The Navhind Times

Abdul Wahab Khan Panaji With the government restricting access for motorists on the new elevated corridor, the North Goa District Road Safety Committee (NGDRC) said the move will not resolve the problem of five black spots in Porvorim. A fatal accident within 24 hours of its opening led to a ban on two-wheelers and closure []

Shahin Bepari Lambe Panaji The state Department of Archives is pursuing the acquisition of historical records pertaining to Goa available in public and private archives in Portugal through the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). The state government said MEA had responded positively to Chief Minister Pramod Sawants request for assistance in acquiring the records. Sawant []

NT Reporter Margao The inclusion of tiatr as the 56th element in Indias National Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage must now be used as a springboard to take it to the global cultural stage, Sangeet Natak Akademi deputy secretary (drama) Suman Kumar said. Kumar called upon the Tiatr Academy of Goa (TAG) and the Goa []

NT Reporter Margao Moving to address groundwater depletion, the Water Resources Department (WRD) has launched a state-wide campaign targeting the completion of 200 rainwater harvesting projects across the state, with every department engineer required to adopt two projects within their jurisdiction and execute them within a year. The scheme will focus on high-potential catchments, particularly []

PTI New Delhi The Supreme Court on Tuesday asked the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) to ensure due compliance with the rule which mandates the fitting of speed governors in transport vehicles. A bench of Justices JB Pardiwala and KV Viswanathan referred to Rule 118 of the Central Motor Vehicles Rules (CMVR), 1989, []

PTI New Delhi Ending nearly six years of fully free UPI payments, the government on Tuesday introduced a 0.4 per cent fee on transfers worth more than Rs 2,000 made to merchants through the platform from October 15 while explicitly ring-fencing everyday person-to-person transactions as well as small payments from any charge. Customers will not []

NT Reporter Panaji Promoting renewable energy in the state to encourage local generation of electricity has cost the government as much as Rs 40.7 crore, by way of expenditure incurred on subsidies to various green energy schemes. The expenditure is over the period of five years viz. between 2021-22 and 2025-26. The maximum subsidy is []

NT Reporter Panaji As Goa marks 500 years of the Foral de Afonso Mexia, the 1526 charter is once again drawing attention to one of the states oldest surviving village institutions, the Gaunkari, later known as the comunidade system. Issued on September 16, 1526, the Foral dos Usos e Costumes dos Gaocares e Lavradores das []

NT Reporter Panaji A number of joint political hoardings of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Goa Forward Party (GFP), attacking the Congress and the BJP, are the handiwork of the BJP, Goa Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) president Girish Chodankarsaid. Both parties (AAP and GFP) have faced defections, GFP in the past and recently []

NT Reporter Margao State Bharatiya Janata Party president Damodar Damu Naik said on Saturday that the proposed alliance between the Goa Forward Party (GFP) and AAP to form a Third Front is intended solely for their own benefit and would not serve the interests of the people of Goa. His remarks followed speculation in Goas []

NT Reporter Panaji The sewage problem at the Central Jail, Colvale, has persisted despite repeated cleaning and maintenance work, with the jail authorities informing the Goa Human Rights Commission (GHRC) that temporary arrangements are still being used to clear sewage. The matter had come before GHRC following an email complaint received on August 26 from []

NT Reporter Panaji Operators of beach shacks, huts and cottages on private properties have until October 31 to register for a licence, with registration now mandatory for all beach shacks in Goa, including those on government and privately owned land. The requirement follows the newly notified Goa Registration of Tourist Trade (Amendment) Act, 2026. Tourism []

NT Reporter Margao Konkan Railway Corporation Ltd (KRCL) will operate special train services in coordination with the Central Railway and Western Railway to manage the rush during Ganesh Chaturthi, a senior railway official said on Thursday. With thousands of devotees expected to travel to their hometowns across the Konkan region for the festival, KRCL has []

NT Reporter Panaji The Goa Investment Promotion and Facilitation Board (Goa-IPB) has reserved 1.04 lakh square metres of privately owned land in Quepem as an investment promotion area for an eco-tourism project proposed by R Silva & Sons. The project envisages the development of cottages and a wellness centre. According to a notification issued by []

NT Reporter Panaji Indian Police Service (IPS) officer Akshat Ayush will take charge as the new Superintendent of Police (SP), South Goa, from September 12, replacing IPS officer Tikam Singh Verma, who has been transferred to Jammu and Kashmir. Ayush is currently serving as ADC to the Governor of Goa. In an order issued by []

NT Reporter Panaji The Goa Polices crime branch has arrested Qazu Sheikh (28) and Suraj Acharya (36), both natives of Maharashtra, and Israr Ali (25), hailing from Uttar Pradesh, in connection with the August 28 firing incident in Porvorim in which Shrinivas Nayak, director of Majestic Pride Group, escaped unhurt. The accused are suspected to []

NT Reporter Panaji Banking services will be impacted in Goa as with the one-day nationwide strike on Friday, banks will be shut for five days till September 15. The United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU) has given a call for a one-day nationwide bank strike on Friday, September 11, 2026. As a result, banking services []

NT Reporter Panaji Stating that good infrastructure, including water, power, transport and communication facilities, plays a key role in attracting investment and generating jobs, Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari on Wednesday called for efforts to make Goa free from water, air and noise pollution. He advocated greater use of alternative fuels and []

NT Reporter Panaji Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Wednesday said the financial assistance under the government welfare schemes namely Griha Aadhar scheme and Dayanand social security scheme (DSSS) will be doubled in the coming days. Speaking after a cabinet meeting, Sawant said his government will ensure 100 per cent increase in the benefits provided under []

Shoma Patnaik Panaji Following success with setting up a government nursery for marigold flowers in the state, the Agriculture Department has set its sights on a similar initiative for orchids and anthuriums two flowers highly popular in bouquets as well as in decorations for weddings and events. The Agriculture Department has proposed to grow []

NT Reporter Panaji Chief Minister Pramod Sawant described the Porvorim elevated corridor as an economic corridor that would improve connectivity between Goas two airports. Speaking after the inauguration of the six-lane elevated corridor on Wednesday, Sawant said it will open to vehicular traffic on September 11 at 4pm. The exercise to collect toll on the []

Roque Dias Margao The proposed 25,000-litre overhead water tank for firefighting at Margaos New Market has been shelved, with space constraints cited for abandoning the planned site and a booster pump system now being pursued to increase water pressure. The government had installed 15 fire hydrants in the New Market and Gandhi Market areas several []

NT Reporter Margao Congress emissaries, including working president M K Shaikh and South Goa Member of ParliamentViriato Fernandes, metGFP president and Fatorda MLA Vijai Sardesai at his residence to discuss a political alliance. Neither party explicitly disclosed the details of the discussions, but Sardesai indicated that he had raised several queries with the Congress leaders []

NT Reporter Vasco Vasco BJP MLA Krishna Salkar has appealed to people and Ganesh mandal committees to celebrate Chaturthi while following the prescribed rules and avoiding inconvenience to others. Salkar made the appeal during a review meeting attended by the deputy collector, mamlatdar, police officials and representatives of various mandal committees. The meeting reviewed preparations []

NT Reporter Panaji Goas Beach Shack Policy (2023-26), which ended on May 31, has been extended by a year, giving shack operators time to prepare for the upcoming season, which officially begins on October 1. Shack licences for the 2026-27 tourism season will be issued by the Tourism Department from September 10 under the existing []

NT Reporter Panaji The District and Sessions Court, North Goa, on Wednesday granted permission to the Crime Branch to add Bangladesh national Sohail Khan as an additional accused in the October 2025 Ganeshpuri, Mapusa dacoity case. The court also permitted the Crime Branch to file an additional chargesheet in connection with the case. Police said []

NT Reporter Mapusa Anjuna police arrested two men, Sanwar Ruby Sheikh (21) and Sheikh Shekchutru Saul (19), both natives of Bihar presently residing in Marna-Siolim, in connection with an alleged robbery attempt at a house in the area after locals nabbed them and handed them over to police. Sources said the incident took place around []

Govt plans to develop Gopakapattana port in Goa Velha Panaji: Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Friday said that the original site of the Shri Saptakoteshwar temple at Divar will be revived after nearly 450 years as part of the Koti Tirtha Corridor Development Project, and the restoration would be completed within a year. The project []

Access to justice should not remain a mere chimera New Delhi: In a bid to ensure that the attrition of the experienced judicial talent stops and access to justice does not remain a mere chimera, the Supreme Court has directed seven states to raise retirement age of judicial officers from 60 to 62 years. A []

A leaking roof, a broken toilet or a poorly maintained classroom are among the visible problems found in schools. But the larger question is whether Goas schools are preparing children to think critically and compete in a changing world and what its education system is achieving in that regard. The debate, therefore, extends beyond individual []

EDITORIAL CMs composure carries government agenda through 3-day Assembly session Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Wednesday night told the House that his government is focusing on futuristic development, and that this is reflected in his Goa Budget. He referred to the infrastructural development Goa has witnessed since 2014 all with the support of the []

NT Reporter Panaji The state government will launch the Goa Ujwala Yojana on September 5, providing the equivalent cost of three domestic liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cylinders annually through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) to the LPG and piped natural gas (PNG) consumers in the state. The scheme will have no income limit. Coming out with []

Amresh Parab Panaji Senior citizens falling prey to cyberfrauds is on the rise in Goa, with 71 elderly residents losing over Rs 39 crore since 2023. The most common among these cyberfrauds is the digital arrest scam, through which cybercriminals have siphoned off large sums of money, followed by online investment scams. Referring to the []

NT Reporter Panaji The High Court of Bombay at Goa has directed authorities to place before it the 2025 census data on street dogs in Goa bySeptember 8. The High Court issued the direction while hearing a suo motu writ petition on the stray dog issue, along with an application filed by the Goa Animal []

NT Reporter Ponda Sancordem Panchayat has raised 47 objections and demands over the proposed notification declaring parts of the Western Ghats as an Ecologically Sensitive Area (ESA), with the concerns placed before the gram sabha on Sunday. Following the discussion, sarpanch Sanjana Narvekar and Zilla Panchayat member Rupesh Desai decided to meet Chief Minister Pramod []

Four other occupants sustain serious injuries Ponda: A group of five youths returning home in a car after a business-related trip to Maharashtra met with an accident barely 500 metres from their destination, leaving one dead and four others seriously injured in the early hours of Sunday. The accident occurred around 1 am on the []

Goa does not require melting glaciers to produce catastrophic floods; extreme rainfall, sediment mobilisation, unstable slopes, and densely occupied floodplains would be sufficient The catastrophic Nepal flood of August 26, 2026, carries an important warning for Goa, provided we understand the comparison correctly. Goa has no glaciers, permafrost, or snow-fed Himalayan rivers. Nepals disaster originated []

The Mango House, Merces, a design-led non-profit enterprise creates livelihood for local women by providing training and upskilling for traditional skills like crochet, writes Shahin Bepari Lambe The Mango House, a Panaji-based enterprise working towards women empowerment is creating income opportunities for local women by combining traditional Goan craft skills with entrepreneurship. The handcrafts products []

LIC Housing Finance, Canara Bank and Union Bank of India have opposed Essel Group chairman Subhash Chandras repayment plan in his personal insolvency case and will challenge its approval by the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) before an appellate tribunal. The three organizations said they collectively accounted for 8.45 percent of the voting share in []

Prof. DM Deshpande The Parliamentary Committee on Health and Family Welfare submitted its 176th Report to Parliament recently. The title of the report, Affordability and Accessibility of Healthcare Facilities in Public and Private Sector, aptly highlights the twin problems faced by patients in India. Private healthcare facilities are expensive, especially when per capita incomes are []

V B Prabhu Verlekar Q. A Goa political leader reportedly visited London at the invitation of a Goa-for-Goans Association registered in the UK. The association reportedly collected 10,000 through donations from foreign citizens as well as NRIs to support the forthcoming Goa Assembly elections. Can such funds legally be used for election purposes in Goa []

They edge past Damodar HSS Gudi-Paroda via penalties in final Bambolim: Vasantrao Dempo Higher Secondary School, Cujira, were crowned state champions in the U-17 Boys Subroto Mukherjee Cup after edging Damodar Higher Secondary School, Gudi-Paroda, 4-2 on penalties following a thrilling 3-3 draw at Atal Stadium on National Sports Day. Damodar made a flying start []

Eva stars as Fatorda side outplays St Marys HS Mapusa in final Panaji: Don Bosco Sports Academy, Fatorda recovered from an early deficit to beat St. Marys Girls High School, Mapusa 23-15 and lift the girls title at the Group Priority State Sub Junior Basketball Championship 2026 at Don Bosco Oratory, Panjim. St. Marys made []

Blue Material, Indias first Dalit-led, queer-affirmative comedy collective, will perform in Goa today as part of its Recording Tour 2026 CHRISTINE MACHADO While caste is by no means an unfamiliar term in India, discussions today tend to centre on politics, reservations, and related issues. Its very one-dimensional. But there is much more to our existence, []

DEEPIKA RATHOD Many people struggle to eat enough vegetables because of personal dislikes, busy lifestyles, reliance on processed foods or a lack of knowledge about preparing vegetables in appealing ways. While vegetables contain cellulose, which the body cannot fully digest, thorough chewing, cooking or blending can make them easier to process. Among nutrient-rich vegetables, carrots []

Disaster devastates towns & villages, washes away critical bridges Kathmandu: Nearly 100 people were killed and over 750, including 133 Indian nationals, remain missing after a massive flash flood originating in Tibet swept through central Nepal on Wednesday, devastating several towns and villages, washing away critical bridges, and crippling a dozen hydropower projects. Nepal Foreign []

Sharp decline reported during April-June Panaji: The international passenger traffic from Dabolim airport has plunged by 69 per cent, just as it has dipped by 42 per cent at Mopa airport during April-June, thus being among the steepest declines recorded across Indian airports. At the national level, the international traffic from India dropped by 10 []

Panaji: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has set aside the Goa Coastal Zone Management Authoritys (GCZMA) approval for 25 temporary cottages and a shack at Agonda, saying the authority had failed to explain why it disregarded its own beach carrying capacity report, which prescribed zero carrying capacity for shacks at Agonda beach. The matter concerned []

Underground cabling, improved lighting, landscaping planned Panaji: Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Monday said the Goa Medical College (GMC) campus will soon be developed into a five-star campus with underground cabling, improved lighting, landscaping, parking and other facilities through the Goa State Infrastructure Development Corporation (GSIDC). He added that all efforts would be made to []

Lucknow: Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar on Monday said Indian electronic voting machines (EVMs) are manufactured by public sector companies and do not have internet, Bluetooth, or Wi-Fi connectivity. During his two-day visit to Lucknow, Kumar interacted with students at the historic Colvin Taluqdars College and discussed Indias democratic system, the electoral process, the reliability []