log on to thegoan.net @thegoanonline MONDAY JULY 21, 2025 Facebook.com/thegoan The Goan E-Paper (Playstore/IOS) 12 pages PRICE ` 10 PANAJI MARGAO GOA VOLUME XI, NO. 34 Goa's Biggest Media Brand with Highest Viewership which makes us >> pg 6 8 key triggers, including Q1 results & FII moves, to guide Dalal-Street IN SHORT >> IMD sounds heavy rain, gusty winds alert up to July 26 PANAJI: IMD has issued a yellow alert for the State, forecasting heavy rainfall and gusty winds at isolated locations across Goa over the coming week. The weather bulletin indicates that these conditions are expected to persist until July 26. According to its data heavy rainfall was reported from four centres -- Sanguem, Canacona, Quepem and Ponda -- during the last 24 hours. Mapusa bus-stand in shambles MAPUSA: Even as the government boasts of transforming the Mapusa bus-stand into a State-of-the-art terminal, the ground reality tells a different story. The current state of the bus-stand is deplorable, with potholes, broken internal roads and poor infrastructure drawing sharp criticism.  >> See pg 3 Curca locals oppose road widening  OLD GOA: With the structures along roadsides facing demolition due to High Court order, the Curca gram sabha passed a resolution that there should be no road widening in the village as the existing roads are sufficient. The villagers opined that majority of the structures would have to be demolished as per the HC order.  >> See pg 3 PM on 4-day visit to Britain, Maldives NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will pay a four-day visit to United Kingdom and Maldives from Wednesday to shore up bilateral ties and ink the India-UK free trade deal. WEATHER >> Max: 27 C Min: 24.6 C Humidity: 98% TIDES Low: High: 01:05 13:43 08:45 18:43 Instagram.com/thegoanonline Akash, Arshdeep likely to be out of 4th Test; Kamboj joins squad  Pg 12 RNI: GOAENG/2015/65729 Come join us Contact: 9011043385 / 9850755549 / 9130004704 / 9689923150 Email: marketing@prudentmedia.in MLAs set to scrutinise budget as Assembly session begins today OPPOSITION GEARS TO CORNER GOVT ON KEY ISSUES THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI Goa’s legislators, particularly the seven from the Opposition benches, will be pouring into the jargon of figures in the State budget as they are expected to discuss and dissect it during the 15-day monsoon session which is set to commence on Monday morning. The seven MLAs in the Opposition benches will be looking to push Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and his ten ministers to the wall on matters where the administration has been accused of faltering in the recent past -- controversial conversion of landuse, alleged corruption in the administration, cash-for-job scam controversy, the taxi conundrum and law-and-order issues. The government on its part is hoping to push through a whole load of official business including the law by which it House to congratulate PM on Op Sindoor PANAJI: The Goa Assembly will congratulate Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the armed forces for the success of Operation Sindoor. As per the agenda published on the House website, on the first day of the session, the Assembly will congratulate PM Modi for his inspirational leadership and the armed forces for the stupendous success of the Operation Sindoor. Operation Sindoor was initiated on May 7 this year in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack, which claimed the lives of 26 is proposing to give relief to illegal houses and structures on Comunidade and Private lands, which have recently come under the hammer following a High Court directive. innocent people. The House will also congratulate Pope Leo XIV for being chosen to lead the Roman Catholic Church. In a series of obituaries, the House will condole death of former Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani, who died in the Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad last month. The Assembly will also pass the Demands for Grants by various departments, besides enacting some legislations and passing various resolutions. Another piece of legislation the government is expected to move during this session is the one by which it wants to ban the breeding and import of certain ferocious breeds of Parra fatality puts focus on road safety across State SEVERAL ROADS IN BATTERED STATE, MAKE COMMUTING A CHALLENGE FOR MOTORISTS the picture is grim. Much of the damage, particularly in urban and semi-urban areas, is the result of excavation for underground power cabling, water pipelines and other services. However, the failure of departments to coordinate and ensure timely restoration of roads before the rains has worsened the situation. “There is absolutely no planning or accountability. Every year the roads are dug >Continued on P7 >Continued on P7 up in April and May, and we are told they will be repaired before the monsoon. But the rains come and go and the potholes remain,” said Rosterio D’Souza, a resident of Saligao. State-wide pothole problem PTI MUMBAI A viral video of Nationalist Congress Party leader and Maharashtra Agriculture Minister Manikrao Kokate purportedly playing a game of rummy on his mobile phone during a legislative session has sparked a huge row. Facing criticism, Kokate clarified that he was only trying to skip the downloaded game on his mobile phone, which popped up for 5 to 10 seconds while checking YouTube to understand the business transacted in the lower house during the recently concluded monsoon session. He was checking his phone when the Upper House of the state legislature was adjourned. The video was posted on the X by NCP-Sharadchandra Pawar MLA Rohit Pawar, targeting the NCP headed by MINISTER SPEAK „„When the upper house of the state legislature was adjourned, I took out my mobile phone to check the business transacted in the lower house and was trying to open YouTube… the downloaded game suddenly opened, and I was skipping it Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and the BJP. “The ruling NCP faction is unable to function without consulting the BJP, which is why even as there are several issues related to agriculture pending and eight farmers committing suicide daily in the state, the agriculture minister, who has no work, appears to have time to play rummy,” Pawar stated. THE GOAN I NETWORK In  North Goa, major stretches like the key  Saligao roads, the  Siolim-Chopdem BUMPY RIDE: Potholes dot the NH-66 stretch at Porvorim where work on the elevated corridor is underway.   Agnelo Pereira WAS TRYING TO SKIP GAME, CLARIFIES MINISTER Villagers agitate, push for starting Tuem hospital PANAJI Dozens of residents gathered on Sunday at the government edifice built for a hospital at Tuem in Pernem where the Tuem Hospital Action Committee had called for a public meeting to demand the operationalisation of the hospital by linking it to the Goa Medical College and Hospital at Bambolim. Apart from demanding that the hospital be started before January 26 next year, the agitators are also canvassing for jobs at the hospital to locals. They have warned that they will intensify their public protests and agitation if their demands are not paid heed to by the State government. The meeting organized in the precincts of the Tuem hospital building was attended by local elected representatives and politicians including Advocate Amit Sawant, Devendra Prabhudesai of the Congress, Advocate Prasad Shahapurkar of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Deepak Kalangutkar of Goa Forward Party, THE GOAN I NETWORK MAPUSA The tragic death of a 45-yearold woman from Parra in a road accident on the Parra-Mapusa stretch has once again highlighted the crumbling state of Goa’s roads during the monsoon. The accident, reportedly caused due to the bumpy and broken road surface, is among the many similar incidents that continue to plague the State year after year as road conditions deteriorate with the rains. Even though the current monsoon has brought fewer heavy spells compared to previous years, several roads across Goa lie in a battered state, making commuting a daily challenge for motorists and pedestrians alike. From water-filled potholes to roads dug up for utility works and left unrepaired, dogs including the Pit Bull and Rottweiler.  The Opposition, meanwhile, will be working to put ministers on the mat raising matters where the adminis- tration has faltered through questions they have tabled and will be taken up during Question Hour.  Other opportunities that the Opposition members will look to grab to embarass  the treasury benches will be through interventions in the debates and discussions that will ensue through the 15 days in the House. Legislature Department sources, meanwhile, said 789 starred questions raised by members have been accepted.  Additionally, another 3,330 unstarred questions have also been raised by the legislators which will be answered with written replies by ministers holding the portfolios these questions touch upon. As for legislations, 16 government and private member bills  besides another 15 private member resolutions will figure in the legislature’s agenda during the entire monsoon session. Video of Maha min playing ‘rummy’ in House sparks row DAM GOOD NEWS!: Canacona’s lifeline, the Chapoli Dam, overflows after the taluka received heavy rainfall on Sunday. (Report on pg 3) BORIM BRIDGE LAND ACQUISITION NGT to hear farmers’ plea today THE GOAN I NETWORK MARGAO Beleaguered farmers of Loutolim appear anxiously waiting for the final hearing to commence before the National Green Tribunal on Monday on their plea for a stay on the land acquisition proceedings in respect of the new High Level Borim Bridge passing through the khazan fields. After repeated adjournments on their petition over the last one year, the NGT Western Zone Bench, Pune has finally listed the matter for final hearing on July 21. The Tribunal has fixed the date after a host of respondents cited by the farmers filed their respective replies and counter affidavits at the last date of hearing on June 5. President of the Loutolim Tenants Association Alberto Pinheiro expressed happiness that the petition filed by the farmers before the NGT will be taken up for final hearing. “Yes, the farmers have been waiting for the final hearing for the last several months. >Continued on P7 India’s UPI system powers 50% Fresh hope in malaria fight, new vaccine developed NEW VACCINE, NEW HOPE of world’s digital payments PTI AGENCIES NEW DELHI India is now a global leader in fast payments and the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) is the main driver, as per the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The app-driven tool is the world’s most used real-time payment system, handling over 18 billion transactions monthly. In June alone, UPI processed transactions worth Rs 24.03 lakh crore, a 32 per cent rise in transaction volume compared to the same month last year. Launched in 2016 by the UPI STATS „„UPI is world’s most used real-time payment system „„Handles over 18 bn transactions monthly „„UPI processed transactions worth Rs 24.03 lakh crore in June „„Handles 85% of all digital payments in India National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), UPI allows users to link multiple bank accounts to one app and transfer money instantly. Its appeal lies in security and round-the-clock accessibility. The platform now serves 491 mn individuals and 65 mn merchants, with 675 banks connected to the system. UPI handles 85% of all digital payments in India and nearly half of all real-time digital transactions across the world. Before UPI, payment platforms were mostly “closedloop”, meaning, money could only be sent within the same app or wallet. UPI changed that by allowing users to send money across different banks and apps using a single, common protocol. This interoperability opened up competition and improved services. NEW DELHI In a major medical breakthrough, the Regional Medical Research Centre (RMRC) in Bhubaneswar, under the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), has developed a cutting-edge malaria vaccine designed to prevent plasmodium falciparum infection and limit its transmission in communities. Named AdFalciVax, the recombinant chimeric multi-stage vaccine has shown promising pre-clinical results. Validation of the technology was carried out in collaboration with ICMR’s National Institute of Malaria Research (NIMR), other ICMR institutes, „„Bhubaneswar RMRC develops cutting-edge malaria vaccine „„Designed to prevent plasmodium falciparum infection, limit transmission in communities „„The multi-stage vaccine has shown promising pre-clinical results „„Validation of tech carried out in collaboration with ICMR’s NIMR, ICMR and the National Institute of Immunology (NII), New Delhi. The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), Delhi, institutes & NII EOI FOR PRODUCTION „„ICMR has invited has now invited expression of interest (EoI) from eligible organisations, companies and manufacturers enthusiastic expression of interest from eligible organisations, companies, manufacturers for Transfer of Technology „„Plans commercial production of multi-stage vaccine „„ICMR-RMRCBB to provide expert guidance and tech support for production in all phases, effectively accelerating commercialisation about the Transfer of Technology for commercial production of “a recombinant chimeric multi-stage malaria vaccine (AdFalciVax) against plasmodium falciparum”. The pre-clinical validation of this technology was conducted in collaboration with ICMR-NIMR (Indian Council of Medical Research-National Institute of Malaria Research), other constituent institutes of ICMR, and the National Institute of Immunology in Delhi, an autonomous research institute of the Department of Biotechnology, the EoI invitation said. The ICMR-RMRCBB (Regional Medical Research Centre, Bhubaneswar) will provide guidance and technical support for the production of the vaccine in all phases, effectively accelerating its development and commercialisation.