Goa is for yoga, cows, not pleasure: Chief Minister Pramod Sawant
Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said that Goa is more of a "yog bhoomi" (land of devotion and yoga) and "go-mata bhoomi" (land of cows) than a "bhog bhoomi" (land of pleasure), asserting that the coastal state is attracting more people for its temples and culture than for its "sun, sand, and sea.""Earlier, whenever people used to come to Goa, they used to think that this is bhog bhoomi (land of pleasure). But, this is not bhog bhoomi, it is yog bhoomi (land of devotion and yoga) instead. This is go-mata bhoomi...Over here, there is the ashram of Sanatan Sanstha as well," said Chief Minister Sawant, addressing the opening ceremony of 'Sanatan Rashtra Shankhnad Mahotsav' on Saturday.advertisementReferring to the legend of Lord Vishnu's avatar, Lord Parashuram, creating Goa by shooting an arrow into the Arabian Sea and causing it to recede, Chief Minister Sawant said: "This is Lord Parshuram's land."
Chief Minister Sawant was speaking at the 83rd birth anniversary of Sanatan Sanstha's founder, Jayant Athavale.Sawant said that the state's clean and beautiful temples are drawing more people than its beaches."In the past, people visited Goa to witness sun, sand, and sea. That has changed now. Tourists are arriving here to experience our rich culture and grand temples," he said, as reported by news agency PTI.He further mentioned that the temples in Goa are not managed by the government but by local communities who have upheld centuries-old rituals and customs."The government has no involvement in the management of the temples in the state," he said.advertisementHe also heaped praise on the Sanstha, based out of Ramnathi village in North Goa, for bringing spiritual awareness to people and teaching people more about the Sanatan Dharma.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
3 hours ago
- Time of India
Operators to lose licence if private vehicles used for rental
Panaji: State govt on Friday decided to issue an ordinance for the licence cancellation of rental car and bike operators who deploy private vehicles for commercial use. Action would be taken against such operators as well as individuals who do not have a licence to run a rental vehicle business but give private vehicles for hire to tourists. 'The transport department will initiate an ordinance for licence cancellation of rent-a-car/bike operators using private vehicles for commercial use,' Sawant said. Last year, the traffic cell of Goa police issued more than 600 challans for using private vehicles for commercial purposes. Once the challan is issued, vehicle owners must appear before court to pay the challan. Sawant chaired a meeting at Police HQ, Panaji, to review these matters and the progress of the border checkpost infrastructure and enforcement readiness. The meeting was attended by the IGP, DIG, transport director, North Goa SP, transport SP, and PWD principal chief engineer. During the meeting, the transport department pointed to the loss to the exchequer due to the use of private vehicles for commercial purposes and the nonpayment of GST. Sawant said that only 10% of private vehicles were identified and challaned for being used for commercial purposes. The transport department noted that the Transport Act was amended in 2018, allowing the main rental car/bike operators to have agreements with their close aides and start the business, but those individuals were exempted from paying GST. Sawant directed the transport department to make necessary changes to address the revenue leakage. On another front, the green initiative 'Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam' is to be implemented at all police stations, Sawant said. Moreover, he said govt is working to build a seamless, transparent, and citizen-friendly mobility and enforcement ecosystem on Goa's borders. Sawant reviewed infrastructure readiness at Patradevi and Keri (North Goa) and Mollem and Polem (South Goa). He discussed land availability for developing way-side public amenities and IOCL petrol pumps, reviewed application development progress by ITG, and rollout plans of the traffic SP. He also deliberated on the public notification strategy, automated border monitoring, and integration with VAHAN. As for rental car and bike operators, revenue minister Atanasio 'Babush' Monserrate blamed them for causing accidents and harming the taxi business in the state. Panaji: State govt on Friday decided to issue an ordinance for the licence cancellation of rental car and bike operators who deploy private vehicles for commercial use. Action would be taken against such operators as well as individuals who do not have a licence to run a rental vehicle business but give private vehicles for hire to tourists. 'The transport department will initiate an ordinance for licence cancellation of rent-a-car/bike operators using private vehicles for commercial use,' Sawant said. Last year, the traffic cell of Goa police issued more than 600 challans for using private vehicles for commercial purposes. Once the challan is issued, vehicle owners must appear before court to pay the challan. Sawant chaired a meeting at Police HQ, Panaji, to review these matters and the progress of the border checkpost infrastructure and enforcement readiness. The meeting was attended by the IGP, DIG, transport director, North Goa SP, transport SP, and PWD principal chief engineer. During the meeting, the transport department pointed to the loss to the exchequer due to the use of private vehicles for commercial purposes and the nonpayment of GST. Sawant said that only 10% of private vehicles were identified and challaned for being used for commercial purposes. The transport department noted that the Transport Act was amended in 2018, allowing the main rental car/bike operators to have agreements with their close aides and start the business, but those individuals were exempted from paying GST. Sawant directed the transport department to make necessary changes to address the revenue leakage. On another front, the green initiative 'Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam' is to be implemented at all police stations, Sawant said. Moreover, he said govt is working to build a seamless, transparent, and citizen-friendly mobility and enforcement ecosystem on Goa's borders. Sawant reviewed infrastructure readiness at Patradevi and Keri (North Goa) and Mollem and Polem (South Goa). He discussed land availability for developing way-side public amenities and IOCL petrol pumps, reviewed application development progress by ITG, and rollout plans of the traffic SP. He also deliberated on the public notification strategy, automated border monitoring, and integration with VAHAN. As for rental car and bike operators, revenue minister Atanasio 'Babush' Monserrate blamed them for causing accidents and harming the taxi business in the state. Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Eid wishes , messages , and quotes !
Time of India
3 hours ago
- Time of India
Goa to submit eco-sensitive plan to Centre, seeks fresh survey under PMAY
**TO GO WITH STORY** Panjim: Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant speaks during inauguration of the Regional Rural Workshop under the Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana (Gramin), in Panjim. (PTI Photo)(PTI06_06_2025_000226B) Panaji: Chief minister Pramod Sawant on Friday said that Goa aims to be the first state to prepare and submit an eco-sensitive plan to the Centre. 'Goa will be the first state to submit an eco-sensitive zone plan to the Centre. We are working on sustainable development; there is no haphazard management,' said Sawant at the regional rural workshop for the Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana (Gramin). Sawant said that Goa govt is formulating schemes so that even people from the OBC and economically weaker sections can get proper houses in Goa. 'Under the PMAY, we have just 250 beneficiaries. Of those more than 240 houses were already built. But there is a need to conduct a fresh survey under this scheme,' said Sawant. He said that some of the prospective beneficiaries migrated to other states, while there are some people who did not qualify for the scheme even though they required houses. 'There are some people who are living in a joint family, and they cannot benefit from these schemes. We need to expand this scheme, extend the benefits, but these people must settle in the villages and not in the towns,' said Sawant. The chief minister said that people must be encouraged to stay in the villages. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like They Lost Their Money - Learn From Their Lesson Expertinspector Click Here Undo 'If people migrate from villages to towns, the ecosystem will be disturbed. For this ecosystem not to get disturbed, people must be encouraged to stay in the villages. I am sure the Centre will think about this too. It is necessary that people get houses in their own villages,' he said. Sawant said that Goa is the first state to ensure that all central schemes reach every citizen in the state. 'We succeeded in taking all the schemes to at least 90% of the people. There may be a few people who were not able to benefit from the schemes,' he said. Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Eid wishes , messages , and quotes !
Time of India
3 hours ago
- Time of India
Govt will form coordination panel to resolve taxi issue: Lobo
Calangute: State govt will form a coordination committee of various taxi unions, transport department officials and other stakeholders to resolve the taxi aggregator issue, said Calangute MLA Michael Lobo on Thursday. The MLA said that he spoke to chief minister Pramod Sawant after meeting taxi owners a few days ago and it has been decided to hold meetings with all stakeholders to decide on 'what should be done'. Representatives of the North and South Goa taxi unions also met the Calangute MLA and Siolim MLA Delilah Lobo on Thursday. 'The taxi issue will be 100% resolved. It is the need of the hour to save our tourism industry. Customers should not have any problems. We also discussed a lot of other problems faced by tourists that also need to be solved,' said the Calangute MLA. Stating that they stand by the taxi owners, the Siolim MLA said, 'We don't want any more aggregators and at the same time, there has to be transparency. We have to solve this issue once and for all.' Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Eid wishes , messages , and quotes !
