Goa cracks down on litterbugs: New garbage bill aims to keep tourist areas clean; fines up to Rs 3 lakh
:
The House passed the crucial Goa NonBiodegradable Garbage (Control) (Amendment) Bill, which has provision to penalise people caught littering not just public spaces, but private ones too.
The bill facilitates a fine of Rs 300 for the first offence, with subsequent offences attracting fines of up to Rs 3 lakh. Opposition leader Yuri Alemao asked why imprisonment as a deterrent was not included in the amendment bill. It was passed after a brief discussion on provisions, and with amendments suggested by Curchorem MLA Nilesh Cabral.
The House also passed the Goa Tax on Infrastructure (Amendment) Bill, introduced by TCP minister Vishwajit Rane, which aims to make payment of infrastructure tax by builders and developers easier.
Opposition MLAs questioned govt's intent in allowing payments in two installments. To the point raised by Fatorda MLA Vijai Sardesai on whether similar benefits will be extended to Goans for constructing their houses, the CM said such a law is in the pipeline.
Passing of the Goa Public Universities Bill, with a provision to facilitate setting up of multi-disciplinary universities was deferred till Friday following Opposition members' demands that the bill be sent to the select committee.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hindu
25 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Rewriting the rules of school in Andhra Pradesh
The Telugu Desam Party-led NDA government in Andhra Pradesh is revisiting the education sector reforms introduced by its predecessor and is making changes wherever deemed necessary. Minister for Human Resources Development Nara Lokesh has stated that policies yielding positive outcomes will be retained, while those that failed to deliver tangible results will be rolled back. The task being both critical and challenging, the Minister is taking an objective and balanced view of the educational landscape, recognising that the well-being and future of students must remain at the heart of the new initiatives. Officials in the education department are assessing what has worked, what needs improvement, and how best to move forward without causing inconvenience to stakeholders. The task at hand is to cater to the needs of 58,535 schools, 68,15,925 students, and 3,13,112 teachers across the State. Of these, 44,285 are government schools with 33,37,762 students and 1,84,898 teachers; 789 are aided schools with 87,612 students and 3,259 teachers; 13,461 private schools with 33,90,551 students and 1,24,955 teachers. According to Mr. Lokesh, the TDP government inherited an education system in a state of paralysis, lacking essential frameworks and operational efficiency — a charge refuted by the YSR Congress Party, which has accused him of 'systematically weakening the education sector in the State.' The data show that the State has 12,512 single-teacher schools, 5,312 government schools with single-digit enrolment, and 14,052 State-run schools with 20 or fewer students. The overall enrolment in government schools declined by 10,49,596 students between 2022 and 2024. With declining learning outcomes, the government faces the formidable challenge of reversing the trend to secure children's futures. A recent survey suggested that 84.3% of Class III students could not read a Class-II level text, 62.5 % of Class V students struggled with basic reading, 47% of Class VIII students still could not read Class II level text, 59.1 % of Class III students could not perform basic subtraction, 54.8 % of Class VIII students could not perform division and only 12.9% and of Class III students could solve basic division problems. Citing the dismal result of the survey, Mr. Lokesh has rolled back his predecessor's initiatives such as transition of the government schools to the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) in 2022-23 without sufficient preparation, implementation of TOEFL in State-run schools at a cost of ₹58.84 crore, and the move to adopt International Baccalaureate (IB) curriculum in government schools. A sum of Rs. 4.86 crore was paid for just the interim report for the proposed IB implementation. One of the most controversial decisions of the previous YSRCP government was GO 117, which reorganised schools and reapportioned teaching staff. The order divided schools into six categories and mandated the merger and de-merger of classes. The fragmentation of schools led to the number of schools having fewer than 10 students rising from 1,215 in 2021-22 to 5,312 in 2024-25, and schools with fewer than or equal to 20 students increasing from 5,520 to 14,052 during the same period, indicating a severe decline in student enrolment. To curb the ill effects of GO 117, the NDA government introduced GO 21, which revises the restructuring model by creating nine categories of schools. However, this faced trouble, with teacher unions raising serious concerns over its 'negative impact on the public education system'. GO 21 is part of the transformative journey called Learning Excellence in Andhra Pradesh, which aims to improve access, learning outcomes, and future-ready skills. The recently concluded 'Mega' DSC (District Selection Committee) exam, conducted to recruit 16,347 teachers in government schools after a gap of seven years, enhanced the government's image. Other welcomed steps include the introduction of academic star ratings to assess both student and teacher performance, targeted efforts to boost school enrolment in rural and tribal areas, and the consolidation of multiple teacher apps into a single platform. In intermediate education, curriculum and textbook revisions for first-year students are being implemented from the current academic year, aligning with the syllabus with national competitive standards. The revisions would be introduced for second-year students from the academic year 2026-27. The reach of the changes being made is very vast, and resistance to change is natural in large systems, especially when previous reforms are still being digested. The government should remain watchful of implementation gaps that often emerge. Due diligence is key to ensuring that the quality of learning improves without sacrificing stability.
Time of India
35 minutes ago
- Time of India
9 Maoists lay down arms in Bijapur, 6 carried 24L bounty
Raipur: Nine Maoists, including six with a cumulative bounty of Rs 24 lakh, surrendered before police and paramilitary officials in Bijapur district of Bastar division in Chhattisgarh on Wednesday. The surrendered rebels included members of company number 1, platoon number 12 and 13 of Marh division, as well as members from the technical team of south Bastar division and DGN (Dhamtari-Gariaband-Nuapada) division. Among them were two area committee members, a DAKMS member, and a commander of the Bhoomkal militia. They were identified as Baksu Oyam carrying Rs 8 lakh bounty, active since 2007, a party member of company number 1, Budhram Potam, carrying cash reward of Rs 5 lakh, an ACM of platoon 12, active since 2000, Hidma alias Hiriya worth Rs 5 lakh, ACM of platoon 13, and those carrying Rs 2 lakh bounty were Mangu Uika alias Toggi from South Bastar's technical team, Roshan Karam alias Ajit from Chinnapalli area committee under DGN division and Manglu Podiyam, a party member from Bhairamgarh area committee. The others were DAKMS members Kamlu Hemla and Budhram Hemla, and Pandru Punem alias Padkhuta, Bhoomkal militia commander of Mankeli, active since 1997. The cadres cited disillusionment with the ideology, internal conflict within the organisation, and aspiration for a peaceful family life as key reasons for leaving the insurgency. Many also acknowledged that rapid infrastructure development, improved healthcare, education, and electricity access in remote villages influenced their decision. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like If You Find These Bugs in Dahuk, Do Something Immediately Undo Police officials stated that since Jan 1, 2025, over 277 Maoists have surrendered, 310 have been arrested, and 131 have been killed in encounters in Bijapur district alone. The trend continues this year with 466 surrenders and 189 Maoists neutralised across Chhattisgarh. SP Jitendra Kumar Yadav urged remaining Maoists to abandon violence. "Return to the mainstream. The state govt is committed to giving you a life of dignity, safety, and opportunity," he said, appealing to Maoists to "reject extremist ideologies propagated by external elements" and embrace peace. Each surrendered Maoist was awarded Rs 50,000 as incentive under the state's surrender and rehabilitation policy. The surrender took place in presence of DIG Dantewada ange Kamalochan Kashyap, DIG CRPF Bijapur B S Negi, SP Bijapur Jitendra Kumar Yadav, and senior officers from the DRG, STF, and CoBRA battalions (201, 202, 210), and CRPF 199 & 85 battalions. Under the new rehabilitation programme, surrendered Maoists are supported with financial aid, housing, education, and job training.
Time of India
35 minutes ago
- Time of India
Driving licences to be delivered at applicants' doorstep: Govt
Bhopal: Driving licences in Madhya Pradesh will now be dispatched directly to the homes of applicants, transport minister Udai Pratap Singh told the state assembly on Wednesday. Responding to a debate on the MP Motor Vehicle Taxation (Amendment) Act, Singh said the transport dept was focused not just on tax collection but also on improving public services. "Most jobs done at RTOs have an online facility now thereby saving people from making rounds of RTO and only when a photo of a person has to be clicked, he has to go to the RTO office," the minister said. "Be it applying for a licence or a permit or paying a penalty, everything can be done online and the department now proposes to dispatch smart licence cards to the home address of the applicants," he said. Earlier, BJP MLA Vhgwandas Sabnani requested the minister to give smart card-like licences to people so that it was easily preserved and also send the licences to the home address of the applicant as the passport offices do.
