The Navhind Times

NT Reporter Panaji The State Transport Authority (STA) has decided to introduce a QR code-based taxi fare system aimed at bringing transparency to charges and reducing disputes between passengers and drivers. Speaking about the decisions taken at a STA meeting, Calangute MLA and Goa State Infrastructure Development Corporation chairman Michael Lobo has said an IT-generated []

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 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 state government has notified the Goa Victim Compensation Scheme, 2026 for providing funds for the purpose of compensation to the victim or dependants who have suffered loss or injury as a result of the crime and who require rehabilitation. The victim can claim the compensation even if the offender is acquitted []

NT Reporter Panaji The Goa State Election Commission has notified the ward delimitation for the ensuing elections to 11 municipal councils. The notification covers Mormugao, Margao, Mapusa, Curchorem-Cacora, Bicholim, Cuncolim, Quepem, Canacona, Valpoi, Pernem and Sanguem municipal councils. It also specifies the areas, Assembly constituency parts and house numbers falling within eachward. As per the []

Goas literacy milestone must now translate into greater digital and civic empowerment Yesterday, the world celebrated the 60th anniversary of International Literacy Day (ILD). UNESCO is marking it across two days September 8 and 9 in Mexico. Celebrated under the theme Literacy for people, the planet and prosperity, according to UNESCO, ILD 2026 []

Jyoti Bandekar talks to NT BUZZ about her latest book, Tai Smruti Sugandh, which shares memories of her elder sister, late Shashikala Kakodkar, the first woman Chief Minister of Goa RAMNATH N PAI RAIKAR French novelist George Sand had observed that Memory is the perfume of the soul. Memories, with their lingering presence in []

Thomas Stephens Konknni Kendr (TSKK), Porvorim recently organised a national symposium, in collaboration with St. Aloysius (Deemed to be University), Mangalore on the topic Rediscovering Sixteenth Century Local Language Literature in Goa: Texts, Traditions, and Historical Narratives. The objective of this symposium was to re-examine the emergence of local language literary traditions in the 16th []

Goans have moved across continents for generations. In his new book, R. Benedito Ferro uses literary references to look at how this history of migration has affected ideas of identity and belonging CHRISTINE MACHADO For centuries, Goa was part of the Portuguese colonial empire, becoming part of India only in 1961. This colonial history connected []

Mohammad Shami, Mukesh Kumar reduce Tilak Varma-led side to 242/6 Chennai: East Zone tighten their grip on the Duleep Trophy final as they restricted South Zone to 242 for six at stumps on the third day here on Tuesday. South still trail by 466 runs after East piled up a mammoth 708 in their first []

Their half-centuries help Goa reach 174/4 in reply to Vidarbhas 393 Panaji: Goa skipper Snehal Kauthankars unbeaten 62 kept his sides hopes alive after Vidarbha posted 393 in their first innings on the second day of the Dr (Capt) Thimmappiah Memorial Cricket Tournament at the IAF Ground Bengaluruon Tuesday. Vidarbha, resuming at 310/4, were bowled []

They emerge champions in the mens and womens category respectively Miramar: Wesley Do Rosario and Urvi Surlakar emerged Mens and Womens champions respectively at the Priority Gaspar Dias Open All Goa Major Ranking Table Tennis Tournament held at Clube Tennis de Gaspar Dias, Miramar, in association with the Goa Table Tennis Association. Wesley defeated Aaron []

Just a few days after Pune, I was in Goa, which will go to the polls early next year. I saw there the familiar Congress problem: A party fighting itself rather than its principal opponent A fortnight ago, I was in Pune. And something rather unusual caught my eye. From hoardings to lampposts, from signboards []

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 []

AP Washington President Donald Trump arrives at an awkward moment for his presidency on Friday as the US-Israel war against Iran reaches the six-month mark, a notable milestone for a conflict that the Republican leader repeatedly assured Americans would be a little excursion lasting a matterof weeks. The war isnt over, though Trump claims that []

PTI Beijing Chinese officials on Friday said more than 1,000 people, including 555 tourists, have been evacuated from Gyirong County near the Tibet-Nepal border after devastating flash floods that caused heavy casualties. The flash floods struck Gyirong Port in the Tibet Autonomous Region on Wednesday, sweeping through villages and towns near the China-Nepal border area. []

AP Washington As rescue teams searched Thursday for missing people following catastrophic flooding along the Nepal-China border, Earth scientists reviewed satellite imagery for clues to the cause and assessed the devastation. The flooding killed hundreds of people in Nepal and Tibet on Wednesday. Many more are still missing, including scores of foreigners and pilgrims. Geomorphologists []

PTI Patna Parts of Bihar faced the threat of a deluge as water levels in the Ganga, Gandak, Kosi and Burhi Gandak rivers showed a rising trend following the devastating flash floods and rains in neighbouring Nepal. A senior official here said that excess water brought in by the flash floods has caused the Gandak []

PTI Thane/Mumbai Five Booth Level Officers (BLOs) were suspended after 3,400 enumeration forms related to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter rolls were found at a photocopy shop in Navi Mumbai, triggering a clash between Shiv Sena (UBT) and BJP activists, police and district officials said. The Sena (UBT) workers confronted a man, who []

PTI New Delhi Penguin Random House India (PRHI) on Friday said it had been keen to publish Sonia Gandhis memoir Belonging: A Journey of Love throughout the relevant discussions but it is their prerogative and responsibility to fact check authors. It is not the publisher of the book in India, PRHI said in a statement, []

EDITORIAL Give Panajis heritage buildings a new future by restoring and reopening them Panajis distinct architectural heritage, from pre-colonial structures such as the Adil Shah Palace to Indo-Portuguese mansions, is more than just brick and mortar. They represent the regions socio-cultural evolution and serve as a tangible connection to the past. According to the CCP, []

At the governing council meeting of NITI Aayog earlier this year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi called for district-level GDP estimates to shift economic measurement from top-down national aggregates to decentralised, grassroots assessments. Aggregates are neat headline numbers, but they often hide the messy details underneath. The core objective of measuring economic performance across individual districts []

Goas new community radio, Radio Mandovi is handing over the mic to locals. NT BUZZ speaks to the man behind the idea KALYANI JHA | NT BUZZ As an economist working in the education space, Ashwin Fernandes work often takes him to universities around India and abroad. It was there that he first observed the []

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, []

ADELMO FERNANDES Writer Tinusha Pereira has recently released her second book Ever Only You, a beautiful love story about friendship, heartbreak, self-worth, and belonging. Born and raised in Goa, the Melbourne-based writer has always loved reading romance novels and watching romantic comedies. Having previously penned Islamic Heritage of Goa, which celebrates and preserves the often-overlooked []

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 []

PTI Kathmandu The death toll from the massive Nepal-Tibet flash floods rose to 392 on Thursday, as rescuers raced against time to trace hundreds of people still missing, including 290 Indian nationals. Of the 392 victims, 389 died in the flash floods in Nepal, while three were killed in neighbouring Tibet. A Nepal Police statement []

Shoma Patnaik Panaji Goa Industrial Development Corporation (GIDC) chairman Aleixo Reginaldo Lourenco on Thursday said the corporation will make sure that the proposal for converting industrial estate land from leasehold to freehold is not misused by plotholders. Speaking on the sidelines of an industry event, Lourenco said, The corporation will keep the right to take []

NT Reporter Panaji Expressing grief over the deaths and devastation caused by flash floods in Nepal, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Thursday said that as per initial information no Goans are among the missing tourists. Nepal floods are a very disheartening situation. We are in constant touch with all the national disaster management agencies, Sawant []

EDITORIAL Patradevi memorial stands as a symbol of Goas liberation struggle and national unity After inaugurating the newly re-developed Hutatma Smruti Smarak at Patradevi, a historic site associated with the states liberation struggle, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh paid glowing tributes to the satyagrahis of Goas freedom struggle. He said the memorial is not merely a []

Competitive examinations in India are among the most important gateways to higher education, employment and public service. Every year, millions of candidates invest months and sometimes years preparing for examinations conducted by various national and state-level agencies. For these candidates, a question paper is not merely a collection of questions; it is the instrument through []

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 water supply from the Tillari Dam to three major talukas in North Goa namely Pernem, Bardez and Bicholim will remain suspended for three months as Maharashtra is undertaking repair works on the canal network, which could bring about hardship to the people. Minister for Water Resources Subhash Shirodkar said a pipeline linked to []

Pernem: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday said the martyrs memorial at Patradevi is not merely a monument of stone, but a living symbol of Indias collective national consciousness and an eternal testament to the fact that India is a living, breathing nation whose soul cannot be divided. Speaking after inaugurating the Hutatma Smruti Smarak, []

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 []

Panaji: Goa Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) has alleged a Rs 2,147-crore scam in the Town and Country Planning (TCP) Department, citing observations of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG), and demanded an investigation into the alleged revenue loss caused by granting an additional 20 per cent floor area ratio (FAR) to commercial establishments free of []

Roque Dias Margao: Political analysts, experts, opposition legislators and activists across Salcete taluka have questioned the need for the Goa Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Bill, 2026, citing the absence of historical records or documented cases of forced or unlawful religious conversions in the state. The State Cabinet recently approved the Bill, which is []

Margao: The Muslim community celebrated Eid-e-Milad-un-Nabi in Margao on Wednesday, marking the birth anniversary of Prophet Muhammad. A julus (procession) commenced from the historic Sunni Jama Masjid in Malbhat, Margao. Hundreds of devotees participated, making their way through the town before culminating at the SGPDA ground in Fatorda. Participants waved flags and chanted devotional verses []

Oakland(US): Meta has agreed to pay USD 17 billion and add child-safety measures to its Facebook and Instagram platforms to end a landmark trial over teen social media addiction and settle claims filed by 47 states, state attorneys general announced on Wednesday. California, Colorado, Kentucky and New Jersey were among 29 states that sued the []

Nashville: Dolly Parton, the country music icon whose soaring vibrato vocals, poignant songwriting and sparkling costumes defined her rise from a log cabin in the Tennessee mountains to the height of stardom and acclaim, has died in Nashville. She was 80 years old. Known for her curvy physique, massive blond wigs and skin-tight outfits that []

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 []

Pan-India crackdown on Rs 30K-cr transactions Panaji: The Directorate of Enforcement (ED), Panaji zonal office, has arrested two brothers from MumbaiFahim Moin Hussain Sayed and Naim Mueen Sayyedin connection with a money laundering investigation into a large-scale digital arrest cyber frauds, including one in the state. The victim, a senior citizen from Goa, was duped []

Rise in infections forces parents to keep children away from school Shahin Bepari Lambe Panaji: Flu cases in Goa this year have almost doubled compared to 2025, with paediatricians and physicians reporting a sharp surge in viral fever, cough, cold, throat infections, and other flu-like symptoms among both children and adults. Porvorim-based paediatrician Dr Pinky []

NT Reporter Vasco Vasco Police traced three minor children reported missing during the annual Saptah Fair and reunited them with their families, while an 80-year-old man who went missing in the crowd was also traced and reunited with his family. The Saptah Fair, which began last week, attracts thousands of visitors from Goa and neighbouring []

NT Reporter Panaji Valpoi has crossed the 100-inch rainfall mark, recording 2,543.7 mm of rain since June 1, making it the first of the major rain-gauge stations to cross the three-digit rainfall mark. Widespread rainfall over the past two days has helped the states overall monsoon deficit ease to 29.8 per cent on Monday. Dharbandora, []

NT Reporter Panaji In a suo motu public interest litigation concerning illegal hoardings along state and national highways, the High Court has directed the authorities concerned to file a detailed, jurisdiction-wise list of illegal hoardings still standing in village panchayats and municipal areas across the State. The Court ordered the respondent authorities to map existing []

Shoma Patnaik Panaji Goas paddy output increased marginally to 1.17 lakh tonnes in 2025-26 from 1.14 lakh tonnes in 2024-25, with the increase attributed to a modest improvement in yield and higher production during the kharif season. Production during the rabi season remained more or less stagnant at 3.7 lakh tonnes. According to the latest []

NT Reporter Mapusa Upset over inflated electricity bills, Colvale residents staged a protest at the Electricity Department office in Mapusa on Monday. The residents demanded that the department issue monthly bills instead of sending bills for 45-55 days, as consumers have to bear a higher burden when bills attract a higher slab. The villagers warned []