takes 40 mins
Times of India | 16 hours ago | 06-12-2022 | 02:40 am
Times of India
16 hours ago | 06-12-2022 | 02:40 am

Panaji: In a bid to make Panaji smart, the city’s roads have been dug up and several stretches have been cordoned off to the public, creating confusion among motorists and commuters as they try to manoeuvre their way through traffic congestions.Due to the ongoing work of laying cable and pipelines as part of the Smart City project, it now takes longer to travel — distances such as from the bus stand to Miramar, which usually takes 5-7 minutes, now takes upwards of 40 minutes depending on your mode of transport. The situation gets only worse during peak traffic hours.And to this the city’s perennial parking woes. “If 50% of Panaji’s roads are blocked for Smart City’s work, it translates to 50% less parking,” said resident Nazim Aga. “The traffic police are busy lifting bikes parked in available spaces. It’s a Monday and the city is packed with people. Where do people park? At least until those works are completed they should let logic and humanity prevail,” he said.In addition to the traffic woes, footpaths have been dug out to lay underground wires, entrances to residential houses and business establishments have been blocked and several other issues with mobility are plaguing the people of Panaji as well as visitors.Ever since the aggressive transformation of the city has been taken up, the Corporation of the City of Panaji (CCP) has been inundated with complaints about the inconvenience caused to residents, businesspersons and professionals working in the city.“The Smart City corporation has been digging the roads yet we are receiving all the flak,” said CCP commissioner, Agnelo Fernandes. “They have dug up all the roads simultaneously and this has inconvenienced residents, pedestrians and motorists. We have received multiple complaints from everyone yet we cannot do anything because the Smart City is likely to complete the works only by June,” Fernandes said.As a result even after curtains came down on Iffi in Goa there has been no respite from traffic congestion in various parts of the city as roads which have been dug-up continue to be a major hassle for commuters and the obstruction to vehicular movement on some of the busiest roads in Panaji.“The contractors have dug the roads based on their ease of work for their machinery instead of doing it stretch-by-stretch. PWD should have taken into account the accessibility of the roads for motorists and mandated a stipulated time-frame to complete all the works,” said road safety activist Dilip Naik.“We live in the digital era and it should not be very difficult for the Smart City of CCP to have a virtual map circulating online, upon which closed routes, and available parking spaces can be shared in real time, and revised every day. We have to improve the city spaces however it can be done without inconveniencing people,” said road safety activist, Roland Martins.MD and CEO, Imagine Panaji Smart City Development Limited Mamu Hage who is also the collector, North Goa was unresponsive on the matter when TOI approached her for a comment.

Not so smart: In dug-up Panaji, bus stand to Miramar now takes 40 mins
Zuari accident sparks major jam, students, fliers stranded for 3 hrs
Times of India | 16 hours ago | 06-12-2022 | 02:40 am
Times of India
16 hours ago | 06-12-2022 | 02:40 am

Panaji: An accident involving a minibus and two cars on Zuari bridge left office-goers, fliers and students stranded in a three-hour long snarl that stretched from Agasaim to Verna. Police struggled to clear the jam on the four-lane national highway, blaming the jump in tourists for the chaos on the roads.While no fatalities were reported, several fliers missed their flights and students missed their classes. The traffic jam also disrupted meetings and schedules for several employees.According to traffic cell police inspector Sailesh Narvekar, the accident occurred at 6.40am and it took a while to get a crane to tow away the damaged vehicles. “Tourist season has started and the number of vehicles has increased. People were going to the office too and that is why there were more vehicles on the route,” said Narvekar. Though police claimed that traffic was stuck for just forty five minutes, commuters and motorists said that they were stuck in the jam for close to three hours.“From Loutolim to Cortalim circle, which is a distance of less than one and a half kilometres, it took me an hour. It was quite frustrating,” said Kimberly Monteiro, who was heading to work. “Many motorists had switched off their engines and were waiting for something to happen. I reached the office around 10am, an hour late and it was quite frustrating and I was tired.”PWD minister Nilesh Cabral was nonchalant, putting the blame on Congress for not building a bridge over the Zuari. Cabral said that traffic jams along the Margao-Panaji route have been happening in the past. “These traffic jams were happening earlier too. I have also suffered in these jams. I am monitoring the situation on a day-to-day basis,” said the minister. He said that once the new Zuari bridge is opened, traffic jams will no longer occur.Opposition leader Yuri Alemao blamed poor traffic management and the haphazard placement of barricades for the snarl. “It is a man-made traffic jam due to government negligence. The mega jam can cost the life of a critical patient if an ambulance carrying a patient gets stuck in a jam. Today, many school children could not reach in time,” he said.December marks Goa’s peak tourism season and the surge in tourists has made traffic jams a daily affair across the state. The jams have a ripple effect on public transport as most Kadamba Transport Corporation buses remain stranded in the traffic.“Waited in line for an hour and a half to get a bus to Panaji. Waited in the same spot for another hour in Cortalim. Got stuck again on the bridge for an hour,” said Shreeya Kudchadkar.Many took to social media to vent their frustration as their Monday plans went for a toss. “Heavy traffic from Vasco and Verna towards Cortalim. On the other side, traffic jam up to Bambolim. I was stuck for two plus hours then returned home to Dabolim,” said Ninad Varadkar.Despite the horrendous start to the workday, motorists and commuters displayed patience and discipline.“What was remarkable was the peace around me. Everyone was resigned to their fate and everybody was patiently waiting. There was no honking, no cutting of lanes and people were moving in a disciplined manner, which I found remarkable. I think people are getting used to inconvenience,” said Shreyas Kamat, who missed out on a crucial meeting despite leaving Margao around 8am.Traffic jams have become a common occurrence across the state. Porvorim also witnessed a massive traffic jam around 12pm leaving vehicles backed up right to the Holy Family Church. On the Ponda-Margao route, traffic jams are seen around the Borim bridge, with even former BJP MP Narendra Sawaikar taking to Twitter to complain.“Immediate solution has to be found for smooth flow of traffic from Baithekhol to Borim bridge, particularly at Top Cola junction,” said Sawaikar. “After, Verna-Agasaim this is yet another area of congestion. While infrastructure is a long term solution, police intervention to regulate the traffic is the immediate solution.”

Zuari accident sparks major jam, students, fliers stranded for 3 hrs
Modi to inaugurate projects worth Rs Rs 1k cr from Goa on Sun
Times of India | 16 hours ago | 06-12-2022 | 02:40 am
Times of India
16 hours ago | 06-12-2022 | 02:40 am

Panaji: PM Narendra Modi will virtually inaugurate projects worth Rs 1,000 crore pertaining to ayurveda, unani, and homeopathy, on Sunday in Goa. The projects are in Goa, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh.CM Pramod Sawant said on Monday that Modi will attend the valedictory function of the Ayurveda Congress in Panaji. “From the Ayurveda Congress, Modi will virtually inaugurate three projects,” Sawant said.He will inaugurate the All India Institute of Ayurveda, spread over 50 acres and constructed at a cost of over Rs 300 crore. Sawant said that undergraduate (110 seats) and postgraduate (56 seats) courses in ayurveda will commence at the institute, and that there will be a research centre, and a 250-bed hospital.Modi will also inaugurate the National Institute of Unani medicine, Ghaziabad, which is spread over 10 acres and constructed at a cost of Rs 350 crore.The PM is also set to inaugurate the National Institute of Homeopathy in Delhi, spread over 10 acres and constructed at a cost of Rs 287 crore.At the 9th Ayurveda Congress, Modi will address around 5,000 delegates. Sawant said that 150 invited speakers will attend the event, 450 scientific papers will be presented, 600 papers will be displayed, and 200 companies will participate. Also, the congress will have 400 ayurveda expo stalls and nine associated programmes. “This is another big event happening in Goa,” Sawant said,The CM also said that scholars from 36 countries studying in India will attend the congress.The four-day conclave, commencing on December 8, will bring together leading practitioners of ayurveda and a whole spectrum of stakeholders from around the world.Sawant and Union Ayush minister Sarbananda Sonowal will inaugurate the meet, which will mainly focus on the increasing relevance of homeopathy in a world confronted with serious health challenges.

Modi to inaugurate projects worth Rs Rs 1k cr from Goa on Sun
Goa’s unemployment above nat’l avg: GFP
Times of India | 16 hours ago | 06-12-2022 | 02:40 am
Times of India
16 hours ago | 06-12-2022 | 02:40 am

Panaji: Citing data released by the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE), GFP said that unemployment in Goa remains well above the national average. The party also said that job fairs cannot be a replacement for policies that can promote job creation.GFP president Vijai Sardesai demanded that the state frame laws that make it mandatory for companies operating in Goa to recruit Goans.“There was a mega job fair in Goa, which was a PR event with banners across the state. Despite doing all this, we are the eighth highest unemployment state in the country,” said Sardesai. “I want to tell the chief minister that he stands exposed. Secondly, PR events, banners and photo shoots cannot substitute policy making. Bring in good policies that give preference for Goans.”Unemployment in Goa for the month of November stood at 13.6%, well above the national average of 8%. Haryana has the highest unemployment at 30.6% followed by Rajasthan at 24.5%.In November, the NITI Aayog had also red flagged Goa’s unemployment figures but chief minister Pramod Sawant had said that the unemployment figures cited by the NITI Aayog were inaccurate. “CMIE, an economic think tank, has released the unemployment figures for November. And from this one can see that Goa has the eighth highest unemployment in the country. Figures cannot lie,” he said.

Goa’s unemployment above nat’l avg: GFP