Panaji: March 20, 2026::The Office of the Deputy Registrar, Goa College of Engineering & Returning Officer for 21-Ponda  A.C.  has informed that IAS Pooja Parth has been appointed as a General Observer (G.O.) for bye-election to 21-Ponda Assembly Constituency (A.C.) by the Election Commission of India, New Delhi.

The Observer will be available to meet the general public, representatives of political parties and candidates to address any election-related concerns as per the schedule as follows, meeting Hours will be on Monday and Thursday from 11:00 A.M. to 01:00 P.M. venue will be Court Room, Additional Collector-III, 2nd Floor, Government Building Complex, Tisk, Ponda, Goa and Contact No. 7757912241

All the concerned are requested to make note of the above and may contact or meet the Observer during the specified hours for any grievances or suggestions related to the conduct of elections.

Panaji: March 20, 2026::         Directorate of Women & Child Development has appointed Dowry Prohibition Officers under Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961 to exercise their powers under the said Act to curb the social evil of dowry harassment and to strengthen the implementation of the Dowry Prohibition Act.

The below mentioned Officers are appointed as Dowry Prohibition Officers. Their contact details and Email addresses are as follows.

North District: Collector North, 0832-2223612, co******@*ic.in; Additional Collector-I, 9422394914, ac***********@*ic.in; Additional Collector-II, 9923700405, ac***********@*ic.in; Additional Collector-III, 9420595095, ac3-north.goa@nic.in; Sub Division Officer (Dy. Collector Panaji), 9421151048, sdm-panaji.goa@nic.in; Deputy Collector Mapusa-I, 8308014526, sd************@*ic.in and Deputy Collector Mapusa-II, 7083234963, sd************@*ic.in.

South Goa: Deputy Collector & SDM, Salcete-I, 0832-2794109, sdm-salcete goa@nic.in; Deputy Collector &SDM, Salcete-II, 0832-2794160, sd**************@*ic.in; Deputy Collector &SDM, Ponda, 0832-2312469, sdm-ponda.goa@nic.in  and Deputy Collector & SDM, Mormugao, 8767114825, sdm-mormugao.goa@nic.in.

Kushavati District: Deputy Collector &SDM, Quepem, 0832-2662241, sd************@*ic.in; Deputy Collector &SDM, Sanguem, 0832-2603141, sd*************@*ic.in; Deputy Collector & SDM Dharbandora, 0832-2614036, dy****************@*ic.in and Deputy Collector & SDM, Canacona, 0832-2643696, sd**************@*ic.in.

The WCD Department appeals to all citizen to refuse to be part of any dowry Practice. Giving and taking dowry is a criminal offence, punishable with imprisonment for a term not less than 5 years along with fine which shall not be less than fifteen thousand rupees of the amount of the value of such dowry, whichever is more.

Residents of Goa State who are victims of or witness to dowry harassment can reach out to the office of the respective Dowry Prohibition Officer. Victims can also report cases via the Women Helpline number-181.

Panaji: March 20,2026::A power shut down has been arranged on March 21, 2026 from 09.00 am to 02.00 pm at 11KV Palyem Keri Feeder to carry out urgent maintenance works. Affected areas are Kiranpani tapping, Mirzalwada and surrounding areas.

Also, a power shut down has been arranged on March 21, 2026 from 09.00 am to 02.00 pm at 400 KVA Old Fish Market DTC at Harmal tito to carry out urgent maintenance works. Affected areas are Harmal tito, Madhlawada and surrounding areas.

Similarly, a power shut down has been arranged on March 21, 2026 from 09.30 am to 01.30 pm at 11 KV PORVORIM BAZZAR FEEDER (Benny Section) to carry out urgent maintenance works. Affected areas are VP Socorro, Prabhu,Socorro HTC, Karapurkar and surrounding areas.

Further, a power shut down has been arranged on March 21, 2026 from 02.30 pm to 05.30 pm at 11 KV PORVORIM BAZZAR FEEDER (Benny Section) to carry out urgent maintenance works. Affected areas are 20 point, Samarth Nagar, Police Housing Society, Alps Valley and surrounding areas.

Panaji: March 20, 2026

The Government of India is commemorating 150 Years of the national song “Vande Mataran” through year-long activities across the country from November 07, 2025 to November 07, 2026. Citizens have been called upon to actively participate in the Special Phase (Third Phase) of the commemoration of the 150 Years of the National Song ‘Vande Mataram’ which will commence from March 23, 2026 to March 30, 2026. The celebrations in this phase will be centred around ‘Shaheedi Diwas’ and the focus will be on commemorating the brave hearts of India’s freedom struggle, particularly those associated with the history and legacy of “Vande Mataram.”

The Directroate of Art and Culture, Govt. of Goa have been appointed as the nodal department for coordination of the celebrations to be held across the state. They will organize various cultural programmes at Ravindra Bhavans during the commemorative week, a Vande Mataram cultural exhibition and launch a one-minute Vande Mataram Frame reel making competition.

Schools will conduct mass singing of Vande Mataram on March 23, 2026 marking Shaheedi Diwas.

The Department of Panchayats shall facilitate organization of programmes at village level through local bodies and encourage community participation by identifying suitable public spaces for observance.

The National Implementation Committee under the Chairmanship of Union Minister of Home Affairs and Cooperation has urged people to take part in various activities during this Special Phase in each district through the involvement of educational institutions and local bodies to ensure maximum citizen participation and to give prominence to the history and legacy of “Vande Mataram”.

Citizens have been asked to actively participate in the campaign including engagement with features such as ‘Sing Along, Click and Selfie, and uploading their renditions of “Vande Mataram”. Audio and video creatives related to Vande Mataram may be downloaded from the official portal https://www.vandemataram150.in which also provides sing-along and selfie features, which departments shall promote to enhance citizen participation and digital outreach.