Goa needs good quality tourists
A recent viral video about 2 drunk tourists in a four wheeler, driving abruptly on Morjim beach, and posing a threat not only for the locals but also creating disturbance for turtles is obnoxious. Moreover, such type of activity will destroy the pristine beauty of the beach and hinder the nesting process which rarely gets extended.
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What a disaster! Subsequently, the tourists who are descending on Goan shores should also abide by the law of the land, and simultaneously go by decent enjoyment. You can’t let loose of your etiquette just because you are in a land of enjoyment and vacationing in Goa.
Evidently, few months back we had another incident of tourists frisking out by bursting crackers and driving recklessly on the bridge. It was a ridiculous act though! Henceforth, the law took it’s own course. Furthermore, not forgetting about those tourists who are wandering entire Goa in Volvo buses. These are the ones who are involved in ‘open air cooking’ system at any isolated places which they discover on their way. Within seconds these tourists will display a mini open air kitchen and start cooking their delicacies. After enjoying their meals, the place will be found littered and abandoned by them.
Enthusiastically, the quality tourists are the ones who enjoy their vacation classically in Goa. They love to spend time with nature and absorb its intrinsic details. They interact with the locals, dive deeply into the intricate cultural bonds of the place. These are the ones who create awesome memories of Goa by contributing much to this lovely destination.
Joseph Savio Desouza, Candolim
Include Church members in Exposition panels
It is learnt that the state government has set up two panels for the smooth conduct of the exposition of the sacred relics of St Francis Xavier at Old Goa to be held from November 21, 2024 to January 5, 2025. This is being done in order to monitor the day-to-day functioning and to oversee all the activities related to the exposition. The two panes will reportedly be given full powers to decide and execute all kinds of work related to the decennial event. The two committees which are the ‘Exposition Secretariat’ and the ‘High Powered Co-ordination Committee for the Exposition, 2024’ are headed by the Chief Minister Pramod Sawant.
The members include Union Minister Shripad Naik, state ministers, members of the legislative assembly, leader of the opposition, bureaucrats, top government officers, etc. The Chief Minister has also announced that he will request the government of India to invite Pope Francis for the decennial exposition of the relics of St Francis Xavier. This will be a significantly important event for Goans, especially the Catholic community.
Hence it would be desirable to include representatives of the church in Goa in the two committees that have been announced. The priests representing the churches at Old Goa, including the Rector of Basilica of Bom Jesus, will be in a better position to give relevant advice to the government on the smooth conduct of the decennial event. The members of the church could be included in the committees in the advisory capacity, since this is an important event that involves the church.
Adelmo Fernandes, Vasco
Poll fever grips nation
By announcing the dates for the multiphase general elections, all set to take place from April 19, the Election Commission of India (EC) has set the tone for a feverish campaign to reach a crescendo, and then culminate with counting of votes in June 4. Besides, four states will go for assembly elections in the interim. The EC has an enormous task of smooth conduct of the polls that promises to be quite exciting.
Contrary to what many people believe, holding elections in India is a gigantic responsibility because of the remote regions, ticklish connectivity, safety threat to booth officers and other logistics. Due to the huge requirement of manpower, the EC finds it convenient, and reasonably so, to arrange for a multi-phased elections.
Despite criticism, the prudent use of Electronic Voting Machines (EVM), that have come under attack from political parties, have stood the test of time. The Model Code of Conduct (MCC) is another issue that virtually has no takers in political parties. Flouting the code of conduct has become very common and, therefore, whether or not rules and regulations be strictly applied without fear or favour this time around is another major aspect. Interestingly, in 2019, knowing the vociferous and vitriolic campaign on social websites, the candidates were asked to provide their Facebook and Twitter details to the EC. Young voters, most probably, hold all the aces on the outcome of the upcoming election.
Ganapathi Bhat, Akola
Education dept should come clear on grants
The Education Department and Government should make it clear on how much grants are given to each school and for what purpose they are to be used by the management of the schools.
GSCPCR seeks ban on fundraising activities involving students of the school. What makes the school management engage students to sell these raffles needs to be first clarified. The PTA committee also engages in fund raising for the school and these activities are seen in many government aided institutionss. The reasons are plenty. A few to name when the school needs major repairs or new extension building or purchasing of land to make a school playground.
Sports equipment, sound system, stage and funds for sports/academic related participation are needed to give exposure to the students. Is the Govt sanctioning enough funds for all schools to be self equipped to help all students get good exposure in such activities?
What is the state of maintenance of Government schools? Let the Education Dept see to it that all schools get grants for their infrastructure and participation in tournaments organised by the Directorate of Sports/SAG and others.
Gregory E D’Souza, Siolim
Has poverty level really fallen below 5 per cent?
The CEO of NITI Aayog has recently made a claim that India’s poverty level has fallen below 5% in 2024, based on the findings of the Household Consumption Expenditure Survey (HCES) 2022-23. His claim would have made the ruling BJP and the mainstream media, which supports the Modi government, to blow the trumpet.
But the important question is that how far the claim is close to reality when the CEO’s report reportedly didn’t substantiate it with any data. It also raises another question that what does the claim mean when it says that the poverty level has fallen below 5% as if it was X% earlier? Does it make any sense that the poverty level has declined when unemployment in India grew from 10 million in 2011-12 to nearly 38 million in 2022? In fact, the 2023 Multidimensional Poverty Index Report says that a third of all poor people in the world live in South Asia, which is around 389 million, and India contributes significantly to this number, accounting for almost 70% of the increase.
Ranganathan Sivakumar, Chennai
