Panaji: August 28, 2019 …The Goa Education Development Corporation has announced the Interest Free Education Loan (IFEL) Scheme for the Academic year 2019-20. The details are available in the brochure.

 The brochure and application forms for Fresh and Renewal will be available in the office of the Goa Education Development Corporation (GEDC), ground floor, SCERT building, Alto Porvorim from August 26, 2019 to December 31, 2019 from 10.00 a.m to 12.30p.m and 2.00 p.m to 5.00p.m

 The completed forms should be submitted in GEDC office before December 31, 2019 along with photocopy of all the documents mentioned in the brochure and also soft copy on CD (each document should be more then 100 KB and less then 2MB in size and it should be Jpg or PDF file format). The IFEL forms (fresh and Renewal) will not be accepted after December 31, 2019.

          In case of student studying abroad, the Power of Attorney Holder (Parents)may fill the application form and submit in the office, within the office, within the stipulated time duration as mentioned above.

Panaji:: 27^th August – The Government of Goa, Department of Tourism and  Goa Tourism Development Corporation (GTDC)  in association  with Jumpin Heights, the Bungee People today   successfully launched India’s second Bungee destination in North Goa at Mayem Lake. The event was graced with the presence of Hon’ble Chief Minister, Dr. Pramod Sawant. Other dignitaries present included  the Hon’ble  Tourism Minister, Mr. Manohar Ajgaonkar,  Chairman  of GTDC, Mr. Dayanand Sopte, MLA, Mayem Contituency, Mr. Pravin Zantye ,Secretary Tourism, Mr. J. Ashok Kumar, Director of Tourism, Mr.  Sanjiv Gadkar and  other officials from Dept of Tourism & GTDC. Also present were ZP member, Mayem, Mr. Shankar Chodankar, Sarpanch, Mayem Village Panchayat, Mrs. Kunda Mandrekar and other members of the Village  Panchayat , Mayem.

The 55 meters bungee jumping platform stands tall over the gorgeous Mayem lake, in North Goa, about a 45 minute drive from the popular Baga Beach. Adventure sports are gaining traction in India and Goa, as India’s favourite travel destination, was a natural choice for the next big adventure zone. Jumpin Heights is owned and run by ex-Army officer, Capt Rahul Nigam, who introduced Bungee jumping in India at Rishikesh in 2010. Over the course of this decade, they have successfully operated over 80,000 jumps in Rishikesh – quite a landmark for adventure tourism in India, and changed the way safety is perceived. The team adheres to Australia and New Zealand Safety Standards for operation of the Bungee Jumps.

The service provider has conducted required feasibility study and other mandatory pre-requisites for starting up of the bungee jumping activity at Mayem. This new adventure tourism initiative comes with no cost or investment for Goa Tourism Development Corporation. The GTDC however is assisting the service provider in obtaining required permissions and will be undertaking promotional activities for bungee Jumping which is being launched for the first time in Goa.

On the occasion of the launch, Ex-Capt. Rahul Nigam, Director and founder of Jumpin Heights said that “A little hand holding by an organisation like GTDC goes a long way in setting up such projects and facilitates ease of doing business.”

The Bungee experience involves jumping from a height with rubber chords tied to your ankles, and swinging like a pendulum mid air. One can literally hear their own solitude as the wind gushes past with each rebound. There are several harnesses and checks in place to ensure an absolutely safe experience.

Jumpin Heights in Rishikesh has managed to change the face of adventure tourism in India. It is known to be one of the best experiences in South East Asia and has earned recognition from Ministry of Tourism. According to a survey in 2019, by Ministry of Tourism, they have been acknowledged as having played a key role in making Rishikesh the Adventure Capital of India. It will be interesting to see then, what magic Jumpin Heights now brings to Goa.

Panaji: August 26, 2019 …. The power consumers of the State have to pay Fuel and Power Purchase Cost Adjustments (FPPCA) charges for the current Quarter for the energy consumption of July 2019 to September 2019. The category wise FPPCA charges for current Quarter is available in Department.

For Quarter of April 2019 to June 2019, average FPPCA is 19.81 Paisa/Unit which is in the range of 9.34 to 47.30 Paisa per unit for various categories. This FPPCA charges  will be applicable for the energy consumption of July 2019 to September 2019.

The average FPPCA for the last quarter i.e January 2019 to March 2019 which is applicable for the energy consumption of April 2019 to June 2019 was 38.98 Paisa per unit which was ranging from 14.42 Paisa to 44.90 Paisa per unit for various categories.

The Electricity Department of Goa procures most of its power needs from Central Generating Station (CGS). The State has to who procure Solar and non-Solar power to meet Renewable power Obligation as per the target set by the JERC. In case of shortage of power from CGS, short term power from open market, power exchange platforms, over drawl from the grid through DSM to meet the need of the consumers. This type of power (other than regular allotted power) is much more costlier than regular power. This affects the quarterly imposed Fuel and Power Purchase Cost Adjustments.

Panaji: August 25, 2019…. The Ministry of Women and Child Development has instituted the ‘Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Puraskar’ to felicitate meritorious children, individuals and  institutions of the country. 

The award will be presented by the President of India in Darbar Hall, Rashtrapati Bhavan on week preceding Republic Day, Prime Minister of India will also grace the function and felicitate the awardees. The awardees will get opportunity to participate in the Republic Day Parade on January 26, 2020 in Rajpath, New Delhi. 

These awards will be given under two categories, i.e, ‘Bal Shakti Puraskar’ and ‘Bal Kalyan Puraskar’. 

The ‘Bal Shakti Puraskar’ aims to give due recognition to children with exceptional abilities, who have achieved extraordinary recognition in various fields including innovation, scholastic, sports, art & culture, social service and bravery. The award carries a cash prize of Rs. 1 lakh, a medal, a certificate and citation booklet. A child who is an Indian citizen and resident in India above the age of 5 years and not exceeding 18 years (as on  August 31, of respective year) is eligible for the award. 

The ‘Bal Kalyan Puraskar’ is given as recognition to individuals and  institutions, who have made an outstanding contribution towards service for children in the field of child development, child protection and child welfare. An s an Indian Citizen and residing in India of the age group 18 years or more (as on  August 31, of respective year) and having minimum 7 years’ of experience can be eligible for the award. The award given to individuals carries cash prize of Rs. 1 lakh, a citation, a medal and a certificate. In case of intuitions, award be given for service not less than 10 years. The institution will be given a cash prize of Rs. 5,00,000/- each is given along with a citation, a medal and a certificate. 

Online application form and detailed guidelines of the same may be seen on the exclusive website www.nca-wcd.nic.in  For any query check the FAQ page or you may write to the helpdesk at: support.nca@gov.in  All applications are to be submitted online, forms submitted through any other mode will not be considered. For furnishing any false information, the applicant/person shall be liable for suitable legal action as per law. 

The last date of receipt of online applications forms is August 31, 2019. 

Panaji: 24th Aug, 2019….The traditional Bonderam Festival at Diwar island was celebrated with great pomp and gaiety on Saturday.

The annual festival is celebrated on the fourth Saturday of August. speaking on the occasion Minister for Arts & Culture Govind Gaude who was the chief guest for the bonderam festival said that “We are happy to promote this annual festival on the Divar Island which showcases our rich Goan history and culture. There will be colourful décor, flag parades, floats, music and revelry all over the island during this time. We welcome all tourists to experience this traditional festival.”

The name Bonderam originates from the Portuguese word ‘Bandeira’, which means flag. The otherwise laid-back island of Divar comes alive on the day of the Bonderam festival. The day begins with a flag parade from the main Divar junction, which is accompanied by a brass band. After this, the Bonderam festival is officially declared open. Later in the day there is a fancy dress competition followed by the traditional float parade and a live musical performance featuring the famous music bands of Goa.

During the Portuguese rule there were frequent disputes between the villagers on the Divar Island over property issues. Thus, the Portuguese introduced a system by putting up flags to demarcate the boundaries.

Panaji: August 23, 2019 … Union Minister for AYUSH, Shri Shripad Naik (Independent Charge) visited flood affected villages in Mapusa, Pernem and Bicholim Talukas and inspected the disaster caused to agriculture fields areas recently.

Shri Naik interacted with the flood affected people and attended their grievances about losses they suffered due to flood water entering their houses and assured them to provide compensation at earliest through the Department of Agriculture. He further said that respective Zonal Agriculture Officers has almost completed their survey and soon will be sending report to head office following which disbursement of compensation will start. Minister further  urged the victims who have still not filled forms for compensation to collect the same from the respective Panchayats and Municipalities and submit to their respective Zonal Agriculture Offices so that they can avail  compensation.

Ex-MLA Tivim, Shri Kiran Kandolkar, Additional Collector-I Collectorate (North), Shri Vikas Ganekar, Deputy Collector and SDO Bardez,Shri Sudhir Kerkar, Deputy Collector and SDO Pernem. Shri Chandrakant Shetkar,Deputy Collector and SDO Bicholim, Shri  Sachin Desai,Mamlatdar Bicholim, Shri Pravinjay Pandit, Chairperson of Pernem Municipality, Smt. Sweta Kambli,Zonal Agriculture Officer, Mapusa, Shri Ragunath Joshi and Zonal Agriculture Officer, Pernem, Shri Prasad Parab, were present on the occasion.

Panaji August 22nd Aug, 2019 …. Chief Minister, Dr. Pramod Sawant urged the Photo Journalist Association of Goa to take a lead to unravel unidentified touristic spots in the State and provide due exposure to these spot so that they come in public eye to boost tourism. Goa is a Touristic destination. There are various spots in the Goa which are not shown and not highlighted in touristic map, he added.

Speaking as a Chief Guest at World Photography Day celebration organized by Goa Photo Journalist Association in the city today, Dr. Sawant appealed to the Photo Journalists Association to initiate and start Photography courses in State under the Scheme of the Directorate of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship.  This will help to encourage the youth to develop hidden talents in photography among Goan youth, he remarked.

Complementing the Association for displaying the contribution to the State by former CM Shri Parrikar’s through photography in one section, recalled his tenure under his leadership. Government has decided to bring out a book on Shri Manohar Parrikar on his birthday, i.e December 13, he said and urged the Goa Photo Journalist Association to provide rare photographs of Parrikar for incorporation in that book. He appealed to the Association to engage special events like IFFI to provide photographs of such event so as to Government need not empanel any outside agency for the purpose.

Speaking on the occasion, Minister for Art and Culture, Shri Govind Gaude said that a picture always speaks thousands of words. Things cannot be expressed in words, emotions that cannot be explained easily. But a picture can definitely speak one’s expression and feelings, he pointed. Photography is an art and Photo Journalist has to click the photo sometimes in any dangerous situation to give the effect to the situation.

Chief Minister and Minister for Art and Culture felicitated Shri Prashant Yelekar, Shri Laurenco Fernandes and Shri Makarand Barve for their dedicated services in their photographic profession. They also gave away the prizes to the winner of the competition organized by Goa Photo Journalist Association.

Director, Information and Publicity, Smt Meghana Shetgaonkar, was a special invitee on the occasion.

President Goa Photo Journalist Association, Shri Sandeep Desai, welcomed the guests and Shri Ganesh Shetkar compered the function.