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THURSDAY MAY �, ���4 13 pages PRICE ` 10 PANAJI MARGAO GOA VOLUME IX, NO.322 RNI: GOAENG/2015/65729

� � �� �3
GOA GOA INFO SPORTS
HC sets aside pastor couple’s Calls for extending wedding Nine malaria complications you Sunrisers Hyderabad smashes
externment order timings beyond �� pm need to be aware of LSG in jaw-dropping chase

Plot thickens in South Goa

SALCETE TALLY, ADDITIONAL VOTES IN HINTERLAND ASSEMBLY
SEGMENTS HOLD KEY TO CONGRESS, BJP FORTUNES
THE GOAN I NETWORK
MARGAO
A tsunami of voters was what
was expected by Congress
candidate Captain Viriato Fer-
nandes in the May 7 Lok Sab-
ha poll for the South Goa seat.
A tsunami of sorts did hit
the South Goa constituency,
with a whopping 4.45 lakh
voters, around 74.47 per cent
of the electorate casting their
votes on Tuesday election.
Let’s, however, get down to
brass-tacks to �nd out wheth-
er the tsunami will favour the
Congress to retain the South
Goa seat or pave way for the
Lotus to bloom and regain the
seat.
The key question here is
whether Tuesday’s polling
will keep Congress in good
stead in its traditional strong-
hold of Salcete and, whether
the party will be in a position
to overcome the drought like
situation it faces in the hinter-
land of South Goa constituen-
cy every election.
Consider the poll statistics
at the May 7 election. There
are a total of 1,71,568 voters
from Salcete which has eight
Assembly segments, includ-
ing the minorities dominated
segments of Velim, Benaulim,
Nuvem, Curtorim, Navelim,
SOUTH GOA VOTING STATS
SALCETE Taluka
Nuvem........................... 20,160
Curtorim........................ 21,823
Fatorda .......................... 22,951
Margao ......................... 22,301
Benaulim .......................19,954
Navelim ....................... 20,765
Cuncolim....................... 21,504
Velim.............................. 22,019
TOTAL..........................1,71,568
PONDA Taluka
Ponda ........................... 24,409
Shiroda ........................ 23,496
Madkai ......................... 22,304
TOTAL........................... 70,209
MORMUGAO Taluka
Mormugao..................... 15,123
Vasco ............................. 24,553
Dabolim ........................ 19,295
Cortalim ........................ 23,108
TOTAL........................... 82,079
besides Cuncolim, Fatorda
and Margao.
Now compare the Salcete
voting statistics to polling in
the eight assembly segments
in the hinterland talukas –
Ponda, Shiroda, Madkai,
Sanvordem, Sanguem, Cur-
chorem, Quepem and Cana-
ments, where the BJP wields
considerable in�uence must
have emboldened even Chief
Minister Pramod Sawant to
make a statement that the par-
ty would virtually lead in the
hinterland segments, even as
Congress claimed that not all
the votes polled in the eight
hinterland areas of South Goa
will go to the BJP.
The opposition party, how-
QUEPEM Taluka ever, faces a crucial question
Quepem....................... 26,433 – whether the extra 20,792
Curchorem ................... 21,885 votes polled in the hinterland
TOTAL............................ 48,318 areas will prove decisive in the
SANGUEM Taluka �nal poll outcome.
CANACONA Taluka That would bring to the fore
Sanvordem................... 24,712 another moot question, what
Cancacona.................... 27,134 Sanguem ...................... 21,987 had come in the way of the
TOTAL............................ 27,134 TOTAL..................... 46,699 INDIA bloc to get voters out
in the eight Salcete Assembly
segment, when the alliance
POLLING IN ASSEMBLY SEGMENTS partners are representing in
8 Salcete segments...............................................1,71,568 votes as many as four Assembly seg-
8 hinterland segments ........................................ 1,92,360 votes ments in the minority-domi-
� Mormugao segments........................................... 80,079 votes nated taluka.
Questions are also be-
ing raised in political circles
whether the turnout of 1.71
cona – which have recorded a ments in Mormugao taluka lakh voters in Salcete will help
total voting of 1,92,360 votes. comprising of Mormugao, the Congress take an unas-
A mere comparison of vot- Vasco, Dabolim and Cortalim, sailable lead of a minimum
ing in Salcete and the hinter- which is presently held by the 60,000 votes, leave alone the
land segments would reveal BJP and an Independent MLA, projected 70,000.
that around 20,792 addition- have reported around 80,979 The BJP is, nonetheless,
al votes have been polled in voting in Tuesday’s election. brimming with con�dence
eight hinterland segments. A higher turnout of voters
Moreover, the four seg- in the eight hinterland seg- >Continued on P5
BJP banks on high Sattari vote
to romp home in North Goa
Cong relying on RGP to eat into BJP votes
THE GOAN I NETWORK
PANAJI
The voting turnouts in the
three assembly segments of
the hinterland Sattari talu-
ka where two of the sa�ron
party’s most powerful lead-
ers – Chief Minister Pramod
Sawant and the number two
in his cabinet, Vishwajit Rane
– hail from has been massive
in Tuesday’s polling for the
North Goa Lok Sabha constit-
uency.
The taluka has three assem-
bly segments – Poriem, San-
quelim and Valpoi. Sawant
represents Sanquelim, Rane
is the Valpoi MLA and the
latter’s wife Dr Deviya, rep-
resents Poriem formerly the
bastion of her father-in-law
Pratapsing Rane for over ��y
years.
All these three segments
rank top three in terms of voter
turnout among all of Goa’s 40
segments in Tuesday’s poll-
ing. While Sawant’s Sanque-
lim logged a 87% turnout with
24,560 votes polled, Vishwa-
jit’s Valpoi had 27,323 voters
turning up to notch a 84.53%
turnout. In Poriem, which
incidentally has the largest
voter strength of 33,911, the
turnout was a record 88.62%
translating to 30,051 votes
polled on Tuesday.
Without going into what the
SATTARI TALUKA STATS
CONSTITUENCY
PORIEM
SANQUELIM
VALPOI
MORE TALUKA-WISE ANALYSIS
ON PAGES 2 & 3
ground-level political head-
winds were in the region and
the three individual assembly
segments, the exceptionally
high voter turnout is seem-
ingly a booster for the sa�ron
party’s Shripad Naik, who is
seeking a record sixth straight
term as North Goa MP.
Almost every pundit is
counting Naik to score huge
leads over his main rival
Ramakant Khalap of the Con-
gress in the Poriem-Sanque-
lim-Valpoi segments much as
it was expected in the run-up
to this election, what with
the Sawant-Rane duo hailing
from this sub-district.
The record in 2019 also
backs Naik in this region he
had scored a massive 24,000-
plus lead over his Congress
rival Girish Chodankar col-
lectively in these three assem-
bly segments – Sanquelim
(7,081), Poriem (9,019) and
Valpoi (8,185) – even with
VOTES %
30,051 88.62
24,560 87
27,323 84.53
Rane Sr, then being a Con-
gress legislator.
With higher voting percent-
ages this year which inciden-
tally also translate to approx-
imately 8,000 votes polled
in excess of the 2019 tally,
the Sattari scenario does not
augur too well for the over-
all chances in North Goa for
Naik’s challenger Khalap.
However there is one di�er-
ence in the Shripad vs Khal-
ap battle now than what it
was in the Shripad vs Girish
Chodankar battle of 2019 – the
seemingly robust presence (at
least in this region) of RGP’s
Manoj Parab – in the North
Goa Lok Sabha battle.
Parab, it should be noted,
had contested against Vishwa-
jit from Valpoi and had polled
a respectable 6,000 votes. It is
also the region where he cut
his political teeth by being
>Continued on P5

25 VVPAT units among 49

>> See PG 2

Mhadei hearing at
snail’s pace, members
in dark over PRAWAH,
House panel meetings
faulty machines replaced
EVMs STORED IN STRONG ROOM, FAULTY
ONES WILL BE SENT FOR REPAIRS: CEO
THE GOAN I NETWORK

IN SHORT >> PANAJI

SSC results likely
on May 15
PANAJI: Goa board is likely to
announce the result of Std 10
exams on May 15. Goa Board
Chairman Bhagirath Shetye
on Wednesday, however, said
that the date is tentative and
not �nalised as yet.
Sam Pitroda quits as
Cong overseas chief
NEW DELHI: Congress leader
Sam Pitroda on Wednesday
resigned as the Chairman
of the Indian Overseas Con-
gress a�er his controversial
remarks spurred the BJP to
label the party “racist”. Con-
gress general secretary Jairam
Ramesh said on X that party
chief Mallikarjun Kharge has
accepted Pitroda’s decision.
>> See pg 7
Not the Electronic Voting Ma-
chines (EVMs) but rather the
Voter Veri�able Paper Audit
Trail (VVPAT) machines were
a major challenge during the
voting held on Tuesday. A to-
tal of 49 EVMs and VVPAT
machines were replaced as 33
were found to be defective of
which VVPATs constituted the
highest at 25.
Chief Electoral O�cer
Ramesh Verma revealed that
the highest number of faults
occurred in the VVPATs this
time.
According to the data pro-
vided, 25 VVPATs experienced
technical glitches while only
eight EVMs were found to
be faulty, hence replaced.
Of these, the majority of 15
VVPAT issues were in South
Goa and 10 in the North.
Another o�cial, speaking
to The Goan, explained that
a�er the counting process,
all these malfunctioning ma-
Election code nets illicit
goods worth `17.82 cr
PANAJI: Amidst the electoral fervour, authorities grappled with
a surge in illicit activities, seizing consignments, cash, and
freebies amounting to Rs 17.82 crore since March 16 when the
election code of conduct came into force. These seizures and
the amount is also the highest in Goa’s recent history.
“It is 40 per cent higher than the 2022 general assembly
elections and 55 per cent higher than the 2019 Lok Sabha
elections,” Verma said.
chines will undergo necessary EVMs/ VVPATs is a time-con-
repairs. “The faulty and the suming process to maintain
replaced EVMs and VVPATs transparency including of-
are currently in the strong �cial communication to the
room with all records intact. sector o�cers, completing
The faulty ones will be sent paperwork for replacement,
for repairs through the elec- �tment, etc and �nally con-
tion commission therea�er,” ducting a mock poll on the
the o�cial quickly added. replaced EVM to avoid allega-
Several polling stations tions of tampering.
faced voting disruptions due “If there’s no mock poll-
to technical issues with these ing, there will be re-polling.
machines. The o�cial clari-
�ed that replacing defective >Continued on P5

Days a�er rare side-e�ects disclosure,

AstraZeneca withdraws Covid vaccine
PTI
OFF THE SHELF: COMMERCIAL REASON SII STATEMENT
NEW DELHI � The withdrawal with Oxford

U
K-based pharmaceutical
major AstraZeneca has
started global with-
drawal of its Covid-19 vaccine,
which was provided in India
as ‘Covishield’ in partnership
with Serum Institute of India,
days a�er it admitted to rare
side-e�ects of blood clotting
and lowering of platelet
counts.
The withdrawal has been
initiated due to a surplus of
available updated vaccines
since the pandemic, the com-
pany said in a statement.
In India, the company’s
partner Serum Institute of
has been initiated
due to a surplus of
available updated
vaccines since the
pandemic
� AstraZeneca
had partnered
India (SII) said it has stopped
the manufacturing and supply
of additional doses of Cov-
ishield since December 2021
while reiterating that it had
disclosed all rare to very rare
side-e�ects, including Throm-
bosis with Thrombocytopenia
University to de- � In India, the company’s
velop the Covid-19 partner SII says it had
vaccine, which disclosed all rare to very
rare side-e�ects, including
was sold in India
as Covishield and Thrombosis with Thrombo-
as Vaxzevria in cytopenia Syndrome, in the
Europe packaging insert in 2021
Syndrome, in the packaging “As multiple, variant Cov-
insert in 2021. id-19 vaccines have since been
AstraZeneca had partnered developed there is a surplus
with Oxford University to of available updated vaccines.
develop the Covid-19 vaccine, This has led to a decline in
which was sold in India as demand for Vaxzervria, which
Covishield and as Vaxzevria in
Europe. >Continued on P5

log on to thegoan.net
Low voter turnout in Benaulim, Velim
missed chance for Congress?
SLIGHTLY HIGHER PERCENTAGE WOULD HAVE KEPT VIRIATO IN GOOD STEAD: INDIA LEADERS
THE GOAN I NETWORK
MARGAO
It’s o�cial. Even as the low
voter turnout in Salcete com-
pared to the hinterland talu-
kas have triggered a debate
of sorts in political circles, the
minority dominated Assem-
bly segments of Benaulim and
Velim are the only segments
in Salcete taluka where poll-
ing in the May 7 Lok Sabha did
not cross the 70 per cent mark.
In a strange coincidence,
the two seats of Benaulim and
Velim are being represented is
the Goa Legislative Assembly by
Captain Venzy Viegas and Engi-
neer Cruz Silva respectively.
A glance at the voter turn-
out in the two Assembly seg-
ments of Velim and Benaulim
as per the end of poll data re-
leased by the election o�cials
shows that Benaulim segment
has recorded 68.49 poll per-
centage. In terms of voters,
the total number of voters
who came out to cast their
vote is pegged around 19,954.
Similarly, the Velim seg-
ment has recorded poll
around 69.46 poll percentage
as per the election data. In
terms of voters around 22,019
voters have cast their votes in
the election.
Leaders of the INDIA Alli-
ance pointed out that a slight
increase in the poll percentage
in both Velim and Benaulim
would have certainly kept the
Congress candidate Captain
Viriato Fernandes in good
stead in the �nal tally of votes.
“When the INDIA Alliance
Smart city work: pavement HC sets aside Chief
excavated to lay pipeline Secretary’s dismissal
THE GOAN I NETWORK
PANAJI
Exactly a week ago, excava-
tion of the footpath along the
Cunha Riviera Road amidst
the ongoing 'Smart City'
works made news because of
the surprising �nd of the stone
sculpture which many identi-
�ed as being similar to such
statues in Siridao belonging to
the Paulist missionaries and
possibly dating back to the 16-
17th century.
What however skipped
everyone's attention was
why the pavement was being
excavated so late in the day
when all other major work
along this road are already
complete and only �nishing
remains.
Sources told The Goan that
this excavation of the footpath
is an a�er-thought by plan-
ners of the 'smart city' work
and is necessitated to lay a
water supply pipeline.
"The old pipeline which lies
under the road is being dis-
continued for some technical
Mhadei hearing flowing at snail’s pace, members
in dark over PRAWAH, House committee meetings
VIBHA VERMA
THE GOAN I PANAJI
T shortage of p’yat secretaries
he star campaigners of
the BJP, Prime Minister
Narendra Modi and
Home Minister Amit Shah
chose to remain silent on
speci�c issues concerning
Goa including the conten-
tious Mhadei river dispute
between Goa, Maharashtra,
and Karnataka.
However, it’s not just
their silence that raised
concern among the op-
position and the Mhadei
Bachao activists; there’s
also unease about the
perceived sluggish pace of
proceedings by the Mhadei
Water Management Au-
thority (PRAWAH) and the
House Committee.
PRAWAH, apart from an
initial meeting on February
13, has not convened any
further sessions – literally
a forgotten issue amidst
@thegoanonline
Women outnumber men who turned
up to cast their ballots in Salcete
MARGAO: It’s an open se-
cret that women voters had
outnumbered their males
counterparts by a couple of
votes at the just concluded
Lok Sabha election for the
South Goa seat.
Of the total 598,767 elec-
torate, male electors were
pegged around 290,131 and
their female counterparts
around 308,627.
On polling day, howev-
er, presence of females at
the polling booths was felt
across South Goa, more pro-
nounced in the eight Assem-
bly segments of Salcete.
In fact, a glance at the
voters turn out in the May 7
election shows that barring
Ponda and Vasco Assembly
segments, women outnum-
bered men at the polling
booths on Tuesday as they
turned up in large numbers
to exercise their franchise.
Women voters, however,
dominated the polling in the
eight Assembly segments
not just by a couple of votes,
but in hundreds and thou-
sands.
Take the case of Nuvem.
This female-dominated
minority Assembly segment
saw around 11,580 women
voters coming out to cast
their votes, leaving behind
reason and a new pipeline has
to be laid under the footpath.
Therefore the excavation,"
said a source who did not
want to be named.
Exactly at the spot where
the stone sculpture was dis-
covered near the old 'Barbar-
ia' lies the concretised by-
lane between the original Ritz
Cafe, Bar and Restaurant and
Hotel Aroma which enjoins
the Cunha Riviera Road in a
preparations for Lok Sabha
polls.
Sources told The Goan
Facebook.com/thegoan
Women voters making a beeline at a polling booth at
Davorlim village in Navelim segment.
their male counterparts. In
fact, only around 8,580 male
voters turned up for polling
in Tuesday.
Benaulim was another
case in point. Of the total
19,954 votes cast on Tues-
day, around 11,243 women
came out to vote, while only
8,711 males has cast their
vote.
The voting trend of wom-
en outnumbering males
was seen in the remaining
six Assembly segments of
Velim, Curtorim, Navelim,
Margao and Fatorda, be-
T-junction.
"The thick concrete road
was laid last year. It will now
be gored through for the new
pipeline being laid under the
footpath," the source said,
adding that this is only one
among several other such
'faux pas' scenarios played
out during the last nearly two
years that the 'smart city' pro-
jects are being executed in the
capital city.
that the �rst meeting
primarily dealt with ad-
ministrative matters, with
The Goan E-Paper (Playstore/IOS)
sides Cuncolim. However,
presence of women voters
at the polling stations on
May 7 was more pronounced
in all the segments, except
Margao. Though women led
men in casting their votes,
around 10,784 men and
11,513 women turned up to
cast their votes.
Fatorda too saw a surge
of women voters on Polling
day. Statistics showed that
of the total 22,951 voters,
who cast their votes, women
voters were pegged around
12,230 and males 10,721.
of pastors’ appeals
THE GOAN I NETWORK
PANAJI
The Bombay High Court in Goa
set aside the Chief Secretary's
dismissal of appeals made by
Pastor Dominic D'Souza and
his wife Joan concerning the
couple's externment from the
North district.
The duo had challenged
North Collector's externment
order, which was based on po-
lice inquiry about their alleged
involvement in illegal religious
conversion and black magic.
Initially, the couple sought
EXTERNMENT
ORDER
recourse through the Appel-
late Authority, �ling appeals
against the March 14 orders.
However, faced with delays
in the hearing process, they
turned to the High Court for
intervention, seeking direc-
tions to the Chief Secretary.
Despite the recent decision by
minimal discussion on the
core subject.
Similarly, the House
Committee did not convene
its scheduled meeting on
February 29 and has not
announced plans for future
meetings. Minister for Wa-
ter Resources Subhash Shi-
rodkar attributed the delay
in meetings to restrictions
imposed by the election
code. “PRAWAH Chairman
has not communicated
the scheduling of the next
meeting…usually when its
members are here, they
meet at the Sinchai Bhavan
in Porvorim,” he said re-
sponding to a question on
the delayed hearings.
Ironically, PRAWAH does
not even have an o�ce
with the minister indicating
that suitable premises are
still being identi�ed.During
the Budget sessions of the
Assembly, Goa Forward
MLA Vijai Sardesai criticized
Instagram.com/thegoanonline
block was looking forward for
huge and unassailable lead in
Salcete to o�set BJP’s apple
cart in the hinterland talukas,
we had expected good poll-
ing and a sizeable lead from
both Velim and Benaulim
segments”, an INDIA alliance
leader pointed out.
He added: “Polling around
19,954 votes in Benaulim and
22,019 in Velim is by no means
small, but just a couple of per
cent more voting would have
helped to garner around 18,000
vote lead in each of the two seg-
ments for the simple reason
that polling would be one sided
given that people in these seg-
ments had never voted in large
numbers for the BJP.”
Benaulim AAP MLA Venzy
Viegas, however, has already
attributed the less than 70
per cent voting in Benaulim
to a large percentage of voters
presently staying abroad for
the purpose of employment.
“We had put in our strong
e�orts to get the voters out.
But, sadly, we have found to
our shock and surprise that a
signi�cant percentage of vot-
ers, around 15-18 per cent were
not at their place of residence
and were out of station”.
AAP Velim MLA Cruz Sil-
va also echoed similar senti-
ments. “While the Aam Admi
Party volunteers had carried
out intensive awareness in the
run up to the polls, we were
not taken into con�dence on
polling day and on the ques-
tion of bringing out voters
from their houses to the poll-
ing stations”, Cruz added.
The duo had challenged
North Collector’s
externment order, which
was based on police
inquiry about their alleged
involvement in illegal
religious conversion and
black magic.
the Chief Secretary, the cou-
ple once again petitioned the
High Court to quash the order.
“Now the division bench
has given us the judgement in
our favour stating that there
was no live link and all the
FIRs which were considered
were registered much before
so there was no link between
the FIR and the externment
proceedings,” said a lawyer
representing the couple.
Former SP (North Goa)
Nidhin Valsan had recom-
mended the externment for
the "maximum period," as de-
tailed in his report to the Col-
lector on January 4.
the government for failing
to resolve the Mhadei issue
and demanded that the
legal team be summoned
to Goa for discussions with
the House Committee, of
which he is a member. No
such actions have material-
ized so far.
“Dissolve the House
Committee before it be-
comes an absolute farce.
The utter callousness man-
ner in which Goa govern-
ment is handling the matter
is shocking and humiliating
surrender to Karnataka,”
Sardesai lamented.
The scheme titled Mah-
adayi Water Management
Scheme, 2023 framed to
constitute the PRAWAH was
noti�ed on May 22, 2023
while the Union govern-
ment had noti�ed it to give
e�ect to the decisions of
the Mhadei Water Disputes
Tribunal, dated August 14,
2018.
2
mail us at >> desk@thegoan.net
Thursday May 9, 202�
FINAL POLL TURNOUT PERCENTAGE
NORTH GOA SOUTH GOA
Constituency Percentage Constituency Percentage
Mandrem 79.07 Ponda 75.66
Pernem 77.61 Siroda 78.17
Bicholim 83.36 Marcaim 78.16
Tivim 76.30 Mormugao 74.37
75.05 68.42
Mapusa
76.70
Vasco-Da-Gama
72.65
Siolim Dabolim
Saligao 74.91 Cortalim 72.16
Calangute
Porvorim
74.95
73.74
Nuvem
Curtorim
70.73
71.52
Aldona
Panaji
73.94
68.26
Fatorda
Margao
73.95
73.68
72.48 68.49
Taleigao Benaulim
72.61 71.53
St.Cruz Navelim
St. Andre 70.17 Cuncolim 72.52
Cumbarjua 74.10 Velim 69.46
Maem 82.93 Quepem 78.51
Sanquelim 87.54 Curchorem 77.57
Poriem 88.62 Sanvordem 81.94
Valpoi 84.53 Sanguem 82.20
Priol 79.87 Canacona 78.69
TOTAL 77.69 TOTAL 74.47
Police begin probe into woman
clicking photo at poll booth
THE GOAN I NETWORK
MARGAO
The Fatorda police has com-
menced investigations into
the episode at the polling
booth at Fatorda wherein a
woman was caught by an
election o�cial for clicking
a photograph while casting
their vote.
The Fatorda police has reg-
istered a FIR under section 188
IPC & Section 128, 132 Of the
Representation of Peoples,
Act 1951 at the Fatorda Police
Station.
Fatorda Lady Police Sub-in-
spector Riyanka Naik has
summoned a person for in-
vestigations in order to as-
certain facts and circum-
stances from the person as
the person was performing
duty at the polling booth in
question.
Tension rent the polling Goa police and para-military personnel stand guard outside
the strong room set up at the Counting centre at the Damodar
booth at Fatorda on Polling
College complex, Margao. Santosh Mirajkar
day a�er Goa Forward Chief
Vijai Sardesai demanded ac-
tion against the woman vot- Sardesai had alleged that her vote as an evidence if she
er who had clicked a photo- the woman was pressurized wanted a transfer from Panjim
graph while exercising her by ruling politicians to click to Margao. The police is inves-
franchise. photograph while casting tigating.
DESTINED FOR STRONG ROOM
Poll o�cials arranging EVMs and associated equipment before they are ferried to a strong
room in Panaji for storage till June 4, day of counting.
Govt vows ‘some solution’ to
GRAM SEVAK IN SECRETARY’S POST PROBLEMATIC: HC
THE GOAN I NETWORK “The record shows that on miki Menezes said.
March 13, the Secretary of the The AG submitted that the
PANAJI Panchayat was transferred. government would look into
The Goa Advocate General The charge of this position was the issue and take some deci-
told the Bombay High Court at given to the fourth respondent sion by the next date.
Goa that they would arrive at who is, admittedly, only a gram “There is a shortage of about
“some solution” to address the sevak as de�ned under sec- 16 posts of Secretary… the posi-
issue of shortage of panchayat tion 2 (11-A) of the Panchayat tion that prevails in the village
secretaries. Raj Act. Considering the provi- panchayat of Sancoale, pos-
Hearing a petition which sions of the Panchayat Raj Act sibly prevails in more than 23
challenged the lack of a full and the recruitment rules in- other panchayats as well,” the
time secretary in the village cluding, in particular, the pro- Advocate General told the Court
panchayat of Sancoale, in visions of the Goa Panchayat adding that “some solution
which the gram sevak was given Raj Act, which require that would be found out and some
charge of the post of panchayat every panchayat have a whole decisions would be taken in this
secretary, the High Court noted time secretary, we think pri- matter.” The AG pointed out
that “prima facie” continuance ma facie, continuance of the that the strength of the cadre
of the gram sevak in the post fourth respondent to be prob- of the Panchayat Secretary is
of the secretary would be prob- lematic,” the High Court bench about 226 and about 210 posts
lematic. of Justices MS Sonak and Val- are �lled.

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Marginal drop in turnout
will not a�ect Bardez
BJP CONFIDENT OF SECURING LEAD IN ALL SEVEN CONSTITUENCIES
AGNELO PEREIRA
THE GOAN I MAPUSA
In the latest turn of events in
Bardez taluka’s political land-
scape, Tuesday’s general elec-
tions have unveiled a narra-
tive strikingly reminiscent of
the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.
Despite a marginal dip in
overall voter turnout in Bardez,
the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)
remains resolutely optimistic
about clinching leads across all
the seven constituencies in the
taluka, including the historical-
ly contested Calangute.
Bardez, a crucial battle-
ground, witnessed a turnout
of 73.97 percent in the general
elections, a mere 0.48 percent
drop from the �gures recorded
in the preceding parliamentary
polls.
Notably, four out of the seven
assembly segments in Bardez
saw a slight decline in voting
percentages, with Mapusa ex-
periencing the most substan-
tial decrease of over 2 percent.
However, amidst this marginal
decline, certain constituencies
have shown a noteworthy in-
crease in turnout, particularly
Calangute and Siolim, repre-
sented by the husband-wife duo
of Michael and Delilah Lobo.
Voter surprises with low turnout in Tiswadi High voter turnout in Sanguem to
Both BJP, Cong have even strengths; tough test for RGP in St Andre
THE GOAN I NETWORK
PANAJI
As political analysts crunch
the numbers with clarity
coming in from the o�ce of
the Chief Electoral O�cer,
Ramesh Verma, about the as-
sembly segment-wise voter
turnouts in Tuesday’s polling
for the North Goa Lok Sabha
seat which was released on
Wednesday, Tiswadi’s sur-
prise lower than expected vot-
er turnout is glaringly visible.
Three of the �ve Tiswadi as-
sembly segments -- Panaji, St
Cruz and St Andre -- not only
witnessed subdued voting but
the �nal �gures released by
the CEO’s o�ce on Wednes-
day show that the polling fell
below the tally for the 2019
Lok Sabha elections.
The voter turnout in the
other two segments -- Taleigao
and Cumbharjua -- surpassed
their respective 2019 Lok Sab-
ha election tallies but hardly
by a few hundred votes.
Panaji, meanwhile, which
recorded the second-lowest
voter turnout among all 40 as-
sembly segments in Goa, the
tally dropped by nearly 1,000
votes from its 2019 �gure of
16,000-plus votes. On Tues-
day only 15,337 Panjimites got
With support of all local MLAs, Mormugao expected to secure lead for BJP
Dearth of leadership in constituencies, challenge to woo voters likely to impact Congress’ prospects
VIKRAM NAYAK
THE GOAN I VASCO
Mormugao taluka does not
have a dearth of registered
voters who are from diverse
communities and di�erent
states, but �nding them in
the taluka and getting them to
vote has always been a chal-
lenge for local leaders.
This was evident as all four
constituencies fared below
South Goa’s average voter
turnout of 76.06% on Tues-
day.
And so, the task was clear
before the parties concerned
right from the beginning: To
have as many leaders as pos-
sible to contact the voters
present and get them to vote
for the party.
The BJP can be satis�ed
that its three BJP MLAs and
one independent MLA, who
is supporting the BJP, had
achieved this target, having
moved across the length and
breath of the taluka to mobi-
lise as many voters as possi-
ble.
On the other hand, the Con-
gress had faced an uphill task
to �nd a su�cient number of
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SLIGHT DECLINE
� Bardez taluka’s political
landscape mirrors the 2019
Lok Sabha polls, with the BJP
optimistic despite a slight dip in
voter turnout
� Voter turnout in Bardez stood at 73.97%, with marginal
declines in some constituencies and notable increases in
others
� The BJP remains steadfast in its pursuit of victory, par-
ticularly focusing on Calangute to rea�rm its dominance in
Aldona, under the steward-
ship of Congress MLA Carlos
Ferreira, also saw a modest up-
tick in voting patterns.
With a voter turnout of 75.05
percent, Mapusa saw a signif-
icant drop of 2.5 percent in the
numbers vis-à-vis the last 2019
parliamentary polls when Ma-
pusa had registered 77.55 per-
cent voting.
In analysing these trends,
Mapusa MLA Joshua D’Souza
o�ered insight, expressing con-
�dence in the party’s prospects
despite the observed decline.
D’Souza rationalised the high-
er turnout in 2019, citing the si-
multaneous assembly by-elec-
tion, and projected a signi�cant
share of votes for the BJP in the
current elections.
LOW NUMBERS
� Panaji, St Cruz, and St Andre saw subdued voting com-
pared to 2019 LS elections
� Taleigao and Cumbharjua had slightly higher turnouts
than 2019, but only by a few hundred votes
� Lower voter turnout in Panaji might influence the BJP vs.
Congress dynamic in the LS election
� St Andre, represented by RGP’s Viresh Borkar, is a key
focus due to RGP’s performance in this segment
their index �ngers inked to
cast their votes at the 30 poll-
ing stations.
How will this low turnout
in the capital pan out for the
larger dynamic of what is ex-
pected to be a two-way �ght
between the BJP’s Shripad
Naik and the Congress’ Ram-
akant Khalap may depend on
several other factors but could
broadly be a small positive for
the latter as it is sa�ron bas-
tion.
The third candidate of note
in the fray, RGP’s Manoj Par-
ab, it is unlikely he has made
much of a di�erence in the
voting patterns of the capital
city as he and his party are not
known to have much of a foot-
print here.
In 2019, Naik had gained a
2000-plus votes margin over
his Congress rival in Panaji.
leaders to galvanise its voters
in Mormugao taluka.
The dearth of Congress
leadership in Mormugao ta-
luka and the challenge to woo
voters is likely to be the decid-
ing factor in the outcome of
Tuesday’s elections.
MORMUGAO
Mormugao constituency led
by Mor-
mugao
M L A
Sankalp
Amonkar
saw a mugao constituency especial-
large voter
turnout of
74.37 per-
cent, with
around 15,123 people exercis-
ing their franchise.
Mormugao, which is the tail
end constituency has always
been the bastion of the BJP
and was represented three
successive by the BJP MLA
and former minister Milind
Naik till 2022 when Sankalp
Amonkar won on the Con-
gress ticket, but later joined
the BJP.
Amonkar had been very
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Calangute, o�en a focal point
of political contention, show-
cased a marginal increase in
turnout, maintaining its status
as the sole constituency in Bar-
dez where the Congress main-
tains a lead over the BJP.
The presence of MLA Michael
Lobo and Sarpanch Joseph Se-
queira, both aligned with the
BJP, adds intrigue to the elec-
toral dynamics. Calangute wit-
nessed a marginal increase in
voter turnout with 74.95 percent
of people coming out to vote as
compared to 73.72 percent in
2019. Similarly, Siolim also saw
an increase in turnout with 76.7
percent of the voters casting
their vote as opposed to 74.41
percent registered in 2019, an
increase of little over 1 percent.
However, it must be noted that
the political dynamics were
vastly di�erent then -- Panaji
MLA Atanasio ‘Babush’ Mon-
serrate was on the Congress
side and was also �ghting the
Panaji assembly by-election
held simultaneously which he
won.
Neighbouring St Cruz,
which is a Congress strong-
hold, too has recorded a mar-
ginally lower turnout this
time as compared to the 2019
husting. It was one of the few
assembly segments where
Congress’ Girish Chodankar
had scored a lead the last
time polling about 2,800 votes
more than Naik. This time
around, however, the Con-
gress could gain even more as
observers say there is resent-
ment over current MLA Rudolf
Fernandes crossing over to the
vocal from the start that BJP
would secure 80 percent of
the vote share and e�orts led
by CM Pramod Sawant were
made to reach out to the size-
able Congress voters in wards
7, 8 and 9 of Mormugao mu-
nicipality, which form part of
Mormugao constituency.
Sawant also met up with
former minister Milind Naik
and the seven councillors af-
�liated to him, gaining their
full support in the process.
The picture was quite dif-
ferent for the Congress in Mor-
ly a�er Amonkar joined the
BJP, as the Congress struggled
to �nd locals leaders to mobi-
lise its voters.
Such was the state of the
Congress in Mormugao, that
at many places they were al-
most no agents seen on their
tables to help voters on elec-
tion day.
VASCO
In Vasco constituency, the
challenge has always been to
get voters present and resid-
ing in the port town to exer-
cise their franchise and so, a
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Aldona’s modest rise in vot-
er turnout, attributed to the
concerted e�orts of incumbent
Congress MLA Carlos Ferreira
and former BJP MLA Glenn Til-
co, underscoring the intense
competition in the constituen-
cy.
Aldona witnessed a marginal
increase in voter turnout with
73.94 percent of people coming
out to vote as compared to 72.48
percent in 2019.
While some segments such
as Porvorim, Tivim, and Sali-
gao experienced minor drops in
voter participation, the BJP re-
mains undeterred in its pursuit
of victory.
The least drop in voting took
place in Porvorim with 73.74
percent of people casting their
vote as compared to 72.94 per-
cent turnout in 2019.
The assembly segments
of Tivim (76.3%) and Saligao
(74.91%) also saw a marginal
decrease in polling. Both the
constituencies had registered a
higher turnout of 76.20% and
73.51% respectively in 2019.
With steadfast determina-
tion, the BJP continues to as-
sert its dominance in Bardez,
buoyed by strategic maneuvers
and unwavering support from
its cadre.
sa�ron side.
In Taleigao, the voter turn-
out is some 500 votes higher
than its 2019 tally of 21,000-
odd votes. It is a segment
where Naik lagged behind
Chodankar by over 1,500 votes
but again like Panaji the dy-
namics for the Congress was
di�erent then, with the Mon-
serrates on their side which is
not the case now.
The cynosure of all eyes
in Tiswadi will be St An-
dre, which is represented by
the RGP’s lone MLA, Viresh
Borkar. How his party pres-
ident, Manoj Parab fares in
this segment will be the big-
gest talking point when the
EVMs from the constituency
are taken up for counting on
the June 4 result day.
Cumbharjua is the ��h as-
sembly segment of Tiswadi,
where again Naik fared pretty
well in the 2019 husting gain-
ing a 1,500-plus vote lead over
Chodankar. Whether Naik
hangs on to the advantage
in this segment, which has
this time logged a marginally
higher turnout this time (700-
odd votes more) will depend
on the chemistry between the
BJP’s mandal and the team of
nouveau sa�ronite and local
MLA Rajesh Faldessai.
three per-
cent in-
crease in
the voter
turnout
from the
2019 polls
wo u l d
have satis-
�ed the BJP.
Vasco has traditionally
been a mix bag of voters, with
many people being natives of
di�erent states but settled in
Vasco.
While the voter turnout of
Vasco may seem very low,
statistics suggest that the BJP
managed to fare better than
the 2019 Lok Sabha elections
even though the voter turnout
of 68.42% on Tuesday was the
lowest in South Goa.
While many felt that Vasco
could have achieved a high-
er voter percentage, political
analysts have felt Vasco con-
stituency fared better than the
previous election in 2019.
According to Vasco MLA
Krishna Salkar, the constitu-
ency saw the highest number
of voters in the Taluka but
su�ered a setback due to the
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BJP upbeat of ‘massive’ lead, Congress
banks on ‘silent’ votes in Canacona
RGP unlikely to make signi�cant impact in constituency
BERNARD FERNANDES
THE GOAN I CANACONA
A voter turnout of 78.69% in
Canacona constituency, the
third highest in South Goa,
and more importantly, a sig-
ni�cant increase in voters in
comparison to the 2019 polls,
have le� both the BJP and the
Congress con�dent of polling
maximum votes on account of
di�erent strategies.
While the BJP is upbeat
about a ‘massive’ lead, the
Congress is banking on ‘si-
lent, resolute’ votes to give it
an edge. The regional party
RGP is unlikely to make a sig-
ni�cant impact in Canacona
constituency.
Incidentally, the number
of voters rose signi�cantly by
almost 2,000, from a 25,245
turnout in 2019 to 27,134 vot-
ers on Tuesday.
TRENDS
According to political an-
alysts, voting patterns indi-
cated that Congress could
get some lead in Agonda and
Shristhal panchayats, while it
would be an even contest for
the two main parties in the
ST-dominated Gaondongrim
and Cotigao villages, with any
one party taking slender leads
in both villages.
Several voters in this
boost BJP’s ‘Mission Hinterland’
BOOTH WORKER STRENGTH DID THE JOB FOR PARTY
THE GOAN I NETWORK
SANGUEM
Sanguem constituency, which
recorded the highest voter
turnout of 82.2% in South
Goa, is expected to be a huge
boost to the BJP, as part of its
‘Mission Hinterland’ to max-
imise its vote share in the hin-
terland constituencies of the
district.
The BJP will be pleased by
this voter turnout, especial-
ly because BJP leaders led
by Social Welfare Minister
Subhash Phal Dessai were
seen busy preparing for the
elections and coordinating
with local leaders and con-
necting with voters to yield
the desired results in favour
of BJP’s candidate, Pallavi
Dempo.
On the other hand, the Con-
gress and the INDI Alliance
did not make serious e�orts
to reach out to voters across
Sanguem, even though Con-
gress workers claimed that
the party would do much bet-
ter in the constituency.
The BJP had a clear strat-
egy in the remote Sanguem
wedding season.
Salkar sought to explain the
factors for the low voter turn-
out.
Vasco typically sees low
voter turnout, previously at
65%, now up to 68.4%. It has
a diverse population, with res-
idents from states like UP, Kar-
nataka, Kerala, and West Ben-
gal, totaling 14,000 migrant
voters. Additionally, around
2,000 migrants are away for
weddings. Some 2,000 Navy
voters, o�en absent, further
a�ect turnout. Lastly, some
Vasco residents are touring or
on pilgrimage.
Salkar was, however, sat-
is�ed with the voter turnout
and was con�dent that the
BJP would get around 17,000-
plus votes.
DABOLIM
It was the battle for suprem-
acy in Dabolim constituency,
especially since the South Goa
Congress candidate Captain
Viriato Fernandes is from Da-
bolim and had even contested
against Panchayats Minister
Mauvin Godinho at the last
assembly elections.
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DISCONTENT FACTOR
� Both the BJP and Congress
are con�dent of polling
maximum votes, with the BJP
expecting a massive lead and
the Congress relying on silent,
resolute votes
� The regional party RGP is
not expected to have a signi�cant impact in Canacona
� Voting patterns suggest a potential lead for Congress in
certain areas, while BJP is banking on strong support from
organised party workers and local leaders
ST-dominated belt, who are secured more votes in Max-
otherwise die-hard BJP vot- em, Shellim, Peddem and
ers, are believed to have vot- Kajalkar. On the other hand,
ed against the BJP and some Polem, Agas and other parts
of them revolted by voting for of the village are expected to
the Revolutionary Goans Par- neutralise the leads gained by
ty candidate Rubert Pereira. Congress in favour of the BJP.
Congress is believed to Canacona municipality will
have garnered a substantial play a crucial role as it can de-
vote share particularly from termine the lead that BJP can
those voters disgruntled with garner in the constituency.
Canacona’s BJP MLA Ramesh With over 7,900 voters ex-
Tawadkar. ercising their franchise in the
The Congress may not have municipality, BJP is banking
fared as per expectations in on a huge lead.
Poinguinim village, which has
many areas which are a strong- BJP ASSESSMENT
hold of the Congress, and is The BJP was con�dent of
most likely to concede a cru- leads in all six panchayats
cial lead to BJP in this village. and one municipality of Cana-
Loliem is another area cona in the constituency.
where the contest is likely “The Panna-Pramukh con-
to go down the wire and the cept played a vital role in
Congress is expecting to have reaching out to every voter of
BANKING ON LEAD
� Sanguem constituency’s
impressive voter turnout of
82.2% was the highest in
South Goa
� The BJP’s meticulous
preparations and grassroots
e�orts, led by Social Welfare
Minister Subhash Phal Dessai, underscore their optimism
for candidate’s success
� Phal Dessai expressed con�dence that the extra votes
garnered by the INDI Alliance elsewhere in South Goa
constituency, with reports lage panchayats of Uguem,
indicating that the party Molcornem, and Sanguem
had chosen not less than 10 town could provide some
primary booth workers for solace for the INDI Alli-
every booth of around 350 to ance Candidate Capt. Viria-
450 voters. The task of every to Fernandes, as otherwise
booth worker was to estab- the BJP would have taken
lish a close connection with an unassailable lead in the
35-45 voters. Sanguem constituency.
This calculation and task While Capt. Viriato tried
assigned to the booth leaders his best to reach every cor-
made the party’s calculation ner of the Sanguem constit-
simple, and they knew those uency during the short cam-
areas where the party would paign period made available
poll maximum votes. at his disposal a�er the de-
While the remote layed announcement of his
panchayat areas would candidature, there were
do well for the BJP, the vil- complaints particularly
D a - CORTALIM
b o l i m Cortal-
co n s t i t- im con-
u e n c y stituency
managed has been
to achieve repre-
a voting sented by
turnout an inde-
of 72.65% pendent
w i t h candidate
19,295 Anton Vas
people who presently supports the
cast their BJP government, but the turn-
vote, but out of 72.16 percent voting in
consid- the constituency cannot be at-
ering the tributed to Vas.
intense The constituency has a
political coastal belts of Velsao and
rivalry between Capt Viriato Cansaulim which has been
and Mauvin, the vote share a Congress stronghold with
between Congress and BJP in a strong a�liation towards
Dabolim could directly decide Olencio Simoes, who is also
the strength of hold in Da- a member of Goenchea Ram-
bolim constituency between ponkarancho Ekvott, a strong
Fernandes and Godinho. association of traditional �sh-
Among all four constituen- ermen.
cies in Mormugao, the Con- While the Congress was
gress had the greatest pres- recently strengthened a�er
ence in Dabolim constituency former MLA Alina Saldanha
and supporters of both Capt. joined the Congress, Simoes
Viriato and Mauvin were seen and his supporters have put in
mobilising the voters and per- a lot of hard work to canvass
suading them to vote. for the Congress and many a
votes could favour the Con-
3
Thursday May 9, 2024
the constituency to vote for
BJP,” said Canacona BJP Man-
dal President Vishal Dessai.
“We have 1,147 Panna-Pra-
mukhs in the 59 booths of
Canacona alone. Each one of
these Panna-Pramukhs had
the responsibility to reach
out to 30 voters and this is the
gain BJP is banking on.”
“Similarly, we had all BJP
Karyakartas, �ve sarpanchas
and many panchas in Cana-
cona, besides the chairper-
son and all 11 councillors of
Canacona Municipal Council
(CMC) working wholehearted-
ly for the BJP party.”
CONGRESS
ASSESSMENT
INDI Alliance Spokesper-
son Vikas Bhagat said Cana-
cona has delivered a strong
mandate through “silent but
resolute” voting.
“Despite facing challeng-
es, particularly the lack of
support from the majority of
Councillors and Panchayats
in our canvassing e�orts for
the INDI Alliance candidate,
our dedicated supporters
from AAP, Congress and Goa
Forward came together as a
uni�ed force,” said Bhagat.
Canacona Congress Block
President Abel Borges also said
the INDI Alliance did excep-
tionally well, despite all odds.
from voters in the hilly are-
as that Capt. Viriato did not
visit their villages during his
campaign.
The villages such as Ne-
travali, Rivona and Bhati are
much expected to vote in large
numbers for the BJP, while the
situation in Curdi-Wadem
may be slightly di�erent as
there are traditional Congress
voters who are expected to
vote for Capt. Viriato.
At the end of the polling
day, Sanguem MLA Sub-
hash Phal Dessai was con-
�dent and claimed that the
BJP would take a maximum
lead in the Sanguem constit-
uency, which would help the
party to neutralise the extra
votes polled by INDI Alliance
candidate in other parts of
South Goa.
Sanguem constituen-
cy had a poll percentage of
82.2% votes with as many
as 10,293 male voters and
11,694 female voters casting
their franchise. The high-
light of the poll day is 100
percent of votes being polled
in the BJP-dominated hilly
areas of Salgini and Mangal.
gress in coastal belts, espe-
cially in the wake of massive
agitation over the railway
double-tracking issue.
However, the BJP was
not far behind in appeas-
ing aggrieved leaders and
took some damage control
measures in Cortalim by
bringing in former Sancoale
sarpanch and Zuarinagar
heavyweight Girish Pillai in
the party.
The BJP also managed to
rope in the longest serving
Sancoale Sarpanch Ramakant
Borker on board to garner
votes for the BJP.
The BJP also has a strong
mandal and the BJP public
meeting in the constituency
with PM Narendra Modi ad-
dressing tens of thousands of
people could further boost the
vote count for the BJP.
While there could also be
a silent vote factor that could
play a major role in favour of
the Congress, the personal
connect of MLA Anton Vas
with the farming community
and his loyal supporters could
also help BJP get a signi�cant
lead in Cortalim.
 4
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Farmers’ turnout in 3 phases is key to results

Barring a few exceptions in some parts of the country the third phase
If you do not think about your future, you cannot have one
extensively covered mainly non-urban centres
John Galsworthy
>The writer is a
senior journalist
who has worked

VVPAT glitches leave

for 31 years with
various leading
newspaper brands
and television

a vexatious blot ROHIT CHANDAVARKAR

channels in Mum-
bai and Pune

on electoral process
P
T
olling for the third phase of Lok
Sabha polls in 2024 concluded on
he Chief Electoral O�cer on Wednesday admitted that Tuesday evening, with top leaders
around 33 voting machines (Electronic Voting Machines of all political parties reaching out to their
supporters, trying their best to convince
and Voter-Veri�ed Paper Audit Trail units) developed them to vote for their candidates. It be-
glitches while the electoral process was on, on Tuesday. But came clear that in most non-urban con-
that’s not the only factor that drew people’s ire. The elec- stituencies facing issues related to agrar-
ian crisis, there was a higher turnout of
toral body faced �ak on a few other aspects like failing to meet the re- voters; in other words, farmers were seen
quirement of lemonade and thirst quenchers which it promised, and voting in large numbers. It is obvious that
the key trends seen in the �rst three phas-
not even providing water. And there were other niggling issues that es will be decided by the farmers, and the
also put the election machinery in the spotlight. results will be in their hands.
The SEC, undoubtedly showed a lot of promise this time by creating With a few exceptions in some parts of
the country, the third phase extensively
awareness and bringing novelty to the electoral exercise — from pink covered mainly non-urban centres. Prime
booths, green booths, booths for disabled-friendly, ready medical aid Minister Narendra Modi campaigned
to senior citizens and a unique idea of providing lemonade to voters hard, travelling far and wide and discuss-
ing development projects and farm-relat-
a�ected by the summer heat. The SEC must be commended for rais- ed issues. However, he also addressed
ing awareness about the “right to vote” through innovative concepts national issues such as terrorism, nation-
like para-gliders roving in the sky around popular destinations, dis- al security, caste, communal divide, and
Hindutva issues. Congress leader Rahul
tributing pamphlets, advertising and using social media to educate Gandhi focused mainly on the plight of
about the fundamental right to vote. farmers and talked about the deprived
classes. In Madhya Pradesh, Maharash-
However, much against the feeling that the SEC has this election tra, and many other parts of the country,
well covered, the EVMs and VVPATs against which there is still a huge the campaign ahead of the second and
distrust with various sections of people even moving the court, con- third phases of polling mainly focused
on agricultural issues. Therefore, farmers
tinued to play spoilsport. VVPATs were reported faulty on various have been the primary target audience in
counts, with some constituencies even reporting the machine going these campaign phases, and they will de-
blank. Some units needed a charge. Although the poll o�cials acted cide the fate of the political parties here.
In the fourth, ��h, and sixth phases,
on those errors, there were massive delays that added to the incon- polling will happen in urban centres and
venience of the voters who were queuing up in the summer heat. metro cities.
In Maharashtra’s third phase, which
The CEO may argue that eventually the machines were restored and
transparency maintained, but the very question of faulty EVMs, 42
went to polls on Tuesday, out of the 11
constituencies, four were where farmers
years a�er they were �rst introduced in Kerala in 1982, is ba�ing, es- are very vocal and powerful. Baramati,
Sangli, Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg, and Sata-
pecially when the country is keeping pace with technology. All the ra are among them.
goodwill the election body sought to create ahead of the elections Baramati is the bastion of the Pawars,
means nothing if voters are exposed to such uncertainties. Imagine and for the �rst time in the last 50 years,
it was a Pawar versus Pawar battle. This
queuing up for over two hours in sweltering heat only to �nd that the battle attracted not just the entire state’s
EVM has developed a technical glitch and needs a reset that would attention but also national attention,
take around 45 minutes. as NCP founder Sharad Pawar and his
nephew Ajit Pawar locked horns for the
While political parties complaining of breaches near poll booths is traditional family bastion. Although the
a common phenomenon, a few cases where the indelible voter ink on BJP tried to portray it as a battle between
the �nger got washed o� with individual circulating photos of the ink Narendra Modi and Rahul Gandhi or as
an NDA versus INDIA alliance battle, it
wearing o� leaves another blot, although such cases were brushed was evident on the ground that it was a
aside as fake. battle between Sharad and Ajit. NCP’s
These again may be stray instances, but does not bode well in an
electoral exercise that is fraught with doubts and uncertainties where
every aspect comes under the scanner and becomes a questionable THE INBOX >>
subject. Let’s not forget, that an individual trying to click a photo- These days, elections are like
graph while voting in the Fatorda constituency stoked controversy
action-packed Bollywood �lms
with a complaint being lodged. Instead of fair elections, it is observed
The lemonade experience proved to be another disaster. The EC in- that in most constituencies, it has
itially earned the goodwill of citizens because it decided to provide become a murder of democracy. Money
played an important role as it was
thirst quenchers at polling booths given the hot and humid weather distributed to shameless people who
conditions. And yes they did provide packaged lemonade of various sold their votes. A voter was caught
brands in booths across the State, but that came in the form of a trick- clicking a photo of the voting machine
as proof in Fatorda, while a polling
le and thousands of voters who were braving the heat and standing
for hours in queue were le� high and dry. In some booths, the prom-
agent in booth number 42 in Cuncolim
was found displaying the name of the
ised so� drinks never arrived. In some places there were provisions of BJP candidate.
The Chief Minister reached Margao’s
water coolers, but no re�lls. Moti Dongor along with MLA Digambar
The biggest takeaway, amid all the political din, the unfavourable Kamat to gain minority votes. Nilesh
Cabral targeted Catholic religious priests,
climate and the shortcomings of the Election Commission, has been claiming priests told people not to vote
the calmness and peace with which Goans have seamlessly gone for the BJP, knowing that people had
about the exercise. There was no untoward incident of violence re- lost hope in him. A Panaji voter claims
her ink on the �nger disappeared a�er
ported. Given the �erceness and rivalries in electoral campaigns that washing her hands.
spread across the boundaries of religion and the issues that sparked The Election Commission and Chief
controversies, Goa stood tall as a State of peace and harmony. Electoral O�cer were not serious
enough to tackle the situation. It
seems like by hook or by crook, the
BJP worked very hard to ensure they
win both seats in Goa and suppress all
opposition parties.
OPEN SPACE >> In Mapusa, BJP has already set o� �re-
crackers, claiming the BJP candidate
from North Goa won the election, even
Sharad Pawar group’s MLA Rohit Pawar
levelled allegations against Ajit Pawar
on Tuesday evening, saying there was
widespread distribution of money and
the use of muscle power in the Barama-
ti contest. Observers say this was large-
ly a battle between promises of devel-
opment versus the sympathy factor for
Sharad Pawar and his daughter Supri-
ya Sule. Regardless of who wins in this
constituency, it is clear that the BJP has
succeeded in dividing NCP’s �rst fami-
ly and making it a Pawar versus Pawar
contest to diminish their strength.
In Sangli, which is in the sugar belt
of Maharashtra and has been a bastion
of the Congress party, the situation is
di�erent. Late Congress stalwart Vas-
antdada Patil’s grandson Vishal Patil
decided to enter the fray as a third can-
didate, despite the INDIA alliance an-
nouncing the name of wrestler Chan-
drahar Patil as the Shiv Sena candidate
against BJP’s Sanjay Kaka Patil, who
won the Sangli seat in 2014 and 2019.
It appears that the anti-BJP vote in this
prestigious Congress bastion is go-
ing to get divided this time. Shiv Sena
leader Uddhav Thackeray announced
at a public rally that he was not going
to concede this seat to the Congress
party and went ahead with Chandra-
har as the contestant. However, what
In Madhya makes the situation interesting is that
Prakash Ambedkar’s VBS has decided
Pradesh,
to support Vishal Patil in this contest,
Maharashtra, which could perhaps damage the BJP’s
and many chances, making the contest really in-
other parts of teresting. Sangli politics has revolved
around sugar cooperatives, so govern-
the country, ment policies about Sugar pricing etc.
the campaign will make their impact here, making
ahead of the farmers’ votes most decisive.
second and In Konkan’s Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg
constituency, it is a one-on-one straight
third phases of �ght between BJP’s Narayan Rane and
polling mainly UBT Shivsena’s Vinayak Raut. The BJP
focused on gave Narayan Rane a Union Cabinet
ministry so that they could use him in
agricultural Konkan to counter Uddhav Thakeray. A
issues couple of months ago, during the Rajya
I
Celebrating even before poll
results are declared
The con�dence exuded by the various candidates (with the
exception of independent candidates) and political parties
of winning the elections by a huge margin is something to be
noted. Supporters of a particular party reportedly burst crackers
in Mapusa in anticipation of a victory. If only politicians who
are elected show the same level of con�dence in delivering the
goods and keeping the promises made in the days leading to
the polls.
Interestingly con�dence means feeling sure of oneself and one’s
abilities which need not be in an arrogant way, but in a realistic,
secure way. Con�dence isn’t about feeling superior to others. It’s
a quiet inner knowledge of one’s capability. Self-esteem, which
is strongly linked to con�dence, shows how people perceive
their own value. A�er elections citizens reciprocally need to have
con�dence in those they have elected.
Political trust, generally de�ned as citizens’ con�dence in polit-
ical institutions, is an important indicator of political legitimacy.
A large voter turnout in a constituency is looked upon as a wave
towards a particular party. Incidentally Vasco has the least voting
percentage of 67.1 per cent followed by Panaji of 67.26 per cent.
What inference should one draw from this?
ADELMO FERNANDES, Vasco
allottees, sta� quarters must generally
be well maintained.
Whether the higher o�cials have
checked the situations and conditions
Sabha contest, many eyebrows were
raised when the BJP refused to give
candidature to Narayan Rane. Howev-
er, there was speculation that perhaps
Rane would be BJP’s candidate from
this Konkan constituency against Ud-
dhav’s formidable candidate Vinayak
Raut. What is interesting to see is that
since Konkan is Shiv Sena’s original
base, Uddhav Thakeray is generating
a lot of sympathy among voters since
his party split. Rane has now realised
that the sympathy factor for Uddhav is
clearly the biggest challenge for him. In
rally a�er rally, Rane and his both sons
were seen avoiding directly attacking
or criticising Uddhav Thakeray in any
manner. Their narrative has been only
about the development projects that
they would bring to Konkan. The usu-
al aggression seen among Rane family
and supporters is missing this time be-
cause the Ranes have realised that any
wrong move on their part would gener-
ate a further bigger sympathy wave for
Uddhav in Konkan. Since this is a direct
one-on-one �ght, it would be interest-
ing to see what kind of margin the win-
ner gets. It is likely to remain very small.
In the Satara constituency, another
big hub for sugarcane farmers, it’s a
�ght between BJP’s Udayanraje Bho-
sle and Sharad Pawar NCP’s candidate
Shashikant Shinde. This is another con-
stituency, apart from Baramati, where
Sharad Pawar has dominated the scene
for more than 30 years. In 2019, despite
the Pulwama-Balakot factor, NCP’s
Shrinivas Patil won this seat with a
comfortable margin. Will Modi’s prom-
ises work with voters, or will the sug-
arcane farmers, who have been a little
unhappy, go with Sharad Pawar, is the
big question. In the third phase, many
important factors were active: farmers
coming out in large numbers, women’s
votes becoming a deciding factor, and
issues such as Maratha reservation be-
coming a silent but forceful social me-
dia campaign issue. How all this a�ects
the results will be seen soon. FPJ
liabilities of senior o�cers, engineers,
�xing of responsibilities, etc., are
completely missing in action. There
needs to be a strict and rigorous qual-
ity audit of PWD works carried out by
contractors and other issues like �xing
responsibility at the level of AE/JE and
contractor, equipping the o�cials with
adequate measures.
KG VILOP, Chorao
Changing the meaning
of statements
Former PWD Minister and current BJP
MLA Nilesh Cabral spread communal
hatred against Christians, falsely claim-
ing priests advised against voting for
BJP. Known for fabricating lies, Cabral
betrays the community for political
gain. While priests advocate secular
voting, Cabral’s accusations shame the
community.
JERRY FERNANDES, Saligao
EC should take extra steps to
instill con�dence among voters
Elections in Goa have been completed
but not without hiccups and glitches.
The two incidents - VVPAT system at
Canacona and the EVM machine at

CM at Moti Dongor though the counting day is on June of Govt Quarters like Patto, Bhatlem, Reis Magos, besides the quality of the
4th. etc.? Due to poor and inferior quality ink at some booths are indeed unfor-
of works by the contractors, the gov- tunate.

T
he CM has in the past kept a distance from the minority community; in RONNIE DSOUZA, Chandor ernment incurs substantial revenue In view of the several doubts expressed
fact, he o�en demonises them much on the lines of his Vishwaguru. But on losses. in certain quarters about the EVMs, the
the day of voting, the milk of human kindness suddenly started coursing Poor quality of work at The decade gone by has witnessed
Send your authorities should have taken extra care
through his veins.
Mr Sawant paid an extended visit to the slums of Moti Dongor in Margao city,
government quarters sustained growth in economic prosper-
ity on account of an increase in income letters to us to restore the faith and con�dence of
the electorate in the electronic voting
a Muslim-dominated area, along with master turncoat MLA Digamber Kamat, The low and inferior quality of works a�er the implementation of the 7th Pay at editor@ system.
who wields considerable in�uence in the area. I wonder whether this foray was in government quarters allotted to the Commission. The government should thegoan.net. If the VVPAT system and the EVMs had
to encourage voting, to burnish his secular credentials, or brazen appeasement employees needs to be cross-checked make PWD o�cials accountable for been checked before the start of the
politics. A�er his sojourn, Mr Sawant volubly proclaimed that the minorities and veri�ed by the higher authority. In poor quality of works and maintenance Letters must elections, then what went wrong at the
are with the BJP. This statement makes it seem that the CM’s visit was more of a most cases, the residential quarters al- of government accommodations and be 150-200 time of voting? They need to probe such
veiled threat to the Muslims. lotted to the employees are surround- buildings, and the same must be words and issues and ensure that the rest of the
ed by many issues such as sub-stand- recovered from the concerned o�cials’
ardised works, pathetic conditions, salary.
mention the polling process is completed without any
VINAY DWIVEDI, Benaulim writer’s name more such issues.
and other problems. Though HRA and The issues such as poor quality works
licence fees are deducted from the and workmanship, inspections and and location MELVILLE X D’SOUZA, Mumbai

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40� 00�. Editor: Joel Afonso (Responsible for selection of News under PRB Act). All Rights Reserved. Ph: (08�2) 240 5950 or mail us at editor@thegoan.net
Disclaimer: Except for the editorials above, all columns and letters represent the views of the concerned authors and do not necessarily reflect the view of The Goan Everyday’s Editor, Publisher and Owners.
 5
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BJP con�dent of win, lashes out at KTC, Mapusa council get notices
over Mapusa bus stand garbage
Cong over religion, caste politics THE GOAN I NETWORK

SAYS GOA’S TURNOUT EXCEEDED ALL STATES AND UT THAT WENT TO POLLS TILL DATE
THE GOAN I NETWORK
PANAJI
The Bharatiya Janata Party
(BJP) on Wednesday conceded
that an unprecedented voting
percentage came as a surprise
as Goa's turnout exceeded all
the states and UT that went to
polls till date.
The party claimed this was
a promising sign that BJP is
securing victory with a huge
vote margin in both parlia-
mentary seats while lashing
out at the Congress for al-
legedly playing religion and
caste politics to woo voters
during the polls.
“We are grateful for the
overwhelming voter turnout
in Goa. This shows that BJP
will clinch victory with over
one lakh and 60,000 vote
margin in North and South
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant addressing a press conference
at the party headquarters in Panaji on Wednesday.
parliamentary seats respec-
tively,” Chief Minister Pramod
Sawant said while addressing
a press conference at the par-
ty headquarters in Panaji on
Wednesday.
He reiterated that the party
will lead in all 20 constituen-
cies across North Goa from
where the �ve-time MP Shri-
pad Naik has contested and
14 constituencies in South
MAPUSA
Concerned about a large
amount of garbage dumped
at the entrance of the KTC bus
stand in Mapusa, the Mapusa
SHRIPAD SAYS ‘NO’ TO 2029 Urban Health Centre has is-
sued a notice under the Goa
� Five-time MP and North Goa candidate Shripad Naik reit- Public Health Act to the Gen-
erated he will not contest the 2029 Lok Sabha polls, clearly eral Manager of the Kadamba
indicating this is his last election. “I have already conveyed Transport Corporation and
my wish to the party high command and now it is for them the Mapusa Municipal Coun-
to take a �nal decision,” he said cil (MMC).
� Naik had announced his future exit from Lok Sabha The KTC and the MMC
last year, stating the 2024 polls would be his last. Earlier, have been directed to clear
Tanavade had responded to the statement claiming that the garbage and to �le a Garbage dumped at the entrance of KTC bus stand in
the party will decide Naik’s retirement compliance report within Mapusa.
the next seven days, failing
with highest lead from Savor- that Congress attempted to
dem. divert the attention from de- which action will be taken had �led a complaint with the deputy collector.
BJP State President Sa- velopment to focusing on di- against them health o�cer stating that every Meanwhile, the GOACAN
danand Shet Tanavade, also visive politics during the elec- morning commuters have to had taken the initiative to re-
admitted that the polling tions. “Instead of focussing The KTC and the MMC have witness piles of garbage at the move a broken wall and dys-
percentage did cross their on development, Congress been directed to clear the gar- entrance of the KTC bus stand, functional iron gate at the en-
expectations, attributing it played religion and caste pol- bage and to �le a compliance posing a nuisance and threat trance of the KTC bus stand.
to the hard work and cam- itics all through this election. report within the next seven to public health. GOACAN has suggested as-
paigning e�orts of the min- Congress had already accept- days, failing which action will Taking cognizance of the phalting of the area so that
isters, party MLAs and work- ed defeat and INDI alliance be taken against them. complaint, the Health Centre buses and other vehicles can
ers. will dissolve a�er the results,” In this regard, GOACAN issued a notice to the KTC and enter the bus station smooth-
Sawant further slammed he added. Convenor Roland Martins the MMC, with a copy to the ly.

Pilerne Heritage Market to Man inflicts

mark Konkani Day today
THE GOAN I NETWORK
PORVORIM
The community of Pilerne will
celebrate Konkani Day at the
Zero Waste Inclusive Pilerne
Thursday Heritage Market at
the St John the Baptist Church
Courtyard from 6 pm to 9 pm
on Thursday.
Under the theme ‘Konka-
ni Dis’ or ‘Konkani Day’, the
market will pay homage to
the rich linguistic and cultur-
al heritage of Goa. Dalgado
Konkani Academy and Thom-
as Stephan Konkani Kendr
will be special invitees at the
market, adding depth and
signi�cance to the celebra-
tions.
Tomazinho Cardozo, re-
nowned Konkani literary �g-
ure and distinguished Goan
playwright of the Konkani
Tiatr theatre, will grace the
Accessible to all, including
wheelchair users, the
market provides a
welcoming space for
everyone to indulge in
Goa’s �nest culinary
delights while enjoying live
music performances
event as a keynote speaker.
While celebrating Konka-
ni culture, attendees can also
enjoy an array of stalls o�er-
ing mangoes, mango pickles,
mango sweets, artwork, can-
dles and authentic Goan cui-
sine.
As part of the festivities,
there will be a Konkani mu-
sical programme featuring
homegrown talent perform-
ing traditional Konkani songs,
adding to the vibrant atmos-
phere of the market.
Accessible to all, including
wheelchair users, the market
provides a welcoming space
for everyone to indulge in
Goa’s �nest culinary delights
while enjoying live music
performances. With ample
seating and a warm, inviting
atmosphere, attendees are en-
couraged to mingle, socialize
and make new friends.
Fr Derrick Xavier Fer-
nandes, the parish priest,
said, “The Zero Waste Inclu-
sive Pilerne Thursday Herit-
age Market is more than just
a market, it is a celebration of
community, culture, and in-
clusivity.”
“The Zero Waste Inclusive
Pilerne Thursday Heritage
Market has not only brought
our communities closer but
has also played a signi�cant
role in enhancing the mental
well-being of our attendees.”
self injuries
outside Margao
police station
THE GOAN I NETWORK
MARGAO
In a bizarre incident, a mid-
dle aged man in�icted self
injuries on his body outside
the Margao police station on
Monday morning.
The victim, hailing from
outside the state, was later
rushed to the South Goa dis-
trict hospital.
Sources said the victim
broke a soda bottle and in-
�icted injuries to his abdo-
men.
Margao Police station in-
charge, PI Tulsidas Naik in-
formed that the victim is con-
valescing at the South Goa
district hospital.
“Preliminary reports stat-
ed that the man was in a dis-
turbed state of mind. He has
sustained injuries to his abdo-
men”, he added.
Churchill appeals to CM on relaxing
Christian wedding reception timings
THE GOAN I NETWORK
MARGAO
Former Chief Minister
Churchill Alemao on Wednes-
day made a fervent plea to
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant
to relax the timings of wed-
ding receptions of the Catho-
lic community from 10 pm to
12 midnight.
Churchill said it would go
a long way even if the Chief
Minister get the Centre to re-
lax the wedding timings from
10 pm to 11.30 pm.
Addressing the media,
Churchill pointed out that
wedding receptions of the
Catholic community are cut
short due to the 10 pm timings
enforced in the state.
“Since the Chief Minister
enjoys excellent relations
with Prime Minister Naren-
dra Modi, I request Pramod
Former Chief Minister
Churchill Alemao making a
point on his plea to relax
wedding reception timings
in the state.
Santosh Mirajkar
Sawant to take up the matter
with the Centre to give relief to
the people of Goa, especially
from the minority communi-
ty”, he said.
He added: “I understand
there’s law in force which is
applicable throughout the
CM ASSURES TO FIND SOLUTION
TO WEDDING TIMINGS ISSUE
PANAJI: Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has assured the State
to �nd a solution to the existing sound restrictions in the wake
of rising demands to grant extension in time, particularly
Christian weddings.
“Our government is actively looking into the matter since
Goa is one of the biggest wedding destinations in the country.
We will check if sound permissions for events held indoors,
closed and soundproof premises can be allowed beyond 10
pm,” he assured.
Sawant was replying to media questions a�er ex-CM
Churchill Alemao appealed to him to allow Christian weddings
to play music till midnight.
country that you cannot use timings for weddings till 11.30
sound beyond 10 pm. Since pm if not 12 midnight”.
this law came into force, Asked to shed light on the
Christian wedding receptions voting pattern in the May 7
have been getting a�ected polls, Churchill said he has
over the years. It is my hum- nothing to comment, except
ble request to the Chief Min- that the candidate having
ister to take up the issue with more public support will win
the Prime Minister to relax the the election.

FROM PAGE 1 >> Rider dies in mishap at Ladpem-Bicholim

Plot thickens in South Goa
that the party will take a sizeable
lead in Margao, besides expecting an
improvement in party’s performance
in Fatorda, Curtorim, Navelim and Cun-
colim, all coming under Salcete.
the plan. Political observers say, Parab
is expected to poll a respectable num-
ber of votes in this Sattari region but
whether the quantum of his vote tally in
the contiguous Poriem-Sanquelim-Val-
poi will be such that it will contain
Shripad’s lead to impact the overall
widely regarded as being a critical com-
ponent of ending the global pandemic.”
The European Medicines Agency, the
medicines regulator for the European
Union (EU), issued a notice on Tuesday
to con�rm that Vaxzevria -- known as
Covishield in India -- is no longer author-
Covishield, both vaccines have been
instrumental in saving millions of lives
worldwide,” the spokesperson assert-
ed. In India, over 220 crore dosages of
Covid-19 vaccines have been admin-
istered and a majority of those were
Covishield.
BICHOLIM: A 34-year-old rider
from Karnataka but residing
behind the IDC at Bicholim
died in a road mishap at Lad-
pem-Bicholim on Wednesday
evening. The mishap took place
at about 7.10 pm when a tempo
and a motorcycle collided
with each other, leading to the
death of Srinivas Yellapa Kaluti.
Bicholim police is investigating
the case.

ORRA’s diamond jewellery set

The Congress, however, is pinning its
hopes in the two segments of Quepem
and Curchorem in Quepem taluka,
which has reported around 48,318 poll-
ing. For, the party is not only expecting
a lead in the Quepem segment, which
is represented in the Goa Legislative
Assembly by Quepem MLA Altone
D’Costa, but hopes to do well in neigh-
bouring Curchorem segment as well
represented by BJP MLA Nilesh Cabral.
Congress leaders in private say if
the Congress manage to secure even
a bare minimum lead in Quepem seg-
ment, it would go a long way in check-
mating the BJP in the remaining six
assembly segments of Ponda, Shiroda,
Madkai, Sanvordem, Sanguem and
Canacona, where the sa�ron party is
anticipating higher vote lead in favour
of candidate Pallavi Dempo.
BJP banks on high
Sattari vote to romp
home in North Goa
one of the core organisers of the ag-
itation against the government’s move
to locate the IIT-Goa campus at Melauli,
because of which the latter abandoned
outcome of North Goa is a question that
will throw up an answer only on June 4.
Days after rare side-e�ects
disclosure, AstraZeneca
withdraws Covid vaccine
is no longer being manufactured or
supplied,” AstraZeneca said.
The company further said, “We will
now work with regulators and our part-
ners to align on a clear path forward to
conclude this chapter and signi�cant
contribution to the Covid-19 pandem-
ic.” Earlier, according to global media
reports, AstraZeneca had admitted that
its Covid-19 vaccine could in very rare
cases have the potential to cause a
rare side-e�ect called Thrombosis with
Thrombocytopenia Syndrome (TTS).
Without referring to the side-e�ects,
the company said, “We are incredibly
proud of the role Vaxzevria played in
ending the global pandemic. According
to independent estimates, over 6.5 mil-
lion lives were saved in the �rst year of
use alone and over three billion doses
were supplied globally.” It further said,
“Our e�orts have been recognised by
governments around the world and are
ised for use in the 27-member economic
bloc a�er AstraZeneca voluntarily with-
drew its authorisation in March.
It said it will similarly work with regu-
latory authorities worldwide to initiate
marketing authorisation withdrawals
for Vaxzevria as demand has been
overtaken by the evolving nature of
coronaviruses. In a separate statement,
SII spokesperson said, “With India
achieving high vaccination rates in 2021
and 2022, coupled with the emergence
of new mutant variant strains, the de-
mand for previous vaccines diminished
signi�cantly. Consequently, since
December 2021, we have stopped the
manufacturing and supply of additional
doses of Covishield.” The SII spokesper-
son further said, “We fully understand
the ongoing concerns and it is crucial
to emphasise our commitment to trans-
parency and safety. From the outset,
we have disclosed all rare to very rare
side-e�ects, including Thrombosis with
Thrombocytopenia Syndrome, in the
packaging insert in 2021.” Despite the
challenges faced during the global pan-
demic, the safety of the vaccine remains
paramount.
“Regardless of whether it’s As-
traZeneca’s Vaxzervria or our own
25 VVPAT units among 49
faulty machines replaced
Hence, voters had to wait for some
time since all these procedures had
to be followed and are unavoidable,”
launched on Akshay Tritiya
the o�cial said explaining the delay in THE GOAN I NETWORK
resuming voting at the a�ected polling
booths.
PANAJI
According to the protocol, if the Bal-
Akshaya Tritiya, revered as a
lot Unit and Control Unit, excluding the
day of eternal prosperity and
battery, encounter issues, the entire set
good fortune in Hindu cul-
of voting machines is replaced. Howev-
ture, holds a special place in
er, if the VVPAT encounters a problem,
the hearts of millions. It is be-
only that speci�c machine is replaced.
lieved that any venture initiat-
While these �gures are of the voting
ed on this day is bound to suc-
day, during the trial to the o�cials
ceed, making it an ideal time
faced a similar problem when 53 EVMs
for signi�cant investments,
and VVPATs were replaced during the
including the acquisition of
mock poll earlier.
precious jewellery.
Meanwhile, Goa has been leading
with 76.06 per cent voter turnout in the
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Karnataka govt turns down CBI probe into Prajwal case

PTI
BENGALURU
Karnataka Home Minister Dr
G Parameshwara on Wednes-
day ruled out a CBI probe into
the sexual abuse case against
the JD(S) MP Prajwal Revan-
na, who is the NDA candidate
from Hassan.
Parameshwara said that
three people including JD(S)
MLA H D Revanna and his
aide Satish Babanna have
been arrested in the case of
abduction of a woman. How-
ever, the minister declined to
reveal the name of the third
accused, stating that it would
a�ect the investigation.
This comes even as JD(S)
second-in-command H D Ku-
maraswamy mounted an
attack on the government
expressing doubts over the
manner in which the investiga-
tion was carried out. Alliance
partners JD(S) and BJP de-
manded that the case, which is
being investigated by the state
government-constituted SIT,
be handed over to the CBI.
Kumaraswamy intensi�ed
his attack on the government
even as his elder brother and
Holenarasipura MLA H D Re-
vanna, who is facing charges
of kidnapping a woman, was
remanded to judicial custody
till May 14 by a Magisterial
court here on Wednesday.
Revanna, son of former
Prime Minister H D Deve Gow-
da, was produced before the
court a�er the completion of
four days' police custody.
Also, his bail petition be-
fore a sessions court has been
posted for Thursday.
Revanna was arrested in
the alleged case of kidnap-
ping a woman, based on a
complaint by her son, who al-
leged that the MLA's son and
MP Prajwal Revanna had sex-
ually assaulted her. The wom-
an was subsequently rescued,
according to police.
The alleged sexual abuse of
several women by Prajwal has
raised a political storm with
the ruling Congress and BJP-
JD(S) engaged in a slugfest.
Alleged explicit videos in-
volving Prajwal started mak-
ing the rounds ahead of the
�rst phase of Lok Sabha elec-
tions in Karnataka on April 26.
Prajwal reportedly le� the
country on April 27, a day af-
ter the polls. He has skipped
summons issued by the SIT to
appear before it. A blue corner
notice has been issued by the
Interpol to bring him back.
JD(S) party workers staged
a demonstration in some parts
of Karnataka including Man-
dya, Ramanagara and Mysu-
ru accusing D K Shivakumar
and other Congress leaders of
hatching conspiracy against the
JD(S).
Kumaraswamy sought to
know why the police did not
act on a complaint against a
man, who allegedly said that
explicit videos of Prajwal and
several women will be re-
leased.
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 log on to thegoan.net @thegoanonline Facebook.com/thegoan The Goan E-Paper (Playstore/IOS) Instagram.com/thegoanonline THURSDAY May 9, ���4 I 6

THROWBACK
THURSDAY
Fb: /thegoanlife
Twitter: @thegoanlife Share your story with us On this day in 1502
the fourth and �nal
Instagram: /thegoanlife voyage of Christopher
If you have an interesting story to share or want us to
highlight any issue that you think matters to Goans, Columbus was launched
Connecting with young Goa send it to us at features@thegoan.net

We can now use AI to generate Doctor schools woman who

called non-smokers ‘losers’

entire songs on demand A

Bengaluru cardiologist schooled a social media
user who called non-smokers “losers” in a viral
post. The post on X featured a picture of the user
smoking while holding a cup of tea. The user in
the caption wrote, “Hey smokers and losers (non-smok-
ers) what you doing?”
Countering the viral post, the doctor retweeted it and
shared a sobering fact: his youngest triple bypass surgery
A shi� to generative music tion: the lack of control.
Text prompts are o�en not much good as precise
patient was a 23-year-old woman who smoked. He em-
phasised the importance of healthy living with a hashtag
may draw attention away instructions, especially in music. So these tools are
�t for blind search – a kind of wandering through the
(#LiveHealthy) and a twist on the original post’s caption:
“Be a loser (as per this lady) and live a healthy life.”
from current forms of musical space of possibilities – but not for accurate control.
(That’s not to diminish their value. Blind search can
culture, just as the era of be a powerful creative force.)
recorded music saw the Viewing these tools as a practising music produc-
er, things look very di�erent. Although Udio’s about No Hammer Test Needed Sir..!
T
diminishing of orchestral page says “anyone with a tune, some lyrics, or a
funny idea can now express themselves in music”,
here was a knock on my door. Outside I found
two busy looking individuals, “We are engineers,
music I don’t feel I have enough control to express myself
with these tools.
we’ve come to do a structural audit of your flat
sir!” said one of them.
I can see them being useful to seed raw materials “That’s wonderful!” I said, “Please check all the
OLIVER BOWN for manipulation, much like samples and �eld record- beams and pillars and see whether these old walls are

I
n March, we saw the launch of a “ChatGPT for
music” called Suno, which uses generative AI to
produce realistic songs on demand from short text
prompts. A few weeks later, a similar competitor –
Udio – arrived on the scene.
I’ve been working with various creative computa-
tional tools for the past 15 years, both as a researcher
and a producer, and the recent pace of change has
floored me. As I’ve argued elsewhere, the view that AI
systems will never make “real” music like humans do
should be understood more as a claim about social
context than technical capability.
The argument “sure, it can make expressive, com-
plex-structured, natural-sounding, virtuosic, original
music which can stir human emotions, but AI can’t
make proper music” can easily begin to sound like
something from a Monty Python sketch.
A�er playing with Suno and Udio, I’ve been thinking
about what it is exactly they change – and what they
might mean not only for the way professionals and ama-
teur artists create music, but the way all of us consume it.
Expressing emotion without feeling it
Generating audio from text prompts in itself is
nothing new. However, Suno and Udio have made
an obvious development: from a simple text prompt,
they generate song lyrics (using a ChatGPT-like text
generator), feed them into a generative voice model,
and integrate the “vocals” with generated music to
produce a coherent song segment.
This integration is a small but remarkable feat. The
systems are very good at making up coherent songs
that sound expressively “sung” (there I go anthropo-
morphising).
The e�ect can be uncanny. I know it’s AI, but the
voice can still cut through with emotional impact.
When the music performs a perfectly executed end-of-
bar pirouette into a new section, my brain gets some
of those little sparks of pattern-processing joy that I
might get listening to a great band.
To me this highlights something sometimes missed
about musical expression: AI doesn’t need to experi-
ence emotions and life events to successfully express
them in music that resonates with people.
Music as an everyday language
Like other generative AI products, Suno and Udio
were trained on vast amounts of existing work by real
humans – and there is much debate about those hu-
mans’ intellectual property rights.
Nevertheless, these tools may mark the dawn of
mainstream AI music culture. They o�er new forms of
musical engagement that people will just want to use,
to explore, to play with and actually listen to for their
own enjoyment.
AI capable of “end to end” music creation is argu-
ably not technology for makers of music, but for con-
sumers of music. For now it remains unclear whether
users of Udio and Suno are creators or consumers – or
whether the distinction is even useful.
A long-observed phenomenon in creative technolo-
gies is that as something becomes easier and cheap-
er to produce, it is used for more casual expression.
As a result, the medium goes from an exclusive high
art form to more of an everyday language – think what
smartphones have done to photography.
So imagine you could send your father a profession-
ally produced song all about him for his birthday, with
minimal cost and e�ort, in a style of his preference
– a modern-day birthday card. Researchers have long
considered this eventuality, and now we can do it.
Can you create without control?
Whatever these systems have achieved and may
achieve in the near future, they face a glaring limita-
ings. But when I’m seeking to express myself, I need
control.
Using Suno, I had some fun �nding the most gnarly
dark techno grooves I could get out of it. The result
was something I would absolutely use in a track.
But I found I could also just gladly listen. I felt no
compulsion to add anything or manipulate the result
to add my mark.
And many jurisdictions have declared that you
won’t be awarded copyright for something just be-
cause you prompted it into existence with AI.
For a start, the output depends just as much on
everything that went into the AI – including the creative
work of millions of other artists. Arguably, you didn’t do
the work of creation. You simply requested it.
No-man’s land between
production and consumption
So Udio’s declaration that anyone can express
themselves in music is an interesting provocation.
The people who use tools like Suno and Udio may be
considered more consumers of music AI experiences
than creators of music AI works, or as with many tech-
nological impacts, we may need to come up with new
concepts for what they’re doing.
A shi� to generative music may draw attention away
from current forms of musical culture, just as the era of
recorded music saw the diminishing (but not death) of
orchestral music, which was once the only way to hear
complex, timbrally rich and loud music. If engagement
in these new types of music culture and exchange
explodes, we may see reduced engagement in the
traditional music consumption of artists, bands, radio
and playlists.
While it is too early to tell what the impact will be,
we should be attentive. The e�ort to defend existing
creators’ intellectual property protections, a signi�cant
moral rights issue, is part of this equation.
But even if it succeeds I believe it won’t fundamental-
ly address this potentially explosive shi� in culture, and
claims that such music might be inferior also have had
little e�ect in halting cultural change historically, as with
techno or even jazz, long ago. Government AI policies
may need to look beyond these issues to understand
how music works socially and to ensure that our mu-
sical cultures are vibrant, sustainable, enriching and
meaningful for both individuals and communities.
capable of lasting a few more years.” I then watched as
they both went to my bedroom and looked around, not
at walls or ceiling but curiously at my books and other
stu� lying around.
“Where’s your hammer?” I asked.
“What sir?” asked the engineer wearing spectacles.
“Aren’t you going to do the hammer test on my
beams and columns?”
“No!” said the other pleasantly, “Not required sir, will
you sign here, saying we checked your flat?”
“But aren’t you going to tap the walls, strike the
pillars and knock on the ceiling to check for any hollow
sound and if they have, to recommend I get them re-
paired?”
“But suppose we hear a hollow sound sir?” asked
the engineer with spectacles.
“Imagine all that unnecessary expenditure sir!” said
the other
“What hassle for you and your family, with masons
and contractors coming in and out!”
“Cement and sand all over! No sir, we will spare you
all that trouble! The government just wants all buildings
to have a structural audit done. It is mandatory, so we
will issue you a certi�cate saying it is done!”
“What is done?” I asked.
“The structural audit!” said the man with spectacles
showing irritation.
“But you haven’t done it!” I said.
“The government will not ask further questions sir,
with our certi�cate!”
“But what if the building falls down?” I asked, “What
if the structure is weak, shouldn’t you check?”
“That is not our problem sir! Our job is just to see
that the authorities won’t harass you!”
“What if I want a hammer test, a thorough checking
of my structure?” I asked, holding out a hammer.
“What is this sir?”
“A hammer!” I said, “I thought you were an engineer.
“I’m sorry, but we know only how to �ll up forms!”
said the second man as he and his colleague disap-
peared down the stairs.
I looked across the city at fallen buildings with a
certi�cate dangling from a beam saying it was safe,
clogged nullahs, with engineers saying they had been
dredged to take the monsoon floods, degrees and post
graduate degrees given to those who had not even
gone to college and realized how well we as a people
had learnt to beat the system.
Or have we beaten the system? I hear buildings
crashing during the monsoon, fake doctors killing pa-

Aguad Port and Jail Complex showcases

tients and political leaders with sham certi�cates lead-
ing our nation into a mess, and wondered as I felt the
hammer in my pocket as to who actually were the fools,
even as they allowed themselves to be fooled..!
feedback@thegoan.net

‘India’s Civilizational Marvels’

The exhibition
shines a spotlight
on the richness and 1 4 2
diversity of India’s 2 6
heritage
3 2
THE GOAN I PANAJI
4 9 7 8

T
hree unique expositions dating
back more than 2,000 years,
showcased under the banner
‘India’s Civilizational Marvels’,
have now found a permanent home at
Goa’s Aguad Port and Jail Complex in
Sinquerim.
The exhibition shines a spotlight on
the richness and diversity of India’s
heritage, namely ‘Indian Fashion,
Timeless Elegance’, ‘Sahitya Chitravali’
and ‘Kamal’. The three exhibits under it
are curated by Raghvendra Singh, a re-
storer and antiquarian who has headed
national institutions like The National
Archives of India and The National Mu-
seum, and will be hosted at the Ware-
house and Customs House Galleries at
The Aguad.
Indian Fashion, Timeless
Elegance
O�ers a captivating glance into the
heart of Indian couture across centu-
ries, celebrating its traditional splen-
dour and intricate cra�smanship. This
exhibition, spanning 2,500 years,
showcases the art of fashion beyond
mere necessity, featuring gold jewel-
lery, detailed embroidery, and classic
adornments including headgear and
footwear. It presents a narrative that
challenges the conventional Western
perspective, revealing the sophisticat-
Le�: The ‘Indian Fashion, Timeless Elegance’ exhibit in the ‘India’s Civilization Marvels’ exhibition, on permanent display at
Aguad Port and Jail Complex, Sinquerim, o�ers visitors insight into India’s couture, spanning 2,500 years. Right: The ‘Kamal’
exhibit in the ‘India’s Civilization Marvels’ exhibition, on permanent display at Aguad Port and Jail Complex, Sinquerim,
explores the profound symbolism of the Lotus in India’s culture.
ed techniques and eternal beauty of
Indian fashion. This journey not only
honours the past but also inspires
modern trends, proving that Indian
couture’s elegance is truly timeless.
Sahitya Chitravali
Meaning ‘Literature in Illustration’,
invites visitors on a visual journey
through India’s epic tales and histori-
cal narratives, blending the worlds of
literature and art. Highlighting classics
like the Mahabharata and the Ramaya-
na, along with themes of ‘Sringar’ and
‘Sangeet’, this showcase dives deep
into the stories that have sculpted
Indian culture. Through the ancient
language of Sanskrit, alongside India’s
diverse regional languages, this exhi-
bition connects us to a literary heritage
that has de�ned India’s cultural and
social identity. Designed to spark cu-
riosity and appreciation, ‘Sahitya Chi-
travali’ celebrates themes that resonate
universally, transcending age and time.
Kamal
A display that explores the profound
symbolism of the Lotus in Indian culture,
underscoring its omnipresence in religious
iconography and mythology. As India’s
national flower, the Lotus represents purity,
enlightenment and detachment, playing
a pivotal role in the narratives of various
deities. This symbol of divine beauty and
purity is not con�ned to Hinduism but
extends to Buddhism and Jainism, and
is revered in other cultures like Chinese,
Japanese, and Egyptian. This exhibition
captures the Lotus’s signi�cant place in
Indian art and literature, a�rming its central
role in the spiritual and cultural fabric of
India and beyond.
“We aim to cultivate a deeper apprecia-
tion and understanding of our rich heritage
and culture, which are like vast oceans
we’ve only begun to explore. Curated with a
deep dive into the essence of our tradition
in mind, these exhibitions seek to connect
visitors with India’s ‘Sabhyata’ (culture),
2 6 9 5 1 3
5 4 9 7
4 1
o�ering insights into the subtleties of our 7 2
legacy and sparking curiosity about the
treasures hidden in Indian manuscripts,
sculptures, and paintings. By embodying 8 5 3
universal themes such as love and music,
and emphasising their classical relevance, HOW TO PLAY SUDOKU
we especially hope to engage the younger
� Each row, column, and
generations,” said Raghvendra Singh.
8 7 6 2 9 1 5 3 4
3 by 3 square must have
“We are dedicated to presenting narra- the numbers 1 through
4 5 1 3 6 7 8 2 9
tives that not only educate but also fasci- 9. These numbers can’t
be repeated in each row,
nate. The ‘India’s Civilizational Marvels’ ex- 9 3 2 4 5 8 7 6 1
hibition curated by Mr. Singh. It invites both column, and square.
young and old to immerse themselves in the � When solving an easy 5 8 3 1 2 4 9 7 6
depths of Indian culture and history, show-
Sudoku, the �rst thing
you should do is look for 2 6 7 9 8 5 4 1 3
casing the timeless relevance and universal de�nites. De�nites are
appeal of our civilizational milestones,” numbers that are de�nitely 1 4 9 7 3 6 2 5 8
said Naveen Chopra, Group CEO, Waterfront going to be there. Starting
Experiences. at 1, draw imaginary lines 3 9 5 8 1 2 6 4 7
The Aguad Port and Jail Complex also through boxes in that 1’s
houses the digital museum and the Aguad row and/or column. When
7 2 8 6 4 3 1 9 5
Interactive Museum. The renovated com- there is only one box left in
the 3x3 box, you know that
6 1 4 5 7 9 3 8 2
plex blends history and culture, celebrating
is a de�nite.
Goa’s vibrant identity and serving as a hub � If you get stuck, go back alook at everything. That one number is usually all you
for cultural exchanges amidst picturesque need to get going again. If you still cannot �nd any solutions, start labeling every
landscapes. block with every number that could possibly go in that box.
 7
mail us at >> desk@thegoan.net

log on to thegoan.net @thegoanonline Facebook.com/thegoan The Goan E-Paper (Playstore/IOS) Instagram.com/thegoanonline Thursday May 9, 2024

Pitroda lands Congress in soup after ��������������

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CHANGE OF NAME
I, LUNA MATHEUS GREGRY
PEREIRA, R/O. H. NO 6-1,

racial analogy triggers political row

ISSORCIM, KHOLL, P.O,
������������������������������ CANSAULIM, VELSAO, GOA,
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��������������������������� GRAGARY PEREIRA TO LUNA
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COMPARES INDIANS FROM DIFFERENT PARTS OF COUNTRY WITH RACIAL IDENTITIES ����������������������������
��������������������������������
FOR THE PURPOSE OF
PASSPORT.
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Pitroda resigns as chairman

PTI
NEW HYDERABAD
Pitroda’s choice of ethnic and
racial identities like Chinese,
Arabs, Whites and Africans at
a podcast to describe how In-
dians from di�erent parts of the
country look landed the Con-
gress in yet another soup.
As his remarks went viral
and triggered a political �re-
storm, the Congress swi�ly dis-
tanced itself from his words and
criticised those as “most unfor-
tunate and unacceptable”.
The BJP dismissed the Con-
gress’s stand as meaningless
as it cited Pitroda’s close asso-
ciation with the Gandhi fami-
ly and launched a blistering
attack.
At his rallies in Telangana
and Andhra Pradesh, Modi
said he is livid with the racial
pro�ling of Indians by the US-
based “philosopher and uncle
of shehzada (Rahul Gandhi)”,
and linked the Congress’s op-
position to Droupadi Murmu’s
presidential bid to its mind-
set, which saw her as an “Afri-
can” because of her dark skin.
He asked the Congress chief
ministers of Karnataka and
No INDIA bloc member supports �����������������������
TRANSFER OF VEHICLES
Pitroda’s ‘racist’ remarks: AAP
of Indian Overseas Congress
My husband late SHAIKH
�������������� RASHID, resident of Guru
NEW DELHI: AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh on Wednesday PUBLIC NOTICE Bazar, Margao, Salcete- Goa
said none of the members of the INDIA bloc support Congress ��� �������� ������� ��� ��� Notice is hereby given that my client was the owner of Bajaj Auto
NEW DELHI: Congress leader Sam Pitroda on Wednesday ��������� ��� ���� ������� intends to purchase subject to TITLE Rickshaw bearing reg. No.
leader Sam Pitroda’s alleged racist remarks and accused the BJP CLEARANCE from Mrs. Kintu Kishor
resigned as the chairman of the Indian Overseas Congress ���������� �������� GA 02 T 2345 Engine No.
of “hating” the Dalits. Bajaj, Mrs. Kresha Kishor Bajaj, 24MBDH55121, Chassis No.
a�er his controversial remarks spurred the BJP to label the ��������� ��� ���������������� Miss. Karyna Kishor Bajaj and 24FBOH28162, Permit No. RTA/
“These people only discriminate and have ill-feelings and hatred
party “racist”. ���� ����������� ���� Mr. Krysh Kishor Bajaj, resident of ENFS/YBAUP/201300008 valid
for the Dalits and those who belong to the backward castes. The Kubelisque, Flat No. P-2, Nargis Dutt upto 1st March 2028, expired on
Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said on X that par- ��������� ���������������� Road, Bandra (West), Mumbai 400
RSS people say reservation should not be there,” Singh alleged. 14.1.2024.
ty chief Mallikarjun Kharge has accepted Pitroda’s decision. �������������� �������� ����� 050, all that plot bearing Nos. 97/0 and
I have applied for Transfer of this
“Mr Sam Pitroda has decided to step down as Chairman of �������� ��� ����� �����
99/0 of Candolim village admeasuring
vehicle in my name. Any person
area 72175 sq. mtrs., Property known
the Indian Overseas Congress of his own accord. The Con- ������� ��� ������� ���������� as “COURACO” also known as or institution/bank objecting for
such transfer may send their
gress President has accepted his decision,” Ramesh said in “BONGUI” or “GANGREMRAN” or
his post. CMs of NE states condemn Piroda’s �����������������������������
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“CONFREMRAO”. The said property
is described in the land Registration
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Margao within 15 days from day
Pitroda, who held the post of chairman of the Indian Over-
seas Congress, stoked a major controversy with his remarks
‘racist’ comment on people of region ����������� ��������� ����� ��� ������� ������ ���� ������
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of this advertisement.
Amina Bi Abdullah Shaikh,
IMPHAL GUWAHATI: Chief ministers of three states of the �������������� ������������������������������������� H.No. 265, Gandhi Market,
during a podcast where he cited ethnic and racial identities �������������������������������������� Margao Salcete Goa 403 601.
like Chinese, Africans, Arabs and Whites to describe the phys- northeast on Wednesday condemned as racist and divisive and surveyed in old cadastral survey
ical appearance of Indians from di�erent parts of the country. the comment of Congress leader Sam Pitroda that the people �������������������������������������
is bounded on the East by drain of
As the row erupted on Wednesday, Congress general sec- of the east look like the Chinese. rain water, on the West by properties ������������������������������������������
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retary Jairam Ramesh said on X: “The analogies drawn by Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, Manipur CM bearing survey Nos. 98/1 and 98/0,
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Mr Sam Pitroda in a podcast to illustrate India’s diversity are N Biren Singh and their counterpart in Meghalaya Conrad K on North by properties bearing survey
No. 98/2 and on South by property of ���������������������������������������������
most unfortunate and unacceptable. The Indian National Sangma said that the remark has hurt the sentiment of the Comunidade. Any person having any ����������������������������������������������������
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Congress completely dissociates itself from these analogies.” people. right, claim or objection to the sale
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of the said plot should submit their
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claims/objections in writing supported
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by documentary evidence within 15
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days from the date of Publication of
Telangana, Siddaramaiah ronment where people could the north look like, maybe, As a row erupted, Congress this Notice failing which my client will
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and A Revanth Reddy respec- live together, leaving aside a white and people in the south general secretary Jairam complete the transaction of Sale of the ���������������������������������������������
tively, if they will accept “such few �ghts here and there. We look like Africans.” “It does Ramesh said on X: “The said Property. �������� ��� ���� ���������� ��������� �������� ���
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an accusation”. could hold the country as di- not matter. All of us are broth- analogies drawn by Mr Place: Panjim-Goa Seal ��������� ������������ ��� ������� ��� ������
Pitroda, an advisor to for- verse as India together. Where ers and sisters. We respect Sam Pitroda in a podcast to Dated: 08/05/2024 ������������ ��������� ����� ����������� ��������
Sd/- ��������������������������������������������
mer prime minister Rajiv Gan- people in the east look like the di�erent languages, di�erent illustrate India’s diversity Adv. Karishma Fadke ������������������������������������������������
dhi, said, “We have survived Chinese, people in the west religions, di�erent customs, are most unfortunate and ����������������������������������������� ��������������������������������������������
Opp. Don Bosco, Panjim-Goa.
75 years in a very happy envi- look like the Arabs, people in di�erent food,” he said. unacceptable.” Email id: advkarishmafadke@gmail.com
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JJP ready to support Cong in Haryana

PTI
CHANDIGARH
BJP’s former ally Jannayak
Janata Party said on Wednes-
day that it is ready to help the
Congress bring down the BJP
government in Haryana, a day
a�er three Independent MLAs
withdrew support to the rul-
ing party.
Claiming that the BJP gov-
ernment is reduced to a mi-
nority, the Congress, on its
part, demanded the imposi-
tion of the President’s rule
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I want to tell Leader of Opposition that if a step the ruling BJP in Haryana on ����������������������������������������������������������
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is taken that this government is brought down Tuesday and announced that �����������������������������������������������������
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they would back the Congress.
during elections, then we will fully consider to Speaking to reporters in
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support them in this from outside,” Hisar, Jannayak Janata Party
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— Dushyant Chautala, JJP leader (JJP) leader Dushyant Chauta- ������������ ���� ��� ����� ����� �������������
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la said if a no-con�dence mo- �������������������������������������������� �������������������������������������������
tion is brought in the Assem- ������ ������������� ���� ��� ���� �������� �������������������� ������������������������
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and early assembly elections MLAs are in touch with the bly, they will vote against the �������������� ������������� ���������������� ������������������������������������������������
in the state. BJP and there is “nothing to Saini government. ���������������������������������������� ��������� � ��������������������������������������������
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However, Chief Minister worry “. “I want to tell Leader of Op- ������������������������������������������ �����������������������������������������������
Nayab Singh Saini asserted Independent MLAs Sombir position that if this govern- ��� ���� ���������� ���������� ��� ��� ������� ��� ����� ���� ����� ��� ���� �������� ���� ���������
that his government is not in Sangwan (Dadri), Randhir ment is brought down during ��������������������������������������������� ��������� ����� ������ �������� �����������
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any trouble. His predecessor Singh Gollen (Pundri) and (Lok Sabha) elections, then we ���������������������������� ����� �������� ���� ������ ������ ����������
and party colleague M L Khat- Dharampal Gonder (Nilok- will fully consider to support ������������������������������������������� ������������������������������������������� ����
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tar also claimed that many heri) withdrew support to them in this from outside”. ����� � ������ � �������� � ����� ���� ��� ������� ��� ������������������������ ������������������������
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AI Express cancels over 100

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flights on cabin crew woes

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GOVT ASKS AIRLINE TO RESOLVE ISSUES, SEEKS REPORT
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PTI ������������������������� �����
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NEW KOCHI
Air India Express cancelled
more than 100 �ights since
Tuesday night as a section of
cabin crew reported sick to
protest against the alleged
mismanagement at the Tata
Group-owned airline, impact-
ing around 15,000 passen-
gers.
Faced with cabin crew
shortage, the airline, which
operates a signi�cant number
of �ights to the Gulf, has de-
cided to curtail �ights till May
13. Air India Express is to op-
erate around 360 �ights daily
to domestic and international
destinations, sources said on
Wednesday.
The civil aviation ministry
on Wednesday sought a re-
Flight disruptions are happening at various airports domestic
as well as international airports.
port from Air India Express
on the �ight cancellations
and also asked the airline to
resolve the issues promptly.
Apart from cancellations,
scores of �ights were delayed
and the airline’s passengers,
mostly scheduled to travel to
the Gulf nations, protested
at airports in Kerala against
Public Notice for Closure of Dormant/Inoperative Accounts
Bank has noticed that in many accounts there is no operation by
the customer from last 3 years and there is no balance in these
accounts. To ensure that these accounts are not misused, Bank
has decided to close such accounts to prevent the inherent risk.
Therefore, Notice is hereby given to all such account holders,
who have not operated their account for more than 3 years as on
30.04.2024 and having zero balance or no balance in their
account, that these accounts will be closed after one month from
�ight cancellations as many the date of publication of this notice without any further notice,
of them were informed only unless the account is activated by submitting the KYC
a�er the security checks. documents in respective branch.
An Air India Express Please note that Accounts linked to DEMAT accounts, Lockers,
spokesperson said the airline having active standing instruction, student accounts with
is engaging with the cabin customer age below 25 years, account of minors, accounts
crew members to understand opened for specific purpose like PMJJBY/PMSBY/SSY/APY,
the reasons for reporting sick DBT and accounts frozen by order of Court, Income Tax
and also apologised for the
Department or any other statutory authorities shall not be closed
�ight disruptions.
under this process.
In case of any query/assistance, you are requested to contact
your branch.

Israel claims reopening Gaza

Authorized Signatory

NOTICE TO BE SERVED BY PUBLICATION

(Under Order � Rule 20 (1A) of CPC)

crossing after rocket attack � �������������������������������������

PTI IN THE MOTOR ACCIDENT CLAIMS TRIBUNAL, NORTH GOA,

JERUSALEM
The Israeli military said on
Wednesday that it has re-
opened its Kerem Shalom
crossing into Gaza a�er days
of closure, but the UN said no
humanitarian aid has yet en-
tered and there is no one to
receive it on the Palestinian
side a�er workers �ed during
Israel’s military incursion in
the area.
The Kerem Shalom cross-
ing between Gaza and Israel
was closed over the weekend
a�er a Hamas rocket attack
killed four Israeli soldiers
nearby, and on Tuesday, an
Israeli tank brigade seized
the nearby Rafah crossing
between Gaza and Egypt,
forcing its closure. The two
facilities are the main ter-
minals for entry of food,
medicine and other supplies
essential for the survival of
Gaza’s population of 2.3 mil-
lion Palestinians.
The Israeli foray did not
appear to be the start of the
full-scale invasion of the city
of Rafah that Israel has re-
AT PANAJI
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peatedly promised. �������� ���� ������������ �������� ��� ����������� ��� ���� ������ ������ ����������
But aid o�cials warn that ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������
the prolonged closure of the ������������������������
two crossings could cause ������������������������������������������������������������ ��������
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the collapse of aid opera-
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tions, worsening the human- ����������������������������������������������������������������������������
itarian crisis in Gaza, where �����������������������������������������������������������������������������
the UN says a full-blown ����
famine is already underway ���� �����������������������
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in the north. ���
 8
mail us at >> desk@thegoan.net

IN ASSOCIATION WITH log on to thegoan.net @thegoanonline Facebook.com/thegoan The Goan E-Paper (Playstore/IOS) Thursday May 9, 2024

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POSSIBILITY OF INDIA’S GDP GROWTH
SUBDUED SENTIMENT

Polaris gets �2,246 cr new Sensex, Nifty end

smart metering project
Energy solutions provider Polaris on
Wednesday said it has secured a
contract worth Rs 2,246 crore to install
2.2 million smart meters in West Bengal.
"With this order, Polaris has successfully
closed orders over Rs 7,700 crore across
the geographies of Uttar Pradesh, West
Bengal, Manipur, Bihar and Ladakh," the
company said in a statement. The new
order worth Rs 2,246 crore in West
Bengal is for installation of 2.2 million
smart meters in the state.
Leading refiner begins
gold futures trading
BSE's arm India International Exchange
(India INX) on Wednesday said India's
leading gold refiner, which brings in up
to 20 per cent of the country's gold, has
started trading gold futures on its
platform. This suggests that India INX,
set up at GIFT City (Gujarat International
Finance Tec-City), is becoming the main
place for Indian jewellers and gold
importers to hedge against the risk in
gold prices.
Google launches its
Wallet app in India
TOUCHING 8% IN FY24 QUITE HIGH: CEA
PTI / New Delhi
Chief Economic Adviser V Anantha Nageswaran on
Wednesday said there was a high possibility of GDP
growth touching 8 per cent in FY24 on the back of robust
growth registered during the three quarters of the finan-
cial year ended March 2024.
India's gross domestic product (GDP) grew 8.4 per cent
in the third quarter ended December 2023. In the second
quarter, the GDP growth was 7.6 per cent while 7.8 per
cent in the first quarter. "The IMF has projected a growth
rate of 7.8 per cent for FY24. But if you look at the trajec-
tory of growth in the first three quarters, obviously, the
possibility that the growth rate touches 8 per cent is quite
high," he said at an event organised by NCAER here.
This is higher than RBI's estimate of 7.5 per cent
growth for the Indian economy in 2023-24.
For the ongoing financial year, he said, the Internation-
al Monetary Fund has an estimate of 6.8 per cent but the
Reserve Bank of India expects a 7 per cent GDP growth
for FY25. "If that materialises, of course, it will be the
RBI lifts ban on boarding of new RBI Guv discusses ways to scale up
fourth consecutive year after COVID starting from FY22
that the economy will have grown at 7 per cent or more.
The RBI forecasts of 7 per cent for FY25 turns out to be ei-
ther correct or even underestimate, then it would be the
fourth consecutive year of 7 or higher growth rate," he
said.
However, he said, a lot would depend on how the mon-
soon shapes up. Although the expectations are that there
flat after another
volatile session
will be an above-normal monsoon, spatial and temporal
distribution will matter.
On the growth beyond FY25, he said, there is a possibil-
ity of India growing between 6.5-7 per cent because the
key difference this decade compared to the last is the one
of balance sheet strength in the financial sector and the
non-financial sector in the corporate sector as well.
The investment made in supply-side augmentation of
both physical and digital infrastructure has placed the
economy to pursue non-inflationary growth, he said, PTI / Mumbai
adding that this also helps absorb the challenge of over-
heating. He also said that the household sector's net fi- Benchmark Sensex slipped by 45
nancial savings flows were lower in 2022-23 at 5.1 per cent points in highly volatile trade on
due to the bulk of savings shifting to real sectors. Wednesday due to selling in private
Asked about the RBI's recent circular on under-con- bank and IT shares amid weak
struction infra project financing, he said, this is draft Asian markets and continuous for-
guidelines and would not like to comment. eign fund outflows.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) last week proposed to Declining for the second straight
lenders that they set aside higher provisions for under- session, the 30-share BSE Sensex fell
construction infrastructure projects and asked them to 45.46 points or 0.06 per cent to settle
ensure strict monitoring of any emerging stress. at 73,466.39. During the day, it de-
clined by 437.93 points or 0.59 per
cent to 73,073.92.
The NSE Nifty remained un-
changed at 22,302.50.

customers on Bob World app

Google on Wednesday launched its
Wallet app in India, which will offer fast
and secure access to everyday essentials,
enabling people to conveniently store
and retrieve important digital documents
like boarding passes, loyalty cards,
movie tickets, etc. The app is now
available for download from the Play
Store for all Android users in the country.
According to the company, the Wallet
app complements Google Pay, which will
continue to serve the payment needs of
users across the country.
CarDekho Group unveils
TractorsDekho
Autotech company CarDekho on
Wednesday launched a new online
platform called TractorsDekho, that will
serve the needs of the farming
community by providing resources
tailored specifically to tractors. With this
move, CarDekho Group has forayed into
the commercial and agricultural vehicle
division. The new platform will help
farmers simplify the complex decision-
making process regarding farm
equipment.
L&T's power transmission,
biz bags multiple orders
Larsen & Toubro (L&T) on Wednesday
said its power transmission and
PTI / New Delhi
UPI ecosystem with stakeholders
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI)
on Wednesday allowed Bank of
Baroda to onboard new cus-
tomers through the 'Bob World'
application, more than six
months after it imposed restric-
tion following material supervi-
sory concerns.
The RBI had imposed restric-
tion on state-owned Bank of Bar-
oda (BoB) on October 10, 2023
from onboarding new customers
on its mobile app 'Bob World'.
"We wish to inform that the
RBI, vide its letter dated May 8,
2024, conveyed to the bank its de-
cision to lift the above mentioned
restrictions on Bob World with
immediate effect, as such the
bank is free to onboard
customers through Bob World ap-
plication in accordance with the
Sebi issues periodic
reporting format for
investment advisers
applicable guidelines and extant
laws or regulations," the lender
said in a regulatory filing.
The bank will now resume on-
boarding new customers on the
Bob World application, it said,
adding that it remains committed
to ensure adherence and compli-
ance of regulatory guidelines.
Last week, the RBI had lifted
restrictions on Bajaj Finance on
sanctioning and disbursal of
loans through eCOM and Insta
EMI Card.
India now world's 3rd largest solar India's popularity soars in Asian
power producer, overtakes Japan
ANI / New Delhi
PTI / Mumbai
Reserve Bank Governor Shak-
tikanta Das on Wednesday dis-
cussed with banks and other
stakeholders ways to scale up the
UPI ecosystem, expand products
and foster innovative payment
solutions.
UPI (Unified Payments Inter-
face) is an instant real-time pay-
ment system developed by the
National Payments Corporation
of India (NPCI) to facilitate inter-
bank transactions through mo-
bile phones.
Das held a meeting on Wednes-
day with major stakeholders in
the UPI ecosystem - banks, NPCI,
third-party application providers
and technology service providers
- to discuss potential strategies
for further expanding the reach
bond portfolios: Morningstar
India's performance within
Das held a meeting
with major stakeholders
in the UPI ecosystem -
banks, NPCI, third-party
application providers
and technology
service providers
of UPI, RBI said in a statement.
"There were wide-ranging dis-
cussions on various aspects to
India saw the world's fourth-
widen and deepen the adoption
and usage of UPI. The stakehold-
ers shared their valuable inputs
and suggestions," it said.
The discussions broadly cov-
ered strategies for scaling up UPI
infrastructure and expanding
product portfolio, and challenges
being encountered by the ecosys-
tem and innovative solutions for
addressing the same.
The deliberations focused on
innovative ideas to integrate po-
tential users into the digital pay-
ments ecosystem. The various
suggestions received will be ex-
amined and suitable action will
be initiated in due course by the
Reserve Bank, the central bank
said. The meeting was also at-
tended by RBI Deputy Governor
T Rabi Sankar and other senior
officials of the central bank.
INFORMIST / Mumbai
From the Sensex basket, Asian
Paints, UltraTech Cement, Hindus-
tan Unilever, HDFC Bank, HCL
Technologies, Bajaj Finance, Bajaj
Finserv and ICICI Bank were the
major laggards.
On the other hand, Tata Motors,
Power Grid, NTPC, Larsen & Toubro
and Maruti were among the gainers.
"The Indian market echoed sub-
dued investor sentiments akin to
those of its Asian peers, and on wor-
ries about declining voter turnout.
Despite domestic Q4 earnings large-
ly meeting estimates, the earnings
landscape appears to be moderat-
ing," Vinod Nair, Head of Research,
Geojit Financial Services said.
A sector-specific action was visi-
ble in FMCG and auto stocks, aided
by an expectation of a revival in ru-
ral demand in H1FY25, Nair added.
In the broader market, the BSE
midcap gauge climbed 0.78 per cent
and smallcap index advanced 0.50
per cent. Among the indices, IT de-
clined by 0.57 per cent.

distribution business has bagged
multiple orders in the country and
overseas. The business has bagged
orders to set up two floating solar plants
in India. Floating solar projects involve
mounting solar modules on structures
that float in a water body, typically a
reservoir/lake/abandoned quarry.
Waaree, Ecofy to offer
finance for solar projects
Waaree Energies on Wednesday said it
has partnered with Ecofy to provide
financing solutions for installation of
solar rooftop projects. "Ecofy is
committing Rs 100 crore into the
partnership, showcasing confidence in
Waaree's capabilities and the renewable
energy sector's growth potential,"
Waaree Energies said in a statement.
DP World's begins ops at
Chennai Business Park
Global end-to-end supply chain
solutions provider DP World has
commenced operations at its Integrated
Chennai Business Park, the company
said on Wednesday. The park would be
able to serve as a one-stop solution to
amplify trade flow and enhance the
efficiency and reliability of supply chains
thereby improving the ease of doing
business for local and global customers
at the facility.
Myntra unveils brand
campaign ‘Trend IRL’
Myntra, one of the leading fashion,
beauty and lifestyle e-commerce
destinations, has announced the launch
of its new brand campaign, ‘Trend IRL (In
Real life)’, featuring Indian actress Kiara
Advani. The campaign celebrates the
real-life trendsetters, who with their
trending fashion from Myntra inspires
others around them to be more
fashionable, enabling them to ‘Trend in
Real Life’, and solidifies the brand's
position as the ultimate destination for
the latest trends.
SVC Bank launches long
term subordinated bonds
SVC Co-operative Bank Ltd. announced
the launch of its Long Term Subordinated
Bonds (LTSB) - Series 2. The issue is open
PTI / New Delhi
Markets regulator Sebi on Wednes-
day came out with a standardised pe-
riodic reporting format for submis-
sion of information by investment
advisers (IAs) pertaining to their ac-
tivities, whereby they also need to
disclose their social media handles.
At present, the Investment Advis-
ers Administration and Supervisory
Body (IAASB) has been seeking re-
ports from IAs on an ad-hoc basis.
IAASB has been recognised by Sebi
for the purpose of administration
and supervision of investment ad-
visers. Under the new
format, investment advisers have to
disclose details of their social media
handles, bank accounts used for re-
ceiving advisory fee, NISM certifica-
tion details, information about the
last inspection carried out by Sebi or
IAASB, details of advertisements is-
sued during the half-year period and
information on publishing of com-
plaints against them, Sebi said in a
circular.
Meanwhile, Sebi on Wednesday
extended the settlement scheme pe-
riod till June 10 for entities involved
in reversal trades in the stock op-
tions segment on BSE in 2014 and
2015.
The settlement scheme com-
menced on March 11 and was sched-
uled to conclude on May 10.
"It has been observed that during
the last few days, a large number of
entities have shown interest in avail-
ing the scheme. Considering the in-
terest of entities in availing the
scheme, the competent authority
has extended the period of the
scheme till June 10, 2024," Sebi said
in a statement.
CRISIL MARKET INTELLIGENCE AND ANALYSIS' MONTHLY "ROTI RICE RATE" REPORT
India overtook Japan to become
the world's third-largest solar
power generator in 2023, accord-
ing to a report by global energy
think tank Ember. India has
climbed from ranking ninth in
2015.
The Global Electricity Review
2024 published on Wednedsay
provides a comprehensive
overview of the global power
system in 2023 based on country-
level data.
It was published alongside the
world's first open dataset on elec-
tricity generation in 2023 cover-
ing 80 countries representing 92
percent of global electricity de-
mand, as well as historic data for
215 countries.
US EIA cuts 2024 WTI, Brent price Govt soon to finalise framework Gilts end steady
view as global oil demand slows of state mining index: Mines Secy after
INFORMIST / Mumbai
The US Energy Information Ad-
ministration has scaled down its
estimate for global crude oil
prices for this year because of
lower growth in global oil de-
mand than earlier projected. The
price of Brent crude oil is now
seen averaging $87.79 per barrel
in 2024, against the estimate of
$88.55 per bbl in April, the
agency said in its monthly Short-
Term Energy Outlook report on
Tuesday. In 2025, the agency ex-
pects the prices of Brent crude to
average $85.38 a bbl.
The agency expects the price
of West Texas Intermediate
crude oil to average $83.05 a bbl
this year, against the previous es-
timate of $83.78 per bbl. It has
also scaled down the price fore-
cast of West Texas Intermediate
crude for 2025 to $80.88 a bbl from
$82.48 a bbl projected last month.
"The global production of pe-
troleum and other liquid fuels
will increase by 1 mln barrels
"India's growth in solar gener-
ation in 2023 pushed the country
past Japan to become the world's
third-largest solar power gener-
ator.It has climbed from ranking
ninth in 2015," the report said.
The report finds that solar
produced a record 5.5 per cent of
global electricity in 2023. In line
with the global trend, India gen-
erated 5.8 per cent of its electric-
ity from solar in 2023.
A state mining index
lack of firm cues
per day in 2024, slowing from
growth of 1.8 mln bpd in 2023,"
the US agency said. "Although
Organization of the Petroleum
Exporting Countries and allies
liquid fuels production
decreases by 800,000 bpd in 2024,
production outside of OPEC and
allies increases by 1.8 mln bpd,
led by growth in the US, Canada,
Brazil, and Guyana, it said.
Oil prices rose last month due
to falling global oil inventories
and geopolitical issues between
Iran and Israel added uncer-
tainty to already heightened
tensions in West Asia. However,
volatility in crude oil prices
crude has been subdued for
much of this year by significant
spare crude oil production
capacity, the agency said in the
report.
largest increase in solar genera-
tion in 2023 (+18 Terawatt hours
or TWh), behind China (+156
TWh), the United States (+33
TWh) and Brazil (+22 TWh). To-
gether the top four solar growth
countries accounted for 75 per-
cent of growth in 2023.
"A renewables-powered
future is now becoming a reality.
Solar power, in particular, is
growing at an unprecedented
pace", said Aditya Lolla,
Ember's Asia Programme Direc-
tor.
Solar maintained its status as
the world's fastest-growing elec-
tricity source for the nineteenth
consecutive year, adding more
than twice as much new electric-
ity worldwide as coal in 2023.
dull trade on
PTI / New Delhi
The government is likely to soon
finalise a framework for a state
mining index which would serve
as a tool for stakeholders and en-
sure ease of doing mining busi-
ness, an official said on Wednes-
day.
A state mining index would
boost cooperative federalism as
well as competition among states,
Mines secretary V L Kantha Rao
said at a day-long workshop on
State Mining Index here.
Principal secretaries, directors
and other officials from 26 states
participated in the workshop to
discuss and finalise the
indicators and sub-indicators of
performance which form part of
the index framework and
methodology.
Post consultations and feed-
back from states, a framework of
the state mining index will be fi-
nalized and released in July 2024
for actual ranking to take place in
April next year, Kantha Rao said.
India's strong economic funda-
mentals have bolstered the confi-
dence of Asian fixed income in-
vestors in the country's bond
market, Morningstar Analyst
Ratings and Research said in a re-
port. The strong economic funda-
mentals include robust growth,
stable inflation, and extensive for-
eign exchange reserves. India's
performance within the widely
tracked JP Morgan Asia Credit
Index has stood out over the
years, the report said.
The allocation of Asian fixed-
income funds to India has in-
creased markedly in recent years,
even as the country's weightage
in prominent benchmark indices
has remained relatively stable,
underscoring the favourable sen-
would boost cooperative
federalism as well as
competition among states
The index would serve as a tool
for stakeholders of the mining
sector to understand different as-
pects related to the ease of doing
mining business within a state,
he added.
In the keynote address, Rao
emphasised the importance of
having a State Mining Index,
which will promote cooperative
federalism as well as competition
among states. Noting that the ac-
tive participation of states was
important in making the exercise
successful, he requested the
states to help in data collection ef-
forts by properly submitting the
statistical returns in time.
The secretary also made a plea
to states to help in data collection
efforts by properly submitting
the statistical returns in time.
the widely tracked JP
Morgan Asia Credit Index
has stood out over the years
timent among fund managers, it
said.
India's weighting often ranks
among the top one or two markets
by allocation within Morn-
ingstar's analyst-rated Asian
high-yield bond funds. This
comes against the backdrop of an
evolving investing landscape
within the Asian high-yield mar-
ket in recent years. The report
highlighted that in the last three
years, in the Asian high-yield
bond category, the average India
weighting surged to 17% in De-
cember from 13% in 2021.
INFORMIST / Mumbai
Government bond prices ended
steady after a day of dull trade as
the market lacked significant
cues, both on the domestic and the
global fronts, dealers said. The 10-
year benchmark 7.18%, 2033 bond
closed at 100.29 rupees, or 7.13%
yield, against 100.33 rupees, or
7.13% yield on Tuesday. The
7.10%, 2034 bond closed at 100.05
rupees, or 7.09% yield, compared
with 100.04 rupees, or 7.09% yield,
on the previous day.
Selling by foreign banks and
mutual funds taking out their
profits weighed on the bonds dur-
ing the day, dealers said. "From the
beginning of the day, there was
selling pressure from foreign
banks and mutual funds," a dealer
at a private bank said. "As the US
yields also inched upwards, the re-

Veg thali dearer by 8% in April, non-veg meal cheaper

for public subscription and the last day
for subscribing to the bonds is May 15,
2024. SVC Bank will be raising Rs. 100
Crores from the bond issuance with its
very competitive interest rate of 8.50%
per annum to investors.
94% of professionals say
AI saves them time
Salesforce, the global leader in CRM, has
released the new State of Service report,
sharing insights from over 5,500 service
professionals across 30 nations including
300 from India. The report covers the
priorities, challenges, and strategies
shaping customer service, including how
service teams are tapping AI and data to
increase revenue, efficiency, and
customer satisfaction amid rising
customer expectations. —Agencies
PTI / Mumbai
The soaring prices of onions and
tomatoes have pushed up the av-
erage cost of a vegetarian thali by
nearly 8 per cent in April, accord-
ing to a report released on
Wednesday.
However, a decline in broiler
price contributed to a decrease in
the cost of a non-vegetarian
meal, as per Crisil Market Intelli-
gence and Analysis' monthly
"Roti Rice Rate" report.
The cost of veg thali, which
comprises roti, vegetables
(onions, tomatoes and potatoes),
rice, dal, curd and salad, in-
creased to Rs 27.4 per plate in
April from Rs 25.4 in the year-ago
period, and was also marginally
higher when compared to Rs 27.3
in March 2024, it said.
The report attributed the over-
all hike in vegetarian thali price
to a 41 per cent increase in onion,
40 per cent in tomato, 38 per cent
in potato, 14 per cent in rice and
20 per cent in pulses.
Prices of cumin, chilli and veg-
etable oil declined 40 per cent, 31
per cent, and 10 per cent, respec-
tively, preventing further
increase in the thali cost, it
added.
In the case of non-veg thali,
which comprises all the same in-
gredients but dal gets replaced by
chicken, the price declined to Rs
56.3 in April as compared to Rs
58.9 in the year-ago period, but
was higher when compared with
the March price of Rs 54.9 per
thali.
A 12 per cent decline in the
broiler price, which has a 50 per
cent weightage in the overall
price, was the primary reason for
the decline in the cost of non-veg
thali on a year-on-year basis, it
said.
When compared to March, the
price of non-veg thali increased
by 3 per cent due to a 4 per cent in-
crease in the price of broilers,
mainly on account of higher de-
mand and high input costs, the
report said.
Explaining the methodology
of its calculations, CRISIL Mar-
ket Intelligence and Analytics
said the average cost of
preparing a thali at home is cal-
culated based on input prices pre-
vailing in north, south, east and
west India. The monthly change
reflects the impact on the com-
mon man's expenditure. The data
also reveals the ingredients--cere-
als, pulses, broilers, vegetables,
spices, edible oil and cooking gas-
-driving the change in the cost of
the thali, it said.
sistance broke in the day."
For most of the day, the 7.18%,
2033 bond traded in a narrow
range on the lack of firm global
and domestic cues, dealers said.
Amid thin trade, foreign banks
were said by dealers to be on the
selling side.
Foreign banks were top net sell-
ers on Tuesday too, according to
data from the Clearing Corp of In-
dia. However, traders remain di-
vided on what led the banks to sell,
dealers said. Some said the selling
was on behalf of foreign investors
who see the ruling BJP-led al-
liance securing fewer seats than
initially thought. The market had
earlier factored in the BJP on its
own winning at least 285 of the 543
seats in the Lok Sabha.

������������
Bharat Forge registers
59% surge in Q4 PAT
Auto and defence component
manufacturer Bharat Forge on
Wednesday reported a 59.3 per cent
surge in net profit to Rs 389.6 crore for
the January-March quarter of 2023-24
compared to the corresponding figure of
Rs 244.5 crore in the same period of the
previous year. The total revenue of
Bharat Forge during the fourth quarter
rose 16.6 per cent to Rs 2,328.5 crore
from Rs 1,997.3 crore last year.
Piramal Ent reports
�222 cr profit in Q4
Piramal Enterprises Ltd (PEL) on
Wednesday reported a consolidated net
profit of Rs 137 crore for the March
quarter against a loss of Rs 196 crore in
the year-ago period, helped by write-
backs on taxation and investments in
alternative investment funds. The
company reported a loss of Rs 1,683
crore for 2023-24 against a profit of Rs
9,969 crore in the year-ago period. PEL
also announced its merger into
subsidiary company Piramal Capital and
Housing Finance (PCHFL) to meet the RBI
requirement around mandatory listing
for top-tier financiers like it.
���������������������������������
The company had posted a consolidated net profit of �3,986.78 crore in the year-ago period
PTI / New Delhi
Engineering and construction major Larsen
& Toubro (L&T) on Wednesday reported a 10.2
per cent increase in consolidated net profit at
Rs 4,396.12 crore in the March 2024 quarter on
the back of higher income.
The company had posted a consolidated net
profit of Rs 3,986.78 crore in the year-ago peri-
od.
The consolidated income of the company
rose to Rs 68,120.42 crore in the latest March
quarter from Rs 59,076.06 crore recorded in
the year-ago period, L&T said in a filing to
BSE.
"The year has concluded on a very strong
note for us. We have secured order inflows of
more than Rs 3 lakh crore and order book is
around Rs 4.75 lakh crore, reflecting the con-
tinued trust reposed on us by all our esteemed
clients.
"During the year, we successfully
completed the maiden buyback of equity
shares, in line with our aim to improve share-
holder value. Furthermore, in addition to the
special dividend of Rs 6 per share paid to our
equity shareholders during the year, we are
IN ASSOCIATION WITH
recommending a final dividend of Rs 28 per
share for the financial year 2023-24," compa-
ny's Chairman and Managing Director S N
Subrahmanyan said.
In a statement, the company said that for
the quarter ended March 2024, the profit after
tax (PAT) stood at Rs 4,396 crore, showing a
growth of 10 per cent year on year.
The company's board recommended a final
dividend of Rs 28 per equity share for the ap-
proval of shareholders.
L&T received orders worth Rs 3,02,812
crore at the group level during the year ended
March 2024, registering a growth of 31 per
cent.
Expect order inflows to
increase 10% in FY25: CFO
Larsen & Toubro Ltd expects order flows to
improve by around 10% in 2024-25 (Apr-
Mar), on a year-on-year basis, taking into
account expected disruptions throughout the
year, such as the ongoing General Election in
India and possible churns at the government
and bureaucracy, monsoons, and ongoing
geopolitical tensions, the management said
in a post-earnings media briefing on
Wednesday. The Mumbai-based infrastructure
and technology giant's Chief Financial Officer
R. Shankar Raman, during the briefing, said
that "clear momentum" for more request-for-
proposals, issued by governments and other
players to seek technical and financial bids
for projects especially in the infrastructure
segment, is expected in the second half of
the ongoing year, after all the current
disruptions in India are largely settled.
Shankar Raman also guided for revenue
growth of around 15% in the ongoing
financial year. He added that international
orders are not expected to fall in 2024-25.
From Coal to Clean:
India's Energy Renaissance
BY TEJI MANDI
S
ignificant changes are
underway in India's power
sector. While coal production is
increasing, rapid development is
taking place in renewable energy
sources such as solar and wind
energy. According to reports, for the
first time in FY24, the share of coal
in India's total installed electricity
generation capacity has fallen below
50%.
Let's understand what the declining
share of coal and the increasing
contribution of renewable energy
means for investors.
What's Happening?
The Council on Energy, Environment,
and Water (CEEW) stated on May 2,
2024, that there is a rapid
transformation in installed energy
capacity in India. In FY24, the share
of coal fell below 50% of India's
total installed capacity for the first
time, with the country's total
installed energy capacity reaching
441.97 gigawatts, of which 143.6
Thursday May 9, 2024
9
increased by 6.22% to reach 441.97
gigawatts compared to the previous
year.�
India’s Coal Production
Coal production in India increased
by 7.41% to 78.69 million tons (MT)
in April 2024, compared to 73.26
MT in the previous year. Coal
dispatch also increased from 80.23
MT to 85.10 MT (provisional).�
What Does This Mean
for Investors?
The changes occurring in India's
energy sector present several
opportunities for investors. Despite
the growth in coal production, the
rapid progress in the renewable
energy sector is attractive for
investors. This signals that India's

Sterlite Tech posts

�82 crore loss in Q4
Canara Bank Q4
profit rises 18%
Hero MotoCorp Q4 net profit gigawatts (32.5%) came from
renewable sources and 46.9
gigawatts (11%) from hydropower.
energy sector is moving towards
becoming more sustainable in the
future, prompting investors to start

rises 16.7% at �943.46 crore

This is a significant change looking for better companies in the

Broadband technology company Sterlite
Technologies on Wednesday reported a
consolidated loss of Rs 82 crore for the
fourth quarter ended March 2024, mainly
due to a dip in optical networking
business. The company had posted a
profit of Rs 63 crore a year ago. Its
consolidated revenue from operations
declined about 39 per cent to Rs 1,140
crore during the reported quarter from Rs
1,872 crore in the March 2023 quarter,
according to a regulatory filing.
Pidilite Industries Q4
PAT rises to �304 cr
Pidilite Industries, which makes
adhesives, sealants and construction
chemicals, has reported a 6.44 per cent
rise in consolidated profit after tax to Rs
304.28 crore in the fourth quarter ended
March 2024. The company posted a
consolidated Profit After Tax (PAT) of Rs
285.86 crore in the same quarter last
year. For the full 2023-24 fiscal, its PAT
stood at Rs 1,747 crore, which was 36
per cent higher compared to a year ago.
to �3,757 crore
PTI / New Delhi
State-owned Canara Bank on
Wednesday reported an 18 per
cent rise in net profit to Rs 3,757
crore during the fourth quarter
ended March 2024 on the back of
improvement in core income and
reduction in bad loans.
PTI / New Delhi
Two-wheeler maker Hero Moto-
Corp Ltd on Wednesday reported
a 16.7 per cent rise in consolidated
profit after tax to Rs 943.46 crore in
the fourth quarter ended on
March 31, 2024, riding on higher
sales. The company had posted a
consolidated profit after tax of Rs
810.8 crore in the same period a
year ago, Hero MotoCorp said in a
regulatory filing.
Consolidated revenue from op-
erations during the quarter under
review stood at Rs 9,616.68 crore as
against Rs 8,434.28 crore in the
corresponding period a year ago,
it added.
Hero MotoCorp said it sold
13.92 lakh units of motorcycles
and scooters in Q4 FY24 as against
12.70 lakh units in Q4 FY23.
Total expenses were higher at
Rs 8,427.36 crore in the fourth
quarter as compared to Rs 7,508.94
crore in the same period a year
ago. For the fiscal ended March 31,
2024, consolidated profit after tax
was at Rs 3,742.16 crore as com-
pared to Rs 2.799.9 crore in the pre-
vious fiscal.
Hero MotoCorp said it sold
56.21 lakh units of motorcycles
and scooters in FY24 as compared
to 53.29 lakh units in FY23.
"During the year, our focus on
product launches, network up-
grades and customer satisfaction
drove us to new heights. From the
highest number of product
launches to the expansion of new
format retail outlets and upgrade
at super speed, to a digital-first ap-
proach in premium, we set the
building blocks in place for accel-
erated growth in future," Hero
MotoCorp CEO Niranjan Gupta
said.
indicating that India is moving away renewable energy sector and
from coal rapidly and towards consider investment opportunities
renewable energy sources. with the right valuation.
Why is Electricity Demand What’s Next?
Rising in India? According to the CEEW-CEF report,
Electricity demand in India is India is taking its nationally
continuously rising, and according determined contributions (NDC) to
to the CEEW-CEF report, it reached a climate change seriously. In August
new high of 240 gigawatts in FY24. 2022, India officially informed the
Several reasons have been cited for United Nations that it would reduce
this growth, including rapid its GDP emission intensity by up to
economic development, below- 45% from 2005 levels by 2030.
average rainfall, above-normal
temperatures, and severe cold in
Additionally, India aims to meet
50% of its total electricity needs
northern India. through non-fossil fuel-based power
sources by 2030. However, the
India’s Power Sector same report also highlights that
There has been a notable increase India's maximum power demand
in India's total electricity production continued to rise steadily in FY24,
capacity. This year, the total capacity reaching a new high of 240 GWs.
Teji Mandi (TM Investment Technologies Pvt Ltd) is a SEBI registered Research
Analyst (RA). Information in this article should not be construed as
investment advice. Please visit www.tejimandi.com to know more.

Jupiter Wagons Q4 net

profit grows to �104 cr
Jupiter Wagons has posted an over two-
fold jump in its standalone net profit to
Rs 104.22 crore in the March quarter, on
account of higher income. It had
reported a net profit of Rs 40.78 crore in
the January-March period of the FY 22-
23, the company said in a statement on
Wednesday.
Westlife Foodworld Q4
PAT declines 96.2%
Westlife Foodworld Ltd, the owner-
operator of McDonald's restaurants
across West and South India, on
Wednesday reported a 96.2 per cent
decline in consolidated profit after tax
to Rs 76.35 lakh in the March quarter
due to higher expenses. The company
had posted a consolidated profit after
tax of Rs 20.09 crore in the same
quarter previous fiscal, Westlife
Foodworld Ltd (WFL) said in a
regulatory filing.
Kamdhenu Ventures
reports �4 cr PAT in Q4
Kamdhenu Ventures, a Kamdhenu Group
company, has turned profitable, posting
Rs 4.2 crore profit after tax (PAT) in the
March quarter, aided by higher
revenues. It posted a net loss of Rs 2.5
crore in the January-March period of
2022-23, the company said in a
statement on Wednesday.
Suraj Estate posts 2-fold
jump in PAT in FY24
City-based Suraj Estate Developers has
reported a more than two-fold jump in
its profit after tax to Rs 67.5 crore for
2023-24 compared to Rs 32 crore in the
previous year. Total income rose by 35
per cent to Rs 415.7 crore in FY24
compared to Rs 307.9 crore in the
previous year, according to a BSE filing.
Godrej Agrovet Q4 net
profit jumps to �65.48 cr
Godrej Agrovet (GAVL) on Wednesday
said its consolidated net profit jumped
to Rs 65.48 crore in the March 2024
quarter from Rs 23.47 crore a year ago.
Its total revenue from operations grew
1.87 per cent to Rs 2,134.28 crore
during the quarter under review
compared to Rs 2,094.99 crore in the
year-ago period.
Kirloskar Oil Engines Q4
PAT rises 26% to �128 cr
Engine oil maler Kirloskar Oil Engines
Limited on Wednesday reported a 26 per
cent growth in standalone net profit to
Rs 128 crore in the fourth quarter ended
March 2024. The Pune-based firm had
posted a consolidated net profit of Rs 94
crore in the fourth quarter of FY23,
according to a statement.
Sitharaman speaks with
US Treasury Secretary
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on
Wednesday spoke with US Treasury
Secretary Janet Yellen on international
taxation. "Union Finance Minister Smt.
@nsitharaman had a Telecon with US
Treasury Secretary Ms. Janet Yellen
@SecYellen, today. The two leaders held
cordial discussions on
#InternationalTaxation," the Finance
Ministry said in a post on X.
The Bengaluru-based lender
had earned a net profit of Rs
3,175 crore in the year-ago period.
During the quarter, the bank's
total income increased to Rs
34,025 crore as against Rs 28,685
crore a year ago, Canara Bank
said in a regulatory filing.
Interest income grew to Rs
28,807 crore during the period
under review from Rs 23,910
crore in the corresponding quar-
ter a year ago.
Net interest income of the
bank increased to Rs 9,580 crore
as against Rs 8,617 crore in the
same quarter a year ago.
HT Media posts
net loss of �31L
in Jan-Mar qtr
PTI / New Delhi
HT Media Ltd on Wednesday re-
ported a narrowing of consoli-
dated net loss to Rs 31 lakh in the
fourth quarter ended March 31,
2024. The company had posted a
consolidated net loss of Rs 20.73
crore in the same quarter of the
previous fiscal, HT Media said in
a regulatory filing. Consolidated
revenue from operations during
the quarter under review stood
at Rs 464.41 crore as compared to
Rs 441.4 crore in the correspon-
ding period a year ago.
Revenue from printing and
publishing of newspapers and
periodicals in the quarter was at
Rs 375.97 crore as compared to Rs
373.85 crore in the year-ago peri-
od, the company said.
The digital segment clocked
revenue of Rs 43.21 crore in
Q4FY24 as compared to Rs 31.63
crore in Q4FY23.
Zomato unveils
weather services
infrastructure
IANS / New Delhi
Zomato co-founder and CEO
Deepinder Goyal on Wednesday
unveiled India's first crowd-sup-
ported weather infrastructure,
which would provide localised,
real-time information on key
weather parameters such as tem-
perature, humidity, wind speed,
rainfall, and more.
Called weatherunion.com, it is
a proprietary network of over 650
on-ground weather stations. It is
currently available across 45
cities, and the company said that
it will be expanding this in other
cities very soon. "At Zomato, it
was crucial for us to have access
to precise and real-time weather
information to make the right
business decisions to serve our
customers better. Hence, we took
it upon ourselves to develop a so-
lution capable of empowering us
on this front," Goyal wrote on X.
BSE Jan-Mar quarter profit Tata Power net up 11% to �1,046 cr
grows 21% to �107 crore in Q4, declares 200% dividend
PTI / New Delhi
Leading stock exchange BSE on
Wednesday reported a 21 per cent
increase in net profit to Rs 107
crore for the March quarter.
In comparison, the bourse had
posted a net profit of Rs 88.6 crore
in the year-ago period.
The bourse's total income dou-
bled to Rs 548.36 crore in the Jan-
uary-March period of 2023-24
from Rs 271.5 crore registered in
the year-ago period, BSE said in a
filing to the National Stock Ex-
change (NSE).
The exchange has declared a fi-
nal dividend of Rs 15 per equity
share of face value of Rs 2 each.
This is subject to approval of
shareholders at the upcoming
annual general meeting.
In a statement, the BSE said it
has registered an 86 per cent
Rolls-Royce Unveils 2024 Cullinan Facelift TVS Motor Company net profit
SUVASIT SHRIVASTAVA / New Delhi
Rolls-Royce has unveiled the up-
dated Cullinan SUV, marking a
significant refresh six years after
its initial launch. The new updat-
ed model boasts refreshed styling,
an extensively overhauled interi-
or, updated technology, and a no-
table emphasis on providing ex-
tensive personalization options.
The latest iteration of the Rolls-
Royce Cullinan brings forth sig-
nificant updates to its exterior de-
sign. At the front, the SUV show-
cases newly styled LED daytime
running lights that now extend
seamlessly till the bumper, along-
side a reconfigured lower bumper
arrangement angled at the sides.
The grille receives a fresh look,
adorned with horizontal chrome
Bajaj Consumer to repurchase
shares at 11% premium
FPJ BUREAU / Mumbai
Smallcap FMGC company Bajaj
Consumer Care on Wednesday
announced a Rs 166.5 crore buy-
back of up to 57.41 lakh equity
shares through a tender offer at a
price of Rs 290 — a premium of
11% — against Wednesday's clos-
ing price of Rs 260, CNBC TV18
reported.
The board has approved a buy-
back of up to 57,41,000 equity
shares of the company, repre-
senting 4.02% of the total
number of equity shares, which
will be brought back from the eq-
uity shareholders as on the
record date, which will be
decided later.
The buyback offer size repre-
sents 19.25% and 20% of the ag-
gregate of the company's fully
paid-up equity capital and free re-
serves based on both the
financial statements of the com-
pany, respectively, for the finan-
year-on-year surge in net profit to
Rs 411 crore for the financial year
2023-24 from Rs 221 crore in FY23.
Also, the exchange recorded its
highest-ever revenues to Rs 1,618
crore, marking a growth of 70 per
cent from the preceding fiscal.
"We have created a strong port-
folio of businesses, a rapid pace
of innovation, and a strategy that
is well understood. Now it's time
to widen and deepen our existing
product offerings, and we feel
that we are on the right track,"
BSE MD and CEO Sundarara-
man Ramamurthy, said.
rises 15% to �387 crore in Q4
bars framing the top and bottom,
while a prominent protruding
edge beneath creates the illusion
of sitting atop plinth.
Notably, the grille now illumi-
nates for the first time, adding to
the vehicle's striking presence.
Along the side, a newly intro-
duced feature line extends from
the brake light to the middle of
the rear wheel, while the rear
valance adopts a sleek gloss black
cial year 2024. This is less than
25% of the aggregate of the total
paid-up capital and free reserves
of the company, Bajaj Consumer
said.
The timeline of the buyback
will be released later on.
Bajaj Consumer Care Ltd on
Wednesday reported a 12 per cent
decline in consolidated net profit
to Rs 35.58 crore for the fourth
quarter ended March 2024.
The company had posted a
consolidated net profit of Rs 40.46
crore in the same quarter of the
previous fiscal, Bajaj Consumer
Care said in a regulatory filing.
Its consolidated total revenue
PTI / New Delhi
Tata Power on Wednesday posted
an 11 per cent rise in its consoli-
dated net profit to Rs 1,046 crore
in the March quarter compared
to the year-ago period mainly on
the back of higher revenues.
The consolidated profit stood
at Rs 939 crore in the quarter end-
ed on March 31, 2023, a BSE filing
showed.
Total income of the company
rose to Rs 16.463.94 crore in the
quarter from Rs 13,325.30 crore in
the same period a year ago.
The consolidated net profit in
the fiscal year 2023-24 rose to a
record Rs 4,280 crore from Rs
3,810 crore in the year-ago period,
the company said in a statement.
Total income increased to Rs
63,272.32 crore in FY24 from Rs
56,547.10 crore in 2022-23.
finish and a distinct upward kick.
Completing the exterior en-
hancements, a revamped rear
bumper integrates a stainless-
steel skid plate, while the alu-
minium wheels receive a size in-
crease to 23 inches. Moreover, the
Cullinan Black Badge variant re-
ceives unique styling differentia-
tors, including black door han-
dles, colour-coded lower body-
work, and bespoke treatment for
the air intakes, further accentuat-
ing its distinct persona.
Among the notable interior en-
hancements, the standout feature
is the introduction of a full-width
glass panel spanning the dash-
board, featuring an illuminated
cityscape motif in front of the
passenger, reminiscent of the de-
sign seen in the Spectre model.
Reliance acquires
RCML for �314 cr
PTI / New Delhi
Reliance Industries Ltd on
Wednesday said it has acquired a
step-down subsidiary engaged in
the manufacture of petrochemi-
cals and hydrogen, for Rs 314.48
crore. In a stock exchange filing,
the firm said Reliance Chemicals
and Materials Ltd (RCML) is a
step-down wholly owned sub-
sidiary of the Company through
Reliance Projects & Property
Management Services Ltd
(RPPMSL).
"It is proposed to make RCML a
direct wholly owned subsidiary
and hence, the company has today,
at around 3:15 p.m., acquired a 100
per cent equity stake of RCML
from RPPMSL for an aggregate
consideration of Rs 314.48 crore,"
it said. RCML was incorporated in
India on November 2, 2022, to un-
dertake the business of manufac-
turing petrochemicals, vinyls, hy-
drogen & its derivatives, rare and
industrial gases, bio-energy prod-
ucts and carbon fibre.
According to the statement the
company's market capitalisation
has surpassed Rs 1.4 lakh crore..
The 2023-24 fiscal saw the com-
pany achieve its highest-ever rev-
enue and EBITDA at Rs 61,542
crore and Rs 12,701 crore respec-
tively, backed by a strong rising
share from core businesses of
Generation, Transmission & Dis-
tribution and Renewables, which
contributed 74 per cent to FY24
PAT compared to 44 per cent in
FY23.
PTI / New Delhi
TVS Motor Company on Wednes-
day said its consolidated net prof-
it increased 15 per cent to Rs 387
crore for the fourth quarter end-
ed March 2024, riding on robust
sales. The company had reported
a net profit of Rs 336 crore in the
January-March period of the
previous fiscal.
Revenue from operations rose
to Rs 10,042 crore in the period
under review compared with Rs
8,031 crore in the fourth quarter
of FY23.
In the fourth quarter, the com-
pany said its overall two-wheeler
and three-wheeler sales, includ-
ing exports, grew by 22 per cent to
Domestic automobile retail
sales surge 27% in Apr: FADA
PTI / New Delhi
Total vehicle retail sales in India
rose 27 per cent year-on-year to
22,06,070 units in April as all seg-
ments, including passenger vehi-
cles and two-wheelers, witnessed
growth, industry body FADA said
on Wednesday.
The overall vehicle registra-
tions stood at 17,40,649 units in
April 2023.
Passenger vehicle retail sales
rose 16 per cent to 3,35,123 units
last month as compared to
2,89,056 units in the same month
last year.
Similarly, two-wheeler regis-
trations increased 33 per cent to
16,43,510 units in April against
12,33,763 units in the same month
last year.
Commercial vehicle retail wit-
nessed a 2 per cent year-on-year
jump to 90,707 units in April.
Three-wheeler sales rose 9 per
cent year-on-year to 80,105 units
Tata Power plans
66% higher capex
at �20K cr in FY25
Tata Power has planned a 66
per cent higher capital
expenditure of Rs 20,000 crore
in this fiscal compared to a
year ago, which will mainly
focus on projects supporting
energy transition and India's
net-zero emission target by
2070.
During the year ended March
2024, the capex (capital
expenditure) was around Rs
12,000 crore, the company's
CEO Praveer Sinha said during
a post earnings conference call.
"This year we are targeting to
spend around Rs 20,000 crore,"
he said in reply to a question
on company's planned capex.
10.63 lakh units compared to 8.68
lakh units in the same period of
the 2022-23 fiscal. For the year
ended on March 31, 2024, the com-
pany posted a consolidated net
profit of Rs 1,686 crore as against
Rs 1,329 crore a year ago.
Revenue from operations rose
to Rs 39,145 crore in FY24 over Rs
31,974 crore in the 2022-23 fiscal.
The company said it recorded
its highest-ever revenue and prof-
it in FY24. TVS Motor also wit-
nessed record sales of over 40
lakh units in a financial year.
During the year ended March 31,
2024, its overall two- and three-
wheeler sales grew by 14 per cent
to 41.91 lakh units as against 36.82
lakh units in the 2022-23 fiscal.
while tractors witnessed growth
of 1 per cent at 56,625 units in
April.
"While some attribute this
growth to the shift in Navratri to
April instead of March last year,
the overall increase was signifi-
cant," the Federation of Automo-
bile Dealers Associations (FADA)
President Manish Raj Singhania
said.
The passenger vehicle
category experienced double-
digit YoY growth, supported by
enhanced model availability and
favourable market sentiments,
particularly around festive events
like Navratri and Gudi Padwa, he
noted.
 10
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Decor tips
AMRITHA K
Simple DIY face scrubs for the

radiant glow
Six easy ways to declutter
W
ith the plethora of

your messy bedroom beauty products

and cosmetics
around us, it’s easy to pick
over-the-counter beauty
Organize clutter
essentials for our skincare
bowls requirements. But with all 2 Aloe vera and ground rice ����������������
3
SAVITHA B Most bedrooms the chemical infusion inside DIY face scrub turmeric DIY face scrub
have one-off items like them, these products may
watches, earrings, Works for: Extra-sensitive skin, Works for: Combination
not guarantee skin-deep

T
books, and knickknacks. cleansing the skin. skin type, hydrates the
hink about nourishment and care. The
going to sleep in Use trays, bowls, Ingredients: 1/2cup of ground skin, removes dead skin
healthy alternative for the rice, 2 teaspoons of fresh aloe vera and impurities, and
a clean, clutter- and baskets to store same is the use of natural
free bedroom every jewellery, glasses, and liquid, 2 teaspoons of coconut oil, brings a radiant glow.
and organic products. and green tea leaves (optional).
night. Sleep hygiene other items out of sight. Ingredients:
Take homemade scrubs for 1/2cup almond flour,
is greatly aided by a Invest in storage instance. If you want to add
Method: Mix the given
peaceful environment, ingredients well and gently apply 1/2tablespoon turmeric
furniture that radiant glow to your powder, 1/2teaspoon
and a clean, clutter- them over the face. Message the
Built-in storage face then you can simply opt
free bedroom is skin and let the scrub work for cinnamon powder,
can save you space in for easy DIY face scrubs! To
one of those things. at least 5-10 minutes. Wash the 1 tablespoon honey,
ways you won’t expect. make these DIY face scrubs,
Did you know that scrub off with lukewarm water. 1/2teaspoon almond oil.
Having an upholstered you just need to gather a Watermelon
decluttering your bench at the end of few natural ingredients that
Pat the skin dry. Avoid using Method: Take a bowl and 5 6 Honey and lemon scrub
bedroom could help the bed not only gives may be available in your
soap or facewash to remove the mix all the ingredients and papaya DIY Works for: Oily or acne-
you sleep better? you a place to put on kitchen right now. Natural
scrub. to form a paste. Use the face scrub prone skin.
Here are some expert scrub on your face and Ingredients: 2 tablespoons
your shoes, but it can face scrubs help cleanse
body. Gently massage and
Works for: Dry/
tips to get started also hold extra linens, your face, hydrate it, combat combination skin of honey, 1 tablespoon
on decluttering the towels, or anything let the scrub work for skin type. of fresh lemon juice, 2
acne, fight clogged pores, and
bedroom. else you need. and skin-related issues. tablespoons of granulated
bring that radiant glow! Here
Remove the scrub using Ingredients: A
are 5 easy DIY face scrubs few watermelon sugar.
Bed comes first Keep a regular Sort by category cold or lukewarm water. Method: Mix all the
to get supple and beautiful chunks, a few
Make your bed decluttering schedule You can start with one Pat dry. ingredients together until
skin. You can use these papaya chunks,
before you do anything You’ll save time by category and tidy everything well combined. Apply the
scrubs on your body as well: 1/2cup ground
else in your bedroom. decluttering more often. within it. Clothing can be scrub to your face, gently
oats, and 1
This will then serve as Spend 30 minutes each week sorted into smaller groups 4Coffee and teaspoon of honey. massaging in circular
a surface for sorting decluttering your bedroom; and organized by group type. 1 Brown sugar face coconut oil DIY face motions for a few minutes.
and organizing things. you can do it all in one Sorting helps you declutter scrub Method: Blend
Rinse off with lukewarm
If you’ve got a bed, go or in three 10-minute differently.
scrub the papaya and
Works for: All skin watermelon water and pat dry. Lemon
why not make use of it sessions. Before you start, Throw it or donate it types, Removes dirt and Works for: Sensitive skin, juice may increase skin
rather than cramming prevents signs of aging. chunks to form
grab recycling bins, laundry After you’ve cleaned up, impurities. sensitivity to sunlight, so it’s
everything onto a small Ingredients: 1 tablespoon a paste and add
hampers, and a bin for you can put your stuff in Ingredients: 11/2 teaspoon best to use this scrub in the
area of the floor? coffee grounds, 1 tablespoon of other ingredients
miscellaneous stuff. a keep, donate, sell or bin brown sugar, 1 teaspoon evening.
coconut oil, or any oil (almond, to the paste. Use
pile. Ultimately, you should honey, 1 teaspoon of Coconut
jojoba, olive) of your choice. the scrub to apply 7 Oatmeal and yogurt
have an empty space to fill or Almond oil, 1 teaspoon
Method: Mix the above two
it to your face, DIY face scrub
back up with only the things of floral essential oil (rose, body, or both.
you love. You need enough lavender, or any oil of your ingredients to form a coarse Works for: All skin types,
paste. Apply the scrub to your Allow the scrub soothing and moisturizing.
room to put things in your favorite). to add a sense of
wardrobe without getting face or body. Wash it with Ingredients: 2 tablespoons
Method: Mix all the warm or lukewarm water. refreshment. Wash of ground oatmeal, 1
out of breath trying to stuff ingredients well and apply off with cold water
Pat dry. tablespoon of plain yogurt, 1
them in! the scrub to your face. Use and pat dry. teaspoon of honey.
small circular motions and
Digital detox zone exfoliate gently. Rinse Method: Mix the ground
Designate a specific area oatmeal, yogurt, and honey
with luke
within your bedroom for together to form a paste.
-warm
smart devices, ensuring they Apply the scrub to your face,
water
are kept away from the bed. avoiding the eye area. Leave
and pat
This separation helps create it on for 5-10 minutes, then
dry.
a conducive environment for gently massage in circular
relaxation and prevents the motions before rinsing off
disruption of sleep patterns with warm water. Pat dry for
caused by screen time. smooth, hydrated skin.

�����������������������tulsi and recipes

Tulsi powder
Crafted from
handpicked, meticulously KUMUTHA
Can ginger pulp
beat smelly feet?
washed, and sun-dried
����������������������������� tulsi leaves. The dried
leaves are ground in a

It eases the signs of
DR. MEDHA GUPTA the flu and the cold.
Ayurvedic
preparations of tulsi fight
D
Tulsi seeds
cyclotec grinder and oused in your
and leaves reduce expensive perfume, Step 1: Peel, dice and
vacuum-packed. Tulsi
blood levels of you walk into the grate 1 big piece of ginger.
powder has a longer
uric acid.

T
shelf life when stored in room, brimming with Using a teaspoon of water,
ulsi, or against malaria. Immunity
airtight containers. They confidence. You take a grind the ginger into a thick
Ocimum It mobilizes sputum booster.
come in handy all year. seat, stretch your legs puree.
sanctum, is a and mucus in chronic This is an
medicinal plant with bronchitis and asthmatics. They can be added to any out and invariantly the Step 2: Take a cup of
all-natural, risk- person sitting around water in a pan and heat it.
bountiful benefits. E. coli infections beverage for flavour and
free antifertility you edges away, making When the water comes to a
“Tulsi’ is the are susceptible to the health benefits.
medication. sniffing sounds! Is your boiling point, add the puree
Sanskrit word for the antibiotic properties of It has been Tulsi-kesar milk
Milk boiled with tulsi new perfume too strong, into the water and let it
“matchless one.” It is tulsi demonstrated
powder and cardamom. or are your stinky feet simmer for 10 to 15 minutes.
known as the “holy Antifungal that ursolic acid
It is flavorful and an burning their nostrils? Step 3: Turn off the heat.
basil” because it is a characteristics. inhibits sperm
immunity booster. Maybe it is time to take Strain the solution and let it
plant that is revered. Aqueous extracts are production and
Panch tulsi drops that dreaded sniff and cool down completely at room
It also goes by the capable of preventing prevents zygote
It is a concentrated find out. And if your feet temperature. Transfer the
names “Vishnu- viral encephalitis. implantation.
solution of five different indeed stinks, we suggest solution into an air-tight bottle
priya” and “Kala Properties that Ursolic acid
varieties of tulsi, namely you stock up on ginger
tulsi.” It is essential prevent diabetes. and oleanolic Ginger is
Vishnu-Priya, Basil Sweet- to treat the problem and store it in a dry place.
to the practice of Keeps the cholesterol acid have packed with antibacterial
Lemon, Rama Tulsi, Bisva of smelly feet! Before Step 4: Massage
Ayurvedic medicine. levels under control. anti-cancerous and antifungal properties that
Tulsi, and Kala tulsi. Use exploring the herbal foot the ginger pulp to
An antioxidant by properties and Tulsi recipes: mask using ginger, let’s kill the infection-causing bacteria, treat smelly feet.
Composition of tulsi nature; preserves the guard the DNA it as recommended. which in turn neutralises the bad
Tulsi water/ holy basil Tulsi kadha Conclusion: Tulsi explore the reasons Keep massaging
The compounds in the health of the skin. from radiation smell. Furthermore, ginger promotes
water for detox The is a great way to start behind smelly feet. until you feel
leaves include: Tulsi is known to damage. the production of dermcidin, a protein
This is the boiled medicinal drink your day. It weakens the Main culprit here is your skin become
Eugenol. significantly lower live Helpful in that controls sweat and prevents the
and cooled tulsi water. is made by body, flushes out toxins, tight boots, which slightly warm.
Ursolic acid. metabolites like ALT and reducing oedema growth of fungi on skin. To top it all off,
For best results, have boiling tulsi, and boosts immunity. means no ventilation Step 5: Put on
Oleanolic acid. AST, protecting and arthritis. ginger soaks the sweat right off, keeping
it on an empty stomach peppercorns, Tulsi is simple to grow at and that can only a thin pair of socks,
the liver. Dental
The oils in the seeds first thing in the cloves, green home and requires little mean stinky feet! Other your feet dry! So, without further and let the ginger
include: health: used as than that, poor personal ado, here is how to treat smelly feet
a natural mouth morning. cardamom, and maintenance. mask for smelly feet
Fatty acids. hygiene, hormonal naturally with the use of ginger!
freshener and Tulsi tea grated cinnamon sit overnight. The
Sitosterol. Tulsi tea is a much in pure water. imbalance, excessive solution easily soaks
mouthwash. stress and hyperhidrosis,
The roots contain: sought-after concoction This potent into the skin, without
3 tri-terpenes A, in the monsoons. concoction is etc., can all lead to stinky leaving any stain.
B, C. It is warm, tasty, known for its feet! About 1 out of 5 Step 6: In the morning,
Tulsi is a and nourishing. immune-boosting people reportedly is wash your feet with
versatile plant Ingredients like properties and is said to be suffering lukewarm water,
that is packed with ginger, cardamom, often consumed from foot odour and following it up by
bioactive substances black pepper, to alleviate ginger is fast becoming massaging with some
and serves a variety honey, mint, etc. can be symptoms of cold a go-to ingredient, and coconut oil to keep
of purposes. used for added benefits. and flu. here is why. your feet supple and

PRAVEEN KUMAR
M
alaria is a mosquito-borne
disease and children,
pregnant women and
travellers are more prone to the
disease. According to a 2017 WHO
report, India ranks fourth in
infections and deaths caused by
malaria. The female Anopheles
mosquito transfers Plasmodium
parasites from its saliva into the
person’s blood, which enters the
bloodstream and moves up to the
liver and starts reproducing. As
malaria is transmitted by blood, it
can also be transmitted through a
transfusion, an organ transplant,
and the use of shared syringes.
Some of the signs and symptoms
of malaria are kidney failure,
headache, diarrhoea, fatigue, body
aches, fever, nausea and vomiting,
sweating, seizures, shaking chills,
anemia and bloody stools. It
only takes a single mosquito bite
for a person to be infected. The
biggest risk factor for developing
malaria is living in or visiting
an infected zone. Poverty, lack
of knowledge and no access
to health care are primarily
responsible for malaria
deaths across the world.
Nine malaria complications you need to be aware of
Cerebral malaria Convulsions Splenic rupture Tips to prevent malaria
Cerebral malaria is a Convulsions can The spleen produces There is no vaccine
Acute respiratory be associated with
diffuse encephalopathy, antibodies against the available to prevent malaria.
that is, a disease of the distress syndrome (ARDS) cerebral malaria. malarial parasite, making However, you can consider the
ARDS occurs when fluid
brain that alters brain Convulsions it an important factor in the following steps to prevent the
builds up in the tiny air sacs called
function or structure. are described management of the infection. breeding of mosquitoes:
alveoli in your lungs. That is, ARDS
It can cause as a medical Enlargement of the spleen in While sleeping or travelling
causes the leakage of fluid into your lungs
seizures and status condition where people who have recurrent to malaria-prone areas, use
and affect your breathing.Malaria-associated
epilepticus in people body muscles cases of malaria is quite mosquito repellents.
acute respiratory distress syndrome or
with severe malaria. contract and common. Splenic rupture can Do not allow the water
MA-ARDS is one of the most common
In some cases, relax rapidly occur in patients with vivax to stagnate near your house
complications caused by malaria and has
cerebral malaria can and repeatedly, malaria, especially when they as they serve as the breeding
a reported lethality rate of up to 80
lead to paralysis. resulting in develop abdominal pain or ground for Anopheles
per cent, despite anti-malarial
Cerebral uncontrolled shock. mosquitoes.
treatment. This complication
malaria is actions of the Low sugar levels Wear full-sleeve clothes to
causes respiratory Electrolyte/Fluid Blackwater fever
the most body. In people One of the other major keep the mosquitoes away from
common
distress/breathing
with malaria, imbalance Blackwater
problems. Individuals affected fever is a complications caused by biting you.
cause of convulsions are malaria infection is low sugar Note: People with malaria
by malaria can become complication of
death in more often a result of malaria infection in levels. This happens as the who receive treatment have
salt deprived due to
patients cerebral dysfunction. which the red blood malaria parasites depend on a good long-term outlook.
excessive loss of fluid
suffering Hemolysis cells burst in the glucose as a nutrient source. However, in the case of
through sweating or
from The malarial parasite bloodstream, that Acute renal failure (ARF) the development of the
vomiting or due to
malaria. can destroy the red is hemolysis, and Acute renal failure (ARF) aforementioned complications,
its decreased intake.
blood cells completely. Electrolyte disturbance causes the release is commonly reported in the outlook may not be as
This can lead to is known to be the of haemoglobin people with severe malaria good. Talk to your doctor about
hemolysis which is the common complication directly into the infection. Malarial ARF is long-term prevention and adopt
rupture or destruction of in severe malaria, which blood vessels and commonly found in non- preventive measures such as
the red blood cells (RBC). also acts as an indicator into the urine, immune adults and older covering your skin in mosquito
Sometimes the haemoglobin for the severity of leading to kidney children with falciparum repellents and wearing full-
released by the damaged RBCs disease. failure. malaria. sleeved clothes.
can enter the kidneys and can cause
kidney failure. Disclaimer: The Free Press Journal bears no responsibility for the content that appears on this page.
 ��������actor R Gelder’s demise was confirmed by his husband, Ben Daniels, who shared the
Ian Gelder
11
heartbreaking announcement on social media. In a post on Instagram, Daniels
expressed his profound grief, stating, “It is with huge huge sadness and a heavy
passes away heart broken into a million pieces that I’m leaving this post to announce the passing of
my darling husband and life partner Ian Gelder.” Daniels revealed that Gelder had been
at 74 mailcame
battling bile duct cancer since December, and his passing us atswiftly.
>> desk@thegoan.net
—ANI

IN ASSOCIATION WITH � MUMBAI | THURSDAY | MAY 9,log

2024
on to thegoan.net @thegoanonline Facebook.com/thegoan The Goan E-Paper (Playstore/IOS) Thursday May 9, 2024

Alia Bhatt
again KAPOOR AWKWARD
subjected to
deepfake as
video
BAHU IN confessions
TROUBLE
Jason Shah reveals he was
morphs her A still from Heeramandi
nervous while shooting same-sex
intimate scene in ����������
onto
Wamiqa
AGAIN
SAGARIKA CHOUDHARY of chatter of late over Bhansali and his foul
temper. And while Jason agrees that a part of

Gabbi ctor Jason Shah recently grabbed eye- it is indeed true, he justifies it by calling the

CJ DESK
A balls with his portrayal of the British
officer Cartwright in Sanjay Leela
Bhansali’s magnum opus Heera-
filmmaker a ‘perfectionist’. “There are defi-
nitely issues. I won’t get into details because I
am on a contract. The only thing I can say is
mandi. In a candid chat with ���� everyone is extreme when they’re a perfectionist.

B
ollywood
actress
Alia
Bhatt,
who is making
headlines because
of her stunning
appearance at Met
Gala 2024, once
again became a
victim of deepfake.
A post has been do-
ing the rounds in
which Alia’s face
has been morphed
and placed on ac-
tress Wamiqa Gabbi’s body. This comes
days after several other celebrities includ-
ing Rashmika Mandanna, Ranveer Singh,
Katrina Kaif, Nora Fatehi, Aamir Khan
and Kajol fell prey to the technology’s mis-
use. For those unversed, Wamiqa had
shared a post on her Instagram account on
April 27 in which she was seen wearing a
red saree with a sleeveless blouse which
featured a plunging neckline. In the post,
the actress is seen striking different poses
and Chamkila song Pehle Lalkare Naal
Main Dar Gai plays in the background.
However, a couple of days back, the deep-
fake video was shared by a user named
‘Unfixface’ on Instagram and it went viral
within no time.
Soon after the AI-generated video sur-
faced, netizens slammed the user and
many questioned if doing this is legal.
Some of them also expressed concern over
deepfake technology.
“Is this legal?? U r using alia’s face,” a
user commented. Another wrote, “This is
the actual video of Wamiqa
Gabi. They replaced it with Alia’s face us-
��������������������he opened up Some are extreme in their religion, some are ex-
on working with the ace filmmak- treme in their work. And whenever you are ex-
er, doing a same-sex intimate treme in something, your expectations in that
scene, his journey in Bol- space are held very high,” he states.
lywood, and more. A particular scene of Jason getting inti-
“I was quite sur- mate with co-actor Indresh Malik in
prised when the op- Heeramandi has gone viral, and the actor
portunity to be a part says that both of them were quite nerv-
of Heeramandi ous while shooting it. “I knew it will be
came through,” Ja- shot very aesthetically and it won’t look
son shares, adding vulgar in any way as this was Bhansali. I
that once the initial was quite nervous but the scene be-
feeling sunk in, he tween Indresh and me was all profes-
decided to work sional. Even though we were both quite
hard to justify the nervous, I think we eventually worked
role given to him. into it,” he shares.
ing AI.” “I have played Jason has been a part of showbiz for
Alia is yet to react to the fake many over-the-top several years now, but the actor seems
post being attributed to her. and aggressive to have not gotten his due in the in-
This is not the first time that characters, so dustry as of yet. “I think it is proba-
Alia has become a victim of this time, I bly because of the fact that we are in
the deepfake menace. In No- just wanted to India, but I look like a foreigner. It
vember 2023, a morphed post keep it sub- would have happened a long time ago
of the actress went viral in tle. I didn’t had I had the chocolate boy looks
which she can be seen making want to look like I and I could have already bagged a
obscene gestures. had six-pack abs, a hero’s role due to the amount of
In the post which is doing very typical Baywatch hardwork I do. It is probably be-
the rounds on the internet, a looking boy, as I was cause of the way I look that I’ve been given
girl with her face swapped playing a police offi- a very certain space, but I hope that will
with that of Alia can be seen cer and these change going ahead,” he says.
grooving to music and making men probably He adds that he has no regrets in his
obscene gestures on camera were quite career so far because everything has
wearing a short floral dress. high on the been a learning experience for him. “It
While the post is being cir- alcohol. doesn’t matter if I get small charac-
culated using the Gan- So, I ate ters, big characters, positive or nega-
gubai Kathiawadi ac- two burgers tive roles, but it’s the learning that
tress’ name, one can just before my counts. My years in TV taught me so
clearly make out shirtless shot to much. I’ve gotten good response from
that the clip look slightly bloat- people of all age groups. So, I feel
has been mis- ed,” he reveals. blessed. It has been a beautiful jour-
chievously There has been a lot ney,” he concludes.
edited.

PICS: VARINDER CHAWLA

CAUGHT ON CAM Celebs were snapped as they

Embracing empathy
ROHIT BHATNAGAR is Srikanth’s driving force were out and about in Mumbai
and of course, the love of his

G
lorified biopics are a life. Srikanth returns to India

thing. The set recipe
of an underdog ris-
ing from the ashes
and conquering the
world is what
our filmmak-
ers have been
trying and
banking on.
For a fact, biog- FILM
raphical repre-
sentations of
REVIEW
sportsmen drive
through the tested and for-
mulaic narrative and turn
out to be a safe bet commer-
cially. But with Srikanth,
things are way different and
that’s why it stands out
amongst the crowd.
Filmmaker Tushar Hi-
ranandani of Saand Ki
Aankh and Scam 2003 fame
attempts to highlight the jour-
ney of a blind man, who, to-
day, is a famous businessman
of our country. The film jour-
neys from his birth, to his
rise, and surprisingly takes
through his downfall too. The
entire second half is realistic
and doesn’t have a run-of-the-
mill approach. Srikanth’s
fears, insecurities, arrogance
and the inability to handle
success and his bank balance
over sympathy
Ishaan Khattar
to set up his own business. Kriti Sanon and Nora
Ravi Mantha (Sharad Kelkar) looks cool in red
supports his vision and joins
Fatehi pose for
co-ord set as she our shutterbugs
forces with him as an in-
vestor. Rest is definitely histo-
snapped in as they spotted
ry but the film is a lot more. Bandra in suburbs
Rajkummar Rao is back and
how, he is just so phenome-
nal! Not even for a second will
he make you think that he is
enacting a real person who is
blind by birth. It takes only a
second to go wrong but Ra-
jkummar is captivating
throughout. Jyotika is to
watch out for her portrayal of
Devika. She is sharp, convinc-
ing and honest. Sharad plays
his part so well — his rich
and famous look works in the
favour of the film. Alaya F,
however, has the least screen
time but she carries off her
TITLE: �������� part with authenticity.
are the key points DIRECTOR: Tushar immense potential Srikanth is that rare biopic
of the film. Hiranandani in him and helps which might not be in the
Srikanth Bolla CAST: Rajkummar him to achieve his commercial race but has its
(Rajkummar Rao) Rao, Alaya F, goals. The two even heart in the right place. It’s a
enters this colour- Jyotika, Sharad go against the edu- biopic that comes once a
ful world with no Kelkar and others cation system. Post year, perhaps, a completely
vision but contin- WHERE: Releasing their victory in In- experimental one. This is by
ues to fight against on May 10 in dia, Srikanth flies far Tushar’s best as a film-
all the odds right theatres off to Boston for maker. Laced with purity,
from his school. RATING: ���� further studies. morality, righteousness,
Devika (Jyotika), a Swathi (Alaya F), Srikanth needs empathy and
school teacher sees a medical student not sympathy.

25 years of
A still from Sarfarosh

��������� CJ DESK Aamir

amir Khan is in- Khan’s
A deed one of the
biggest and
finest superstars
����������to
commemorate will see director John Matthew Matthan and music
director Lalit Pandit, Mukesh Rishi, Naseeruddin
of the nation, who 25th anniversary Shah, Makarad Deshpandey, Nawazuddin Siddiqui,
has delivered some of the Rajesh Joshi, Smita Jaykar, Manoj Joshi, Upasna 12th Fail
greatest hits of all time.
with special Singh, Surekha Sikri, Akhilendra Mishra and Akash fame actress
Navya Naveli Avneet
screening in Nanda is all Kaur
One among many is his Khurana and many more. Medha Shankr
1999 release, Sarfarosh, The cast and crew members will be felicitated smiles as she strikes a
which celebrated its 25th an-
Mumbai and will be encouraged to share their
looks pretty in
pose as
smart casuals spotted at the
niversary on 30th April. Marking the memories and trivia attached as she she
launch of her
occasion, a special screening of the film to the film. snapped in spotted in
will be held in Mumbai that will be at- Along with the�team, fans store in Bandra Bandra
Andheri
tended by Aamir Khan himself, along can also be a part of
with his co-star Sonali Bendre and the screening
other team members. as they will
The special screening of Sar- have a
farosh will be organised chance to
on Friday in Mum- win tick-
bai. The ets to the
screening premiere.

log on to thegoan.net
Champions League underdogs
Dortmund beat PSG to reach �nal
HUMMELS NETS LONE GOAL TO HELP SIDE BOOK A SPOT AFTER 11 YEARS
FINAL RESULT
›Paris Saint-Germain 0 Borus-
sia Dortmund 1 (M Hummels 50’)
›Borussia Dortmund advance 2-0
on aggregate
AGENCIES
PARIS
Mats Hummels headed in the
only goal as Borussia Dort-
mund stunned Kylian Mbappe
and Paris Saint-Germain in its
Champions League semi�nal
second leg on Tuesday, win-
ning 1-0 on the night and ad-
vancing 2-0 on aggregate to
next month’s �nal at Wemb-
ley.
Hummels struck �ve min-
utes into the second half at the
Parc des Princes and PSG was
unable to muster a response,
the home side all out of luck
as it hit the woodwork four
times in total.
Dortmund, which sits ��h
in the German Bundesliga,
was never expected to go so
far and will be underdogs in
the June 1 showpiece regard-
less of whether it faces its
old rivals Bayern Munich or
Real Madrid as they meet on
Wednesday.
It will be the �rst �nal since
2013 when, remarkably, the
match was also played at Wem-
bley and Jurgen Klopp’s Dort-
mund team lost to Bayern.
Hummels played in that �-
nal and here, 11 years later,
he was the hero as Dortmund
built on the advantage given
to them by Niclas Fuellkrug’s
goal in the �rst leg.
The story of this semi�-
nal, however, is just as much
about PSG’s failure in anoth-
AIFF ex-committee approves
federation’s PoSH Policy
PTI
NEW DELHI
Rocked by allegations of
physical assault against its
executive member Deepak
Sharma, the All India Football
Federation on Wednesday
approved and implemented
the AIFF Prevention of Sexu-
al Harassment (PoSH) Policy
with immediate e�ect.
The decision was arrived at
by the AIFF executive commit-
tee, following thorough delib-
erations and careful consider-
ation, the federation said in
a statement. The AIFF PoSH
Policy, which is based on the
PoSH Act 2013, is aimed at en-
suring a safe and inclusive en-
vironment within the football
community.
It has been cra�ed and vet-
ted by the AIFF legal team.
The decision comes weeks
a�er allegations of physical
abuse against Sharma. The
executive committee member
who is also the owner of Him-
achal Pradesh-based football
club Khad FC was accused
St Anthony SC Marna Young Blood reign supreme in Seraulim Parish Youth Assn
Siolim enter �nals
THE GOAN I NETWORK
MARGAO
St Anthony SC Marna Siolim se-
cured their spot in the �nal by
defeating United Club of Verna
with a commanding 2-0 victory
in the 26th Holy Cross inter-vil-
lage football tournament held
at Vodlemoll Kakoda.
From the onset, both Siolim
and Verna displayed an ag-
gressive style of play, opting
for long shots in their quest to
take the lead. Marna’s relent-
less e�orts included some im-
pressive strikes from long dis-
tance, challenging the Verna
goalkeeper who managed to
de�ect their attempts. Verna,
however, came close to break-
ing the deadlock when Cyrus
Noronha found the back of
the net, only to be ruled o�-
side, leaving the score tied at
0-0 at hal�ime.
The second half witnessed
even more drama as both
@thegoanonline Facebook.com/thegoan
Paris Saint-Germain’s French forward Kylian Mbappe (R) and Dortmund’s German defender
Mats Hummels (L) �ght for the ball during the UEFA Champions League semi-�nal second leg
football match, at the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris.
MARCHING INTO FINAL
� Hummels struck �ve minutes into the second half at the
Parc des Princes and PSG was unable to muster a response,
the home side all out of luck as it hit the woodwork four
times in total
er crunch knockout tie in the and had been hoping to play
competition. his last game for the club in
It has still never won the the June 1 �nal.
trophy despite all the money Instead PSG will be le� to
invested by the Qatari owners re�ect on how it failed to get
since the 2011 takeover, and its hands on the biggest tro-
there will be no dream send- phy of all during Mbappe’s
o� for Mbappe. seven years at his hometown
He will leave when his con- team.
tract expires a�er this season PSG’s last two semi�nal ap-
The decision comes weeks U-17 women’s football team,
after allegations of physical Ambrose, was sacked for sexu-
al misconduct by the Supreme
abuse against executive Court-appointed Committee of
committee member Sharma Administrators (CoA) which
was accused by two women was handling the day-to-day
footballers of physically a�airs of AIFF back then.
assaulting them in a On the implementation of
drunken state in Goa the policy, AIFF acting secre-
tary general M Satyanarayan
said, “The need for a PoSH pol-
by two women footballers of icy exclusively for the AIFF sta�
physically assaulting them was much needed. We have
on the night of March 28 in a dra�ed this by taking policies
drunken state. Following the as per the PoSH Act of 2013 and
incident, Sharma was arrest- the policies in a few other or-
ed by Goa Police and was later ganisations as well and incor-
released on bail. porated them into our policy.
In another case, a woman “Our PoSH policy has been
employee at the AIFF head- designed in a way that it can be
quarters here had lodged a altered and adapted as we go for-
“verbal” complaint of “har- ward. Along with this, we have
assment” against a male col- also planned to have an expert
league. The woman, however, on the PoSH policy to address
did not press a formal charge. our sta� at least three times a
Before that there was also year to keep reminding them
the Alex Ambrose sexual har- of it.” “It is essential, especial-
assment case that created crisis ly for our junior and women’s
in Indian football less than two teams. We feel it is necessary for
years ago. The incident came to all stakeholders in various po-
fore in July 2022 when the assis- sitions to be fully aware of the
tant head coach of the Indian PoSH policy,” he said.
Consua prevail THE GOAN I NETWORK
MARGAO
teams intensi�ed their attack- Young Blood Seraulim pre-
ing maneuvers, relentlessly vailed over Active Youth Soc-
pressuring their opponents’ cobhatt Per Seraulim 4-2 via
defenses. Despite Marna’s the tie-breaker to li� the In-
continued barrage of long- ter-Seraulim U-16 Football
range shots, they were repeat- Cup, at Panchayat ground,
edly thwarted by the resilient Seraulim.
UC Verna goalkeeper, keeping Active Youth Soccobhatt took
the scoreline level. the lead in the 11th minute of
The breakthrough for Si- the �rst half when Prason Man-
olim �nally came with a well- dol’s powerful well placed shot
placed shot from Dalesh Ped- from a 20-yard distance took
nekar, sending the crowd into the goalkeeper by surprise.
a frenzy of cheers. Buoyed by Crossing over, Young
their �rst goal, Siolim con- Blood Seraulim entered the
tinued to press forward, and �eld with renewed ideas and
their e�orts were rewarded scored at the very start of
once again, this time with Ma- the second half when Elijah
yuresh Naik �nding the net Gomes took a shot from the
with a precise strike from the center which was misjudged
lower corner. by both the defender as well
Despite Verna’s valiant as the goal keeper to give Ac-
e�orts to stage a comeback tive Youth the much required
in the dying minutes of the equaliser to make it 1-1.
match, Siolim’s defense held Both teams tried hard to
�rm, securing their passage �nd the winning goal and
to the �nal of the prestigious the ball was seen rolling from
tournament. one end to the other. Since no
The Goan E-Paper (Playstore/IOS)
pearances both came during
the pandemic, meaning this
was the �rst time it had hosted
a match at this stage of a Eu-
ropean competition with fans
in 29 years, since losing to AC
Milan in 1995.
It was the favourite to reach
its �rst Champions League
�nal since 2020, despite the
defeat in Dortmund six days
earlier.
Woodwork to rescue
Luis Enrique’s team had
won 2-0 at home against the
same opponents in the group
stage and was safe in the
knowledge that a repeat of
BHAUSAHEB BANDODKAR MEMORIAL TROPHY
Sesa FA score comfortable win over Cortalim Villagers
Sporting Clube de Goa get better of Mumbai City FC in empathic ��� win
THE GOAN I NETWORK
PANAJI
Sesa Football Academy se-
cured a comfortable 2-0 win
over Cortalim Villagers SWSC
in the inaugural editon of
the Bhausaheb Bandodkar
Memorial Trophy, organized
by GFA at Duler Stadium on
Wednesday.
Shridarnath and Beckham
Singh scored the goals for the
winners.
The match was even
throughout the �rst session.
Cortalim Villagers started the
match brightly, controlling
the mid�eld and creating ear-
ly goal-scoring opportunities.
However, the turning point
of the match arrived in the
�rst half stoppage time when
Cortalim Villagers’ goalkeep-
er, Francis Vincent, received
a red card for a handball out-
side his penalty area, reduc-
ing his team to ten men.
Sesa FA capitalised on their
numerical advantage in the
second half, scoring twice to
INDIVIDUAL AWARDS
›Best player: Prason Mandal (Active Youth Soccobhatt)
›Best goalkeeper: Ansal Barreto (Young Blood Seraulim)
›Best striker: Ishtiyat Mohd (Active Youth Soccobhatt)
›Best defender: Elijah Gomes
›First scorer of the �nals: Prason Mandal
›Best mid�elder: Shakshan Shanker (Young Blood Seraulim)
›Most discipline team: Cameroon Boys
more goals were scored a�er a
fast pace attacking game the
tie-breaker system had to be
Instagram.com/thegoanonline
that performance would be
enough.
The PSG coach made one
major selection decision,
dropping Bradley Barcola and
bringing in Portuguese striker
Goncalo Ramos. That meant
moving Mbappe out of a cen-
tral position and onto the le�
wing.
Dortmund would have been
bracing itself for an onslaught
from kick o�, but that did not
transpire.
Mbappe took only seven
minutes to produce his �rst at-
tempt, yet his volley was eas-
ily saved by Dortmund goal-
keeper Gregor Kobel.
The host had most of the
possession but struggled to
get Mbappe into the game,
with the France captain o�en
looking isolated on the wing.
In fact it was Dortmund
who had the best chance of
the �rst half, when Karim Ad-
eyemi led a counterattack be-
fore seeing his shot saved by
Gianluigi Donnarumma.
It felt as though the host
needed to change something or
risk going out with a whimper.
It should have been ahead
two minutes a�er the re-
start, when Ramos touched
on a ball driven into the
box by Mbappe, but Warren
Zaire-Emery somehow con-
trived to hit the post from
close range.
That was to prove crucial
as Dortmund struck moments
later.
PSG cheaply conceded a
corner, and Julian Brandt’s re-
sulting delivery from the Dort-
mund right winger was head-
ed in by Hummels.
Players of Sesa FA and Cortalim Villagers in action at Duler
Stadium, Mapusa.
claim all three points.
Sesa FA wasted no time ex-
ploiting their newfound ad-
vantage in the second half.
In the 54th minute, Shridhar-
nath Dyaneshwar tapped the
ball in from a Beckham Singh
corner, putting his side ahead.
Just three minutes later,
adopted and Young Blood Ser-
aulim proved better shooters.
In the tie-breaker, Elijah
May 25 to be recognised as World
Football Day: UN General Assembly
PTI
UNITED NATIONS
Soccer fans around the world
will now have a day to cele-
brate the world’s most popu-
lar sport every year May 25.
The United Nations General
Assembly adopted a resolu-
tion Tuesday proclaiming May
25 as World Football Day. The
sport is called football outside
of the United States.
The 193-member General As-
sembly adopted the resolution
by consensus with a bang of
the gavel by its president, Den-
nis Francis, to applause from
diplomats in the assembly
chamber. It was co-sponsored
by more than 160 countries.
Libya’s U.N. Ambassador
Taher El-Sonni, who intro-
duced the resolution, told the
assembly, Football or soccer
as others call it is t he num-
ber one game played and fol-
lowed around the globe.
But he stressed that soccer is
more than just a game played
Brazil’s bid to host the Women’s
World Cup tops European rival
AGENCIES
MEXICO
The world football governing
body bid report came ahead
of the vote at the 74th FIFA
Congress in Bangkok on May
17, which will decide where
the next Women’s World Cup
will be held.
Last week, Mexico and the
United States withdrew from the
2027 race to focus their e�orts
on hosting the 2031 tournament.
Based on the results of the
technical evaluation, the Bra-
Beckham Singh doubled Sesa
FA’s lead with a brilliant solo
e�ort. He dribbled past the
Cortalim Villagers defense be-
fore �ring a shot past the goal-
keeper to extend his team’s
lead.
Despite being a man down,
Cortalim Villagers almost
Gomes, Sakshan Shanke
and Elijah Gomes scored for
Young Blood Seraulim. Active
Youth scored through Istiyat
Mohamed and Manglash Ban-
nikappa’s shot was saved by
the keeper.
The following prizes were
awarded in the presence of
Chief Guest Sister Ria, Braz
Fernandes, Jose Martins, Jilu
Domingos Fernandes, Ruban
Da Costa, Pio Vales and Poli-
carpo Cruz.
mail us at >> sports@thegoan.net
The day marks the 100th
anniversary of the �rst
international soccer
tournament in history with
the representation of all
regions which took place
on May 25, 1924 during the
summer Olympic games
held in Paris, according to
the resolution
by all ages on streets, in villag-
es, schools and courtyards for
fun and in competitions.
zil bid received the highest
overall average score of 4.0
out of 5, followed by the BNG
bid with 3.7.
“The Bid Evaluation Task
Force has determined that
both bids qualify for consider-
ation by the FIFA Council and
the FIFA Congress, as both
bids have exceeded the min-
imum requirements for host-
ing the FIFA Women’s World
Cup 2027 in the technical eval-
uation,” FIFA said in a press
release.
“Both bids can therefore be
pulled a goal back through
Velroy Carvalho. However,
Sesa FA’s skipper, Roanal
Gaunkar, produced a diving
save to deny Carvalho and
preserve the clean sheet.
Sporting Clube de Goa,
the reigning Goa Pro League
champions, began their cam-
paign in emphatic fashion,
crushing Mumbai City FC 4-0.
In the 11th minute, Lloyd
Cardozo unleashed a pow-
erful shot that the Mumbai
goalkeeper parried away.
However, the clearance fell
fortuitously to Rohan Rod-
rigues, who capitalized on
the error by heading the ball
home to give the Goan out�t a
well-deserved lead.
Sporting Clube doubled
their advantage before half-
time through another goal
from Cardozo. This time, the
proli�c forward displayed his
clinical �nishing by tapping
in a cross from Kunal in the
35th minute, sending his team
into the break with a com-
manding 2-0 lead.
THE GOAN I NETWORK
MARGAO
Parish Youth Association Con-
sua edged past Panchawadi
United Sports Club 2-1 in the
GFA U-17 Division 2 League,
at Cansaulim Sports Complex,
on Wednesday.
Parish Youth set the tone
from the opening whistle and
their forwards pressed show-
casing their aggressive intent
and Janu Yadav delivered with
style in the 15th minute.
Panchawadi upped the
ante and intensi�ed a�er the
change ends and in the 55th
TODAY’S ACTION
›Bhausaheb Bandodkar Memorial Trophy: FC Goa vs Dempo SC,
Duler Stadium, 4 pm; Panjim Footballers vs Kerala Blasters FC, Duler
Stadium, 7:30 pm
›GFA U-19 League: Penha De France SC vs Sesa FA, Sirsaim ground,
4:15 pm
12
Thursday May 9, 2024
Because of its unparal-
leled position in the world of
sports, El-Sonni said, football
serves as a universal language
spoken across the globe, cut-
ting across national, cultural
and socio-economic barriers.
He said the game has be-
come a pivotal platform
championing gender equality
and social inclusion, a com-
mon ground where individu-
als from varying backgrounds
converge, promoting mutual
understanding, tolerance, re-
spect and solidarity.
considered by the FIFA Coun-
cil for submission to the FIFA
Congress ahead of the �nal
vote to select the host(s) of
the FIFA Women’s World Cup
2027,” it added.
According to the report,
Brazil’s bid o�ers good sta-
diums, having already host-
ed the 2021 World Cup. The
country’s football associa-
tion (CBF) and the Brazilian
government have also shown
their support for the bid and
their commitment to hosting
the event.
The second half was a
one-sided a�air as Sporting
Clube continued to dictate the
tempo of the game. Mumbai
City FC, missing several key
players, struggled to create
any clear-cut opportunities in
attack.
Biswa Darjee further ex-
tended Sporting Clube’s lead
in the 52nd minute with a
moment of individual bril-
liance. He received the ball
on the edge of the box a�er
Lloyd Mascarenhas intercept-
ed a move by Mumbai. Biswa
unleash a curling e�ort that
found the top corner, leaving
the Mumbai City goalkeeper
with no chance.
Darjee completed his brace
deep into stoppage time, dis-
playing his aerial prowess
by heading home a pinpoint
cross from Rohan Rodrigues.
This goal sealed a compre-
hensive 4-0 victory for Sport-
ing Clube de Goa and sent a
strong message to their Bhau-
saheb Bandodkar Trophy
competitors.
minute Shreyash Gaunkar
neutralised the lead when he
drilled past the rival defender.
Parish Youth launched a
barrage of attacks in the in-
jury time turning up the heat
against Panchwadi United.
Natiq Mohammed Shaik �-
nally found his well-deserved
goal a�er missing opportuni-
ties in the �rst half as his shot
found the roof of the net in the
80 plus 4 minute.
Panchawadi United tried
their level best to get back in
the match but their strikers’
lacked sharpness and fum-
bled with most of the chances.

log on to thegoan.net
INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE >>
Sunrisers Hyderabad show
opponents no remorse
HEAD, ABHISHEK BLOW AWAY LSG BOWLERS WITH 10-WICKET WIN
BRIEF SCORE
›Sunrisers Hyderabad 167 for 0
(Head 89*, Abhishek 75*) beat
Lucknow Super Giants 165 for 4
(Badoni 55*, Pooran 48*, Bhu-
vneshwar 2-12) by ten wickets
PTI
HYDERABAD
The remorseless domination
of Travis Head and Abhishek
Sharma, who carved light-
ning fast ��ies, helped Sun-
risers Hyderabad mount the
fastest chase of a 160-plus tar-
get en route their convincing
10-wicket win over Lucknow
Super Giants in the IPL match
here on Wednesday.
Chasing a modest target
of 166, Head (89 not out, 30
balls, 8x4, 8x6) and Sharma
(75 not out, 28 balls, 8x4, 6x6)
toyed with LSG bowlers, �nd-
ing boundaries and sixes at
will to canter home in just 9.4
overs.
The win propelled SRH to
the third position in the stand-
ings with 14 points from 12
games, while LSG are strug-
gling at the sixth spot with 12
points from the same number
of matches.
The result also meant that
�ve-time champions Mumbai
Indians, currently ninth with
eight points from 12 matches,
are out of the play-o� race.
The dance of destruction
by Head and Sharma even
le� the legendary Sachin Ten-
dulkar gushing.
“A destructive opening
partnership would be an un-
Neeraj to compete in India for �rst
time in 3 years at Federation Cup
PTI
NEW DELHI
Olympic and world champion
javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra
will compete at home for the
�rst time in three years a�er
con�rming participation in
the National Federation Cup
to be held in Bhubaneswar
from May 12 to 15.
The 26-year-old superstar
is expected to travel to India
from Doha a�er opening his
season in the �rst leg of the
prestigious Diamond League
series on May 10.
“As per entries @Neeraj_
chopra1 and Kishore Kumar
Jena will compete in domestic
competition starting May 12 in
Bhubaneshwar,” the Athletics
Federation of India tweeted.
Chopra’s coach Klaus Bar-
tonietz also con�rmed to PTI
that his ward is taking part in
the Bhubaneswar event.
High hopes from Aman Sehrawat at last
Olympic Qualifying event in Istanbul
PTI
ISTANBUL
The immensely-talented Aman
Sehrawat and the experienced
Deepak Punia will be followed
keenly when they take to the
mat to lock the men’s freestyle
quotas for Paris Olympics at
the World Quali�ers beginning
here on Thursday.
It is the last event to secure
spot for the Paris Games.
There were high hopes that
U23 world champion Aman
would qualify for the Games
either at the World Champi-
onships or the Asian Quali-
�ers in Bishkek but both the
chances were lost.
While Aman (57kg) bumped
into a strong opponent in Gu-
lomjon Abdullaev in the quo-
ta-deciding bout in Bishkek,
both World Championships sil-
ver medallist Deepak (86kg) and
Sujeet Kalkal (65kg) could not
reach Bishkek on time a�er be-
ing stuck in Dubai due to storm.
Now it’s a do-or-die situa-
tion for all Indian wrestlers at
@thegoanonline
Sunrisers Hyderabad’s Travis Head (L) and Abhishek Sharma
celebrate their win against Lucknow Super Giants at the
Indian Premier League (IPL) T20 cricket match in the Rajiv
Gandhi International Stadium of Hyderabad.
derstatement tonight. Had
these boys batted �rst, they
would’ve scored 300,” Ten-
dulkar wrote in his X account.
The Head and Sharma
show came a�er SRH bowlers
The 28-year-old Kishore
Jena, who won a silver in
the Hangzhou Asian Games
where Chopra won gold, will
also be competing in the Doha
Diamond League on May 10.
Chopra last took part in a
domestic competition at the
same event on March 17, 2021,
when he won a gold with a
throw of 87.80m.
Istanbul where the two �nal-
ists in each category will be
awarded the quotas. A third
quota will be given to the
wresters who emerges winner
in the bout between the two
bronze medallists.
The tournament will be-
gin with Greco Roman style
and followed by women’s and
freestyle on the last two days
of the four-day qualifying
competition.
Endurance has always
been the strong point of Indi-
an wrestlers but their prepara-
tions have su�ered in the ab-
sence of national camps and
Facebook.com/thegoan
started brilliantly before los-
ing the plot a bit.
Ayush Badoni (55 not
out o� 30 balls) and Nicho-
las Pooran (48 not out o� 25
balls) stitched crucial 95-runs
Since then, Chopra has
won a historic gold in the To-
kyo Olympics, became Dia-
mond League champion in
2022, world champion in 2023
and defended Asian Games
gold in China.
He also won three individ-
ual legs of Diamond League
and claimed a silver in the
2022 World Championships.
competitions due to protest.
Usually, the Indian wres-
tlers tire their opponents out
but for that to happen, it is
important to stretch the bout
to full six minutes. It’s a strat-
egy that Bajrang Punia and
Ravi Dahiya have employed
although the latter has always
been aggressive and �nishes
the bout in a ji�y.
“If the bouts lasts full dis-
tance, Aman can beat any
wrestler, so managing the
�rst three minutes are crucial.
He was obviously very disap-
pointed for what happened in
Bishkek,” said coach Praveen
The Goan E-Paper (Playstore/IOS)
MATCH RUN
� Chasing a modest target
of 166, Head (89 not out)
and Sharma (75 not out)
toyed with LSG bowlers,
�nding boundaries and
sixes at will to canter home
in just 9.4 overs.
� The win propelled SRH
to the third position in the
standings with 14 points
from 12 games, while
LSG are struggling at the
sixth spot with 12 points
from the same number of
matches.
� The result also meant
that �ve-time champions
Mumbai Indians, currently
ninth with eight points
from 12 matches, are out of
the play-o� race.
o� 55 balls for the unbeaten
��h-wicket stand to guide
LSG to a competitive 165 for
four on a sluggish pitch.
But the Head and Sharma
took any hint of competition
out of the match once they
bludgeoned 107 runs in the
Power Play.
It was an awesome hitting
display from the Indo-Austral-
ian pair as they didn’t spare
a single LSG bowler, clobber-
ing them to all parts of the
ground.
LSG’s decision to start with
Krishnappa Gowtham also
back�red badly as both Head
India eves eye whitewash
against Bangladesh
Match starts at 3.30 PM IST
PTI
SYLHET
The Indian women’s cricket
team would look to complete
a 5-0 series whitewash when
it faces a vanquished Bangla-
desh in the ��h and �nal T20
International of a weather-hit
series here on Thursday.
The Indian bowlers have
outperformed the batters,
though two matches out of
the four have been curtailed
due to inclement weather. In
the second match, India were
to chase just 29 runs from 5.2
overs, and the batters got less
overs to score.
Across four matches, India
have only one ��y to show, by
Shafali Verma (51) in the �rst
match. Smriti Mandhana has
a highest of 47 and skipper
DO-OR-DIE
� None of the Indian
men’s wrestlers has so far
got a quota and drawing
a blank will be a huge
embarrassment for the
country that took some ma-
jor strides in international
wrestling before the protest
against former WFI chief
Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh
halted the progress
Dahiya who trained him for
four years before being shi�ed
out of Chattrasal Stadium.
“There is no national
camp for some time and be-
cause of that the sport has
su�ered. It has impacted the
preparations adversely, then
change in coaching sta� also
a�ects. The wrestler has a cer-
tain comfort and tuning with
coaches they train and when
they get changed, that also
a�ects them I feel,” he added.
Instagram.com/thegoanonline
and Sharma, who are really
good against spin, dismantled
the o�-spinner.
Such was the brutal assault
that the likes Yash Dayal, Ravi
Bishnoi and Naveen-ul-Haq
were also taken to the clean-
ers, raining sixes and fours.
Earlier, LSG were struggling
at 27 for 2 at the end of the
powerplay a�er opting to bat.
The visitors lost Quinton de
Kock, who replaced an injured
Mohsin Khan, early, caught
brilliantly by Nitish Kumar
Reddy at deep backward
square-leg o� Bhuvneshwar
Kumar (2/12) in the third over.
Bhuvneshwar struck again
in the ��h over, dismissing
the dangerous Marcus Stoinis
but the credit for the dismiss-
al should go to young Sanvir
Singh, who took a stunning
diving catch just inches from
the ground at mid-on.
The pitch also didn’t help
LSG’s cause as the ball was
coming on to the bat a bit
slow, as their batters found it
di�cult to �nd the timing.
While skipper KL Rahul
(29) held one end up, Krunal
Pandya (24) took it on himself
to up the ante.
Krunal pummelled Jaydev
Unadkat for a six over long-
on and then hit the bowler
straight over his head for an-
other maximum to accumu-
late 15 runs in the eighth over.
TODAY’S ACTION
�PUNJAB KINGS VS ROYAL
CHALLENGERS BENGALU-
RU,7:30 PM IST
THE TEAMS
�INDIA: Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Smriti Mandhana, Dayalan Hemalatha,
Deepti Sharma, S Sajana, Shafali Verma, Shreyanka Patil, Amanjot Kaur,
Pooja Vastrakar, Asha Sobhana, Yastika Bhatia (wk), Richa Ghosh, Radha
Yadav, Renuka Singh Thakur, Titas Sadhu, Saika Ishaque.
�BANGLADESH: Nigar Sultana (c&wk), Murshida Khatun, Rubya Haider,
Sobhana Mostary, Shorna Akter, Shorifa Khatun, Dilara Akter, Nahida
Akter, Sultana Khatun, Ritu Moni, Rabeya Khan, Fahima Khatun, Marufa
Akter, Fariha Trisna, Habiba Islam.
Harmanpreet Kaur has man-
aged a best knock of 39 so far.
The performance does not
re�ect well on the team’s bat-
ting core, considering that
Bangladesh will host the
women’s T20 World Cup in
October. Mandhana and Kaur
would be looking to grab the
opportunity on Thursday and
score big.
Kaur, especially, would be
looking to carry the momen-
tum a�er her 39 o� 26 in the last
match on Monday, which was a
Olympic torch welcomed in French port city
of Marseille with fanfare and high security
MORE THAN THOUSAND BOATS ACCOMPANY PARADE AROUND BAY OF MARSEILLE
PTI
MARSEILLE
Paris Games organizers have
promised fantastic” celebra-
tions as the arrival of a ma-
jestic ship carrying the Olym-
pic torch from Greece drew
a huge crowd Wednesday in
the southern French city Mar-
seille, where the Old Port has
been placed under high secu-
rity.
Paris 2024 Olympics Or-
ganizing Committee President
Tony Estanguet expressed his
emotion at the torch’s arrival
in France.
“The return of the Games to
our country will be a fantastic
celebration,” he said.
The torch was lit in Greece
last month before it was o�-
cially handed to France. It le�
Athens aboard a three-mast
ship named Belem, which
was �rst used in 1896, and
spent twelve days at sea.
Samson �ned for dissent after
Hope’s tight boundary catch
PTI
NEW DELHI
Rajasthan Royals captain
Sanju Samson has been �ned
30 per cent of his match fees
for breaching the IPL Code of
Conduct during his side’s 20-
run loss to Delhi Capitals at
the Arun Jaitley Stadium here.
The o�ence committed by
Samson, who made 86 dur-
ing RR’s unsuccessful run
chase of 222 on Tuesday, was
not speci�ed but it could be
for arguing with the umpires
when he was given out a�er
Shai Hope took a catch just
near the boundary ropes in
the 16th over.
The question was wheth-
er Hope’s feet touched the
boundary ropes while taking
the catch. The third umpire
ruled Samson out but the RR
skipper was not happy. He ini-
Manika Batra reaches quarters
BEATS WORLD NO. 14 NINA MITTELHAM IN STRAIGHT GAMES
AGENCIES
JEDDAH
Manika Batra continued her
dream run at Saudi Smash as
she beat World No. 14 Nina
Mittelham to book her spot in
the quarter�nals in Jeddah on
Wednesday.
SAUDI SMASH
Manika followed up her stun-
ning second-round win over
World No. 2 Wang Manyu by
beating German Mittelham 3-0
(11-6, 11-9, 11-7) in 22 minutes
to reach the last-eight stage at
this level for the �rst time in her
career. This is Manika’s �rst-ev-
er win over Mittelham in four
meetings. She will face Japan’s
Hina Hayata, World No. 5, for a
14-over-a-side a�air. India won
the match by 56 runs under
Duckworth-Lewis method.
Shafali has been inconsist-
ent, though she is the highest
scorer for India with 84 runs in
this series, which is one more
than Mandhana (83). Kaur has
75 runs from the four matches.
On Thursday, the Indi-
an batters will have the last
chance to take as many les-
sons as possible from this
tour, regarding conditions
and pitches.
The Belem torch is set to reach Marseille on May 8 and
10,000 torchbearers will then carry the flame across 64
French territories.
More than a thousand boats
accompany the Belem’s parade
around the Bay of Marseille.
The ship will then dock on a
pontoon that looks like an ath-
letics track in the Old Port.
The welcoming ceremony
will include a demonstration
mail us at >> sports@thegoan.net
tially started walking towards
the pavilion, only to return
to the middle and have some
words with the on-�eld um-
pires.
place in the semi�nals.
World No. 39 Manika had de-
feated China’s Wang 3-1 (6-11,
11-5, 11-7, 12-10) on Monday. She
began her campaign with a 3-0
(11-6, 13-11, 11-8) win over Ro-
mania’s Andreea Dragoman.
Oly champion swimmer
Hafnaoui to miss Games
AGENCIES
MELBOURNE
Olympic 400 metres freestyle
champion Ahmed Hafnaoui
will miss the Paris Games,
Africa Aquatics (AA) said on
Tuesday.
The continental governing
body said on its website the
21-year-old Tunisian had con-
�rmed Tunisian media reports
that he would not swim at the
July 26-August 11 Games.
AA’s report said Hafnaoui
had declined to resume train-
ing in the United States where
he was previously based but
did not provide details.
The Tunisian Olympic Com-
mittee and national swim-
ming federation did not pro-
vide immediate comment to
Reuters.
A representative of Haf-
naoui also did not provide im-
mediate comment.
Hafnaoui had trained in
by the jets of the Patrouille de
France, the acrobatic team of
the French air force.
As a former athlete, I know
how important the start of a
competition is. That is why
we chose Marseille, because
it’s de�nitely one of the cities
13
Thursday May 9, ����
“Samson committed a Lev-
el 1 o�ence under Article 2.8 of
the IPL’s Code of Conduct. He
admitted to the o�ence and
accepted the Match Referee’s
sanction. For Level 1 breach-
es of the Code of Conduct, the
Match Referee’s decision is �-
nal and binding,” the IPL said
in a statement.
A Level 1 o�ence under Ar-
ticle 2.8 of the IPL’s Code of
Conduct includes “excessive,
obvious disappointment with
an Umpire’s decision; an ob-
vious delay in resuming play
or leaving the wicket; request-
ing a referral to the TV Umpire
and arguing or entering into
a prolonged discussion with
the Umpire about his/her de-
cision.” On April 10 also, Sam-
son was �ned Rs 12 lakh a�er
RR maintained a slow over rate
during their match against Gu-
jarat Titans in Jaipur.
Manika had recently lost
her status as the top-ranked
Indian female to Sreeja Akula
but the 2018 Commonwealth
Games gold medallist is set to
become India No. 1 again fol-
lowing her run in Jeddah.
In 2021 at the age of 18,
Hafnaoui stunned the
world by winning the
400m freestyle gold from
lane eight at the pandemic-
delayed Tokyo Olympics
after being the slowest
quali�er in the �nal
California late last year under
former U.S. team head coach
Mark Schubert, who runs an
elite distance swimming pro-
gramme in Orange County.
However, he told reporters
at the World Championships
in Doha in February that he
had returned home to Tunisia,
citing a visa issue.
In 2021 at the age of 18,
Hafnaoui stunned the world
by winning the 400m free-
style gold from lane eight at
the pandemic-delayed Tokyo
Olympics a�er being the slow-
est quali�er in the �nal.
most in love with sports, said
Estanguet, a former Olympic
canoeing star with gold med-
als from the 2000, 2004 and
2012 Games.
Olympic swimmer Florent
Manaudou has been chosen
to be the �rst carrier of the
�ame in France. Manaudou
won four Olympic medals and
he’s the brother of swimmer
Laure Manaudou, who won
three Olympic medals at Ath-
ens in 2004. We are extremely
proud, Marseille mayor Benot
Payan said. This is where it all
begins.
The show will dazzle the
world, said Payan, adding
that up to 150,000 spectators
are expected in the Old Port.
Marseille people have a
sense of celebration, a sense
of the game, sport and Olymp-
ism in their guts, he said,
recalling that the city was
founded by Greek colonists
some 2,600 years ago.