SANGEUM: Social worker Mithil Ulhas Naique Dessai has urged the youth of Sangeum to take up betel nut cultivation as a source of income and not depend on the government to provide them jobs.

“I appeal to the youth to take up betel nut cultivation. It is a good source of income. Youth should not be dependent on government for jobs, they should become independent and self-sufficient,” Mithil said in a statement issued on Friday.

The social forum “We Sangekars” and Mithil have teamed up to provide facilities to the youth of Sangeum to take up betel nut farming.

Areca nut or betel nut is an extensively cultivated tropical palm the nuts of which form a popular masticatory in India, the Middle East, and Far East. India produces annually 150,000 tones of areca nut from an area of 18,34,000ha. It is a tall-stemmed erect palm, reaching varied heights, depending upon the environmental conditions. Palms attaining a height of 30 meters are not uncommon.

The altitude at which the areca nut palm can be successfully grown varies to some extent according, to the latitude of the place. Though it grows at altitudes up to 1,000 m above the sea level, at higher altitudes it is not at all productive. According to Mithil, the climate of the Sanguem taluka is conducive to betel nut cultivation and the produce is of good quality. “Even the soil is is right for betel nut. Our youth must take advantage of this fact and start cultivation to ensure a separate or parallel source of income,” he said.

According to Mithil, Areca thrives well in a variety of soils, the laterite soils of the West Coast, the red loamy soils in Tamil Nadu, the alluvial of Assam and West Bengal and also parts of Orissa. “The site should have adequate facilities for irrigation and should be deep and well drained, without a high-water table. We can provide all the expertise required to help youth groups to take up cultivation,” Mithil said.

“We can provide genetically superior planting-material for which mother-palms possessing characters of high heritability, correlated with high yield are identified and provided to those interested. The Centre for Promoting Indian Economy (CPIE India) has agreed to provide technical support for youth interested in taking up betel nut cultivation on a professional basis,” Mithil announced.

PANAJI: While the Congress Lok Sabha candidate in South Goa, Viriato Fernandes put in a lot of effort, several political observers whom we spoke to have suggested that it is advantage BJP all the way in South Goa for the main reason that the BJP has a very strong karyakarta base in the state and the presence of senior leaders like Sudin Dhavalikar, Deepak Dhavalikar, Digambar Kamat, Ravi Naik, Alexio Sequiera and Alexio Reginald in the BJP camp with their own personal voter base, in their respective constituencies, is a big bonus for the saffron party.

BJP has a well-oiled, well-funded karyakarta network: Trajano D’mello

According to political analyst Trajano D’mello, “The BJP in South Goa will be clearly leading big time in the hinterland. Even if Salcete gives the Congress candidate the maximum lead possible, it will not be enough to beat the BJP in places like Madkai, Ponda, Shiroda, Quepem, Sanvordem and Canacona. Besides, BJP voters do not need access to the Member of Parliament. They are mostly concerned with their local MLA. So the inaccessibility factor (inaccessibility to the BJP candidate) will not make any difference to the voters who will chose to vote for the candidate their local MLA recommends.”

Others also voiced similar sentiments. The mood in the market in Goa is for the BJP. The Congress declared their candidates very late. In North Goa, the Lok Sabha candidate could hardly do any personal door-to-door visits. The same was the situation in South Goa and Fernandes was mostly restricted to interacting with the voters at corner meetings and at markets.

A veteran politician from South Goa who did not want to be named, said door-to-door personal visits make a big difference. “At least once in 5 years, the candidate must visit voters, visit their homes and sit and talk to them. Due to lack of time, the Congress candidate could not have done this in South Goa. This starts at least six months before election. However, the problem with the Congress (and the BJP to some extent) is that candidates do not know where they stand till the last 28 or 29 days before polls.

Last but not the least, the BJP had no dearth of funds. Party workers were well-paid with a stipend and taken care of in terms of food, transport and other out-of-pocket expenses. This was not the case with Congress workers. Several Congress workers were venting their fury online on WhatsApp groups, a day after the polls, criticizing the Congress candidates and their management, saying they did not get even a glass of water. It was also visible on the day of polling. There were hardly any Congress volunteers on the ground to bring people to the polling booths. The BJP on the other hand had a system known as man-to-man marking. Every voter was accounted for and there was an ‘in-charge’ responsible for every voter.

MARGAO: While there are several versions and views on the capacity and capabilities of incumbent South Goa MP Francisco Sardinha, the fact remains that the old horse of Curtorim is still the strongest candidate in the Congress camp.

While several leaders in the INDIA alliance camp, including Goa Forward Party (GFP) chief and Fatorda strongman Vijai Sardesai have openly made their displeasure known and are against Sardinha getting one more chance, the former Goa CM can win the polls for the Congress with his extensive network of “friends” in the inner parts of the South Goa constituency.

“We have seen Sardinha work during the last polls of 2019. He has at least 10 to 15 personal contacts or “friends” in each and every village and waddo in South Goa. He has a huge fan base and a strong set of “silent voters”. He knows the people by name and its a matter of a few hours for him to rouse up big crowds for campaigning. His MO is very simple – he gets on the phone and starts dialling his old contacts – some of whom he knows for the last 30 to 40 years. And they obey and harken his call. The motorcycle pilots of South Goa, the taxi drivers and the street cart owners selling ros omelette in South Goa will vouch for Sardinha popularity and reach.

While it is also true that due to his advancing years and old age, Sardinha has not done as much as he should have in the years following the Covid pandemic, he is still a strong force to reckon with, a force which the well-oiled and well funded BJP election machine will find tough to defeat.

On several social media posts, it’s being said that the ruling party in Goa is lobbying against Sardinha, using age as the excuse. In reality, Sardinha is a very tough nut to crack and has several tricks up his sleeves. For him, getting the allies like AAP MLAs Venzy Viegas and Cruz Silva around to do his bidding is child’s play and all he needs to do is make a few calls to Delhi – to Atishi and other senior AAP leaders.

NEW DELHI: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has told a court in Delhi that it wants to interrogate and confront arrested AAP Convenor and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal with several Goa AAP leaders and the AAP MLAs of Velim and Benaulim in the Delhi Excise Policy case who were allegedly the recipients of Rs 45 crore in cash, which was used by the Goa AAP unit for the State polls in 2022.

While AAP Goa chief Amit Palekar denied that such an amount was received in cash and stated that the MLA candidates spent their own money, statements of some Goa AAP leaders, including an MLA candidate recorded by the ED show that all payments were made in cash, the ED told the court during Kejriwal’s remand.

The ED which is probing the money laundering angle has insisted in the court that the amounts were paid in cash and were the ‘proceeds of crime’, causing a total loss of Rs 600 crore to the exchequer.

Sources said that at least two Goa AAP leaders (who received the bulk of the cash in hand) could be arrested, unless they co-operate with the ED in the ongoing investigation. The ED claims it has solid evidence to prove the charges of money-laundering against Kejriwal and other AAP leaders.

In Delhi according to a PTI report, BJP leaders and karyakartas braved water cannons and several of them were detained by police as they tried to march towards the secretariat building near ITO today, demanding that arrested Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal resign and step down from his post.

Police detained several AAP leaders and workers near Patel Chowk Metro station when they were trying to take out a protest march to gherao the prime minister’s residence against the arrest of Kejriwal by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on March 21 in connection with the excise policy-linked money laundering case, PTI said.

BENAULIM: With heaps of rotting garbage, plastic waste and other domestic refuse, scrap and debris dotting the Navelim-Benaulim main road, youth leader and social worker from Benaulim Warren Alemao, expressed his displeasure at the lackadaisical attitude of the authorities as well as the elected leaders of Navelim and Benaulim who have turned a blind eye to the pressing problem.

“The garbage dumps are a health hazard and the rotting matter on which several pests thrive is a matter of grave concern for the residential areas in the vicinity. The population of rats and mice has drastically gone up, stray dogs and cattle have become a nuisance for motorists and the place stinks making it not just an eyesore but also a breeding ground for mosquitoes, rodents and other pests,” exclaims Warren who is trying to get it cleaned up.

He has requested the local authorities and the concerned panchayats to monitor the roads to ensure that passing motorists do not dump garbage along the route.

“Even though there is door-to-door collection of garbage, it is not very efficient and some people prefer to drop off their garbage along the road side, which is a social crime. If a fine is levied the acts will stop drastically,” opines Warren.

According to him the locality was clean and hygienic till about 5 years ago. “Development is needed but it should be all-round development. You build a highway, but the garbage collection in the local residential areas and villages is falling short and people drop off their bags of garbage along the sides of the highway while passing by in their cars and on their bikes. There should be more police patrolling or at least install CCTV cameras and levy fines on defaulters,” he suggests.

PANAJI: For the first time in several years, the BJP in South Goa seems to have a clear edge, yet it is unable to finalize its Lok Sabha candidate due to differences of opinion among the top brass of the State party unit.

Initially, the names of former CM and Margao MLA Digambar Kamat, Speaker and Canacona MLA Ramesh Tawadkar, former deputy CM Chandrakant ‘Babu’ Kavlekar, former MP Narendra Sawaikar and party general secretary and former Fatorda MLA Damodar ‘Damu’ Naik were shortlisted.

Kamat and Tawadkar openly declared that they were not interested in contesting the Lok Sabha polls, while Kavlekar and Sawaikar are still in the fray. Naik is being considered for other roles in the party and may be made State President by the end of this year, BJP sources claimed. Apparently, the party high command in Delhi has put the names of Kavlekar and Sawaikar on hold for the time being and is looking at a third and fourth option, including women candidates.

ALSO READ: Curchorem MLA Nilesh Cabral’s name under serious consideration for South Goa Lok Sabha seat

Former PWD Minister and Curchorem MLA Nilesh Cabral’s name has once again cropped up in the race for the South Goa BJP Lok Sabha seat, even as the party ‘struggles’ to shortlist women candidates with the winnability factor.

As we reported earlier, the BJP leadership was ‘considering’ the name of a Catholic candidate for South Goa and once again sources indicated that Cabral may be in the reckoning. The BJP leadership in Delhi is expected to announce the second list of candidates today (or tomorrow).

Cabral who is known all over Goa is reachable and personally responds to WhatsApp and SMS messages by Goans. He has been with the BJP as a loyal karyakarta and is also acceptable to the Catholic voters of South Goa to a large extent. He is also quite active and can be considered to be the man-about-town for the BJP in South Goa. In fact, Cabral has a unique combination to ensure ‘winnability’ –  the magic word while selecting candidates for any poll, political observers in South Goa pointed out.

According to prominent locals in South Goa, Cabral has a large supporter base among the Hindus as well as the Catholics of South Goa. He is also an acceptable face for the Muslims who may vote for the BJP. He is tech-savvy, well-organised, methodical and an educated businessman who understands the nuances of minority voting patterns. Given this combination, Cabral is being considered as the Lok Sabha candidate, claimed sources privy to the latest developments.

MARGAO: Responding to Goa Transport Minister Mauvin Godinho’s comments regarding the local Taxi operators, Benaulim-based social worker and youth leader Warren Alemao did not mince words in saying the Minister is playing to the corporates and big players, while disregarding and neglecting local Goan taxi operators, leaving them to “die”.

“The Transport Minister wants to hang until death the individual or single taxi operators. There are thousands of families in Goa whose survival depends on a single taxi or single tourist vehicle. The Minister’s hint to introduce Ola and Uber in the coastal state, disregarding the struggles faced by local taxi operators is deeply concerning. The Minister should not prioritize external perception over the livelihood of Goan Taxi drivers,” Warren said in a press statement.

Blasting the Minister for his stance vis-a-vis small businessmen, Warren averred that the decline in the arrival of quality foreign tourists is the main problem that needs to be addressed.

“We cannot compare Goa with larger states like Maharashtra, Karnataka or Uttar Pradesh whose population is over 100 times that of Goa. Instead of imposing unnecessary hurdles and bottlenecks on local Taxi operators, the Transport Minister should prioritize the development of a comprehensive tourism infrastructure and ecosystem that benefits all stakeholders. This approach would ensure sustainable growth and protect the livelihood of Goan taxi drivers, rather than risking their jobs for the sake of accommodating multinational taxi apps. Our small state of goa DOES NOT require such taxi apps that will come in and kill the local taxi business. What Goa needs is a well planned tourism network taking all stakeholders into confidence. It’s imperative for the Minister to consider the long-term impact on local businesses before making decisions that could potentially harm or even destroy their livelihoods,” Warren said in a statement shared on social media.

PANAJI: In a blistering attack on former Benaulim MLA Churchill Alemao, his nephew and prominent social worker from South Goa, Warren Alemao has accused him of sabotaging and blocking his medical camp, which would have otherwise benefitted hundreds of Benaulim villagers, due to the free distribution of medicines for residents of the constituency.

Speaking to this website, Warren said, “We were to distribute an entire month’s dosage to all the needy patients in Benaulim and surrounding areas. This would have been done after the Manipal Hospital doctors who had tied up with my team would conduct medical tests to determine the extent of the disease in any patient. We were doing free tests which otherwise cost a bomb outside in private hospitals. The tests include HbA1c (diabetes), ECG (cardiac ailments), LFT (liver problems), cancer screening and many more. I have been conducting medical camps all over South Goa for a long time now. This is the first time that Manipal Hospital has backed out. Everything was finalized and we had announced the camp through social media advertisements and even in the local church, where announcements were made after all the masses. At the last minute they backed out. I got to know that Churchill himself called up the doctors and management at Manipal Hospital and threatened to get them sacked. He boasted of his personal contacts and closeness with the Goa government and threatened to make life miserable for everyone at Manipal Hospital, Goa, if my camp was not called off. Though he is my uncle, he does not want me to grow politically. Even Valanka was involved in threatening Manipal Hospital management. They are jealous that the people of Benaulim are with me. I will be fully supporting the Goa Congress for the Lok Sabha polls and Churchill is afraid of the consequences. He has already sold himself to another rival candidate and may also be contesting as an independent to split voters in South Goa,” Warren alleged.

Also Read: Journalist threatened by Churchill Alemao’s thugs after news report goes viral

As reported earlier, Churchill Alemao has plans to contest the upcoming Lok Sabha elections as an independent. Sources claimed he might possibly join the BJP in the run up to the polls. With this background, it is quite obvious, that Warren Alemao who has political ambitions and is supporting the Congress-AAP combine for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, is his enemy number 1.

Churchill Alemao and his daughter Valanka Alemao were unavailable for comment and could not be contacted. We will update this story if they respond to the allegations made by Warren Alemao. We are also awaiting a response from Manipal Hospital, but a Hospital source confirmed that there was tremendous pressure to back out.

Villagers in Benaulim who spoke to this reporter said they were very offended with the turn of events. Dolcie Fernandes, a prominent voice from Benaulim said that politicians should not play politics with the health of residents. “This was a social initiative. Such premium medical tests are not easily accessible to the poor. Warren had taken the initiative to help people of Benaulim and Churchill should have supported him. Instead, he chose to play dirty politics and shut down the camp by threatening Manipal doctors, which has not gone down well with the voters in the constituency and they will teach Churchill and his friends a good lesson in the upcoming polls,” Fernandes said.