log on to thegoan.net @thegoanonline FRIDAY AUGUST 22, 2025 GOA Facebook.com/thegoan The Goan E-Paper (Playstore/IOS) 13 pages PRICE ` 10 PANAJI MARGAO GOA VOLUME XI, NO. 65 Cab operators back freeze on fresh permits, oppose halt on replacements 3 GOA Respite from rain prompts authorities to patch up roads 5 Instagram.com/thegoanonline RNI: GOAENG/2015/65729 INFO Chocolate peel off face mask for an instant glow Digambar, Tawadkar join Team Sawant; eyes now on portfolios GOV ADMINISTERS OATH OF SECRECY; CABINET AT FULL STRENGTH page 6 E20 petrol brings cleaner fuel but new worries for motorists Mahindra goes global with future concept SUVs IN SHORT >> Despite ban, PoP idols surface in Goa MAPUSA: With just less than a week to go for Ganesh Chaturthi, the Goa State Pollution Control Board has intensified its drive against the manufacture and sale of Plaster of Paris (PoP) idols even as surprise checks revealed violations in several talukas. Inspection teams of the GSPCB fanned out across the State in recent days, visiting workshops, chitrashalas (idol-making units) and even households where idols are being crafted.  >> See pg 3 Traffic diversion due to Borim bridge repair PANAJI: The Additional Collector, South chaired a meeting to review traffic closure and diversion on September 10 for strengthening and rehab of existing Borim bridge. CM hints at more changes in future ON PAGE 2 Ramesh Tawadkar Digambar Kamat Sequeira’s absence from swearing-in sparks intense political speculation Malbhat abuzz as Kamat returns to ministerial office after 14 years portfolio allocation is also expected. For 71-year old Kamat, this marks a return to cabinet after a 13-year gap. He last held power from 2007-2012 as the chief minister under Congress regime, before being succeeded by Manohar Parrikar. It is to be noted that Kamat, is so far, the only chief minister to complete a full five-year term. It has been Kamat’s longest spell out of ministerial office ever since he was elected as an MLA for the first time on a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ticket in 1994. He first became a minister in the Parrikar cabinet in 2000 before he defected to the Congress in 2005. After winning on Congress ticket in 2022 Assembly elections, Kamat, re-joined BJP in September 2022 along with a group of seven Congress MLAs, strengthening the saffron party’s hold in the Assembly. “I am happy that I will now have more strength to work for the common man in this State. PANAJI: Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has hinted at the possibility of further changes in his cabinet in the near future. Sawant on Thursday expanded his cabinet by inducting two new ministers, taking the council of ministers to its full strength of 12. He, however, remained silent on portfolio allocation to the new ministers as well as on reshuffle of portfolios of the existing cabinet. Speaking to media just ahead of the swearing-in ceremony, Sawant ruled out any immediate changes in the cabinet but said more new faces could be part of the future. “More changes will be seen in the cabinet in the future. Anything can happen at any time,” he commented.  >> See pg 2 I am returning to the cabinet after 13 years. I will get an opportunity to work even harder than before. God and the central leadership have given me this opportunity,” Kamat said minutes before he was swornin as minister. Fifty-seven-year old Tawadkar, resigned from the Speaker’s post ahead of his induction. He submitted his resignation to the Legislature Secretary. Tawadkar had served in the past in the coalition cabinet held by then CM Manohar Parrikar in 2012-14 and later under Laxmikant Parsekar. He quit the BJP in 2017 after being denied a ticket and faced a defeat as an Independent candidate. He re-joined BJP and was re-elected in 2022 elections. Tawadkar said that he regretted not being able to complete a full-term as the Speaker of Goa Legislative Assembly. “I have to take this >Continued on P8 Rahane steps down as Mumbai captain ahead of Ranji Trophy  Aleixo, Gaude stay away  Sankalp reaches after ceremony  Ravi absent PANAJI Faces of those at Thursday's ceremony in Cabo Raj Bhavan to induct veteran Digambar Kamat and former Speaker Ramesh Tawadkar into the Pramod Sawant cabinet on Thursday bore all smiles, but not all in the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) dispensation are a happy lot, it seems. Some did not even turn up at the swearing-in, notably former ministers Govind Gaude and Michael Lobo and of course the latter's spouse Delilah. Media reports in recent weeks had widely reported that one among the Lobo couple would make it to the cabinet in the reshuffle. The Lobo's were part of the eight-member group of legislators which had switched over from the Congress in September 2022, barely months after a bitterly fought election. Another member from that group of eight defecting MLAs -- Sankalp Amonkar -- turned up late at the Raj ALL’S NOT WELL? „„Reports had widely claimed that one among the Lobo couple would make it to the cabinet in the reshuffle. The Lobo's were part of the eight-member group which had switched over to the BJP „„Sankalp Amonkar turned up late at the Raj Bhavan. He is the only one from the eight MLAs who is yet to be accommodated in any govt position Bhavan on Thursday. He reached much after the oath-taking part of the ceremony had ended. Amonkar is the only one from the eight MLAs who is yet to be accommodated in any government position. In the early days after their defection, the government had Parl clears bill banning online money games NEW DELHI Parliament on Thursday passed a bill to ban all forms of online money games and promote eSports and online social gaming, with the Rajya Sabha approving it without debate amid din. Piloting The Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill, 2025 in Rajya Sabha, Minister of Electronics and IT Ashwini Vaishnaw said the legislation will promote two-thirds of the online gaming segment. The bill, he said, will ban online money games, which have become a big problem for society, especially middle-class youth. The bill was approved by the Lok Sabha on Wednesday. “There is addiction. The family's savings are lost. It is estimated that 45 crore people have fallen victim to it. More than Rs 20,000 crore of our middle-class families'' hardearned money has been destroyed,” Vaishnaw said. The minister said the World THE GOAN I NETWORK WHAT THE BILL PROPOSES „„To prohibit advertisements related to online money games, as well as bars banks and financial institutions from facilitating or transferring funds for any of such games „„Any person offering an online money gaming service in violation of the stipulated provisions will face imprisonment of up to three years or a fine that may extend to Rs 1 crore or both „„Provisions stipulate imprisonment of up to two years and or a fine of up to Rs 50 lakh, or both, for those indulging in advertisements in contravention of rules Health Organization has declared it a gaming disorder. “The International Classification of Diseases, ICD-11, has declared it a gaming disorder. Online money gaming has become a public health risk -- psychological disorders, compulsive behaviour, withdrawal symptoms, violent behaviour...are being caused by this,” he added. The bill also seeks to prohibit advertisements related to online money games, as well as bars banks and finan- cial institutions from facilitating or transferring funds for any of such games. The minister said that to stop this problem, measures have been taken in the past, including a self-regulation mechanism, but the menace of online money games continued to rise. Vaishnaw cited suicide cases reported in the media, including an instance where a youth lost his mother's cancer treatment money in online games and died by suicide. issued an order appointing him as chairperson of Bal Bhavan but the Mormugao MLA had refused to take charge. Meanwhile, Sawant told the media on the sidelines of the ceremony that although two have been inducted into his team more individuals could possibly get an opportunity going forward. "Anything can happen for anyone," Sawant said. Gaude who was dropped from the cabinet by Sawant in July also skipped the ceremony as did Aleixo Sequeira who resigned from the cabinet on Wednesday which paved the way for Thursday's swearing in of Kamat and Tawadkar. Sequeira had been dealing with health issues for a few months but has gone on record to say that he quit for "personal reasons" and not on health grounds. He has also claimed that there was no pressure from the party for him to quit. Another notable absentee at Raj Bhavan on Thursday was Agriculture Minister Ravi Naik. SCHEME FOR MINING-HIT BORROWERS EXTENDED LAW TO PROMOTE eSPORTS, ONLINE SOCIAL GAMING PTI 13 Unease in BJP camp? Lobo couple boycotts swearing in THE GOAN I NETWORK THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI Drawing curtains on the long awaited cabinet reshuffle, former chief minister and Margao MLA Digambar Kamat and ex-Speaker and Canacona MLA Ramesh Tawadkar were inducted into the Pramod Sawant-led cabinet, taking the council of ministers in Goa to its full strength of 12. At a ceremony hosted at Raj Bhavan on Thursday noon, Governor Pusapati Ashok Gajapati Raju administered the oath of office and secrecy to Kamat and Tawadkar in Konkani. Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and his cabinet members were present during the ceremony. While one ministerial post had fallen vacant after then Minister for Art and Culture Govind Gaude was dropped from the cabinet on June 18, another minister, Aleixo Sequeira, resigned on Wednesday, citing personal reasons -thus paving way for induction of two new ministers. Both the ministers are expected to take charge of the office in the next two days, during which 10 SPORTS CRUISE BLUES: A cruise boat that capsized near the Panaji jetty on Thursday. Officials suspect the incident was due to rain that lashed Goa in the last few days. (Report on pg 3)  Narayan Pissurlenkar Strict conditions proposed under draft Tenants Act, rules notified THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI The Goa government has invited suggestions or objections to draft rules under the Goa (Verification of Tenants) Act, 2024, proposing mandatory verification of all tenants in the State with strict conditions including penalties to landlords for non-compliance. The public have been asked to submit their feedback, if any, within 30 days. According to the draft Goa (Verification of Tenants) Rules, 2025, landlords will be required to verify the identity of tenants by inspecting specified original documents and submit copies -- either physi- cally or digitally -- to the local police station within 48 hours of letting out their premises. Landlords must also maintain a permanent register of tenants in the format prescribed under the rules, with the concerned police officers authorised to inspect >Continued on P8 PANAJI In what could be a last revision of the scheme, the State government has extended the benefit under the debt relief scheme for mining-affected borrowers of financial institutions till December 31, 2025. However, the extension is limited to only those proposals that are pending with the banks or those which were rejected by the banks on technical grounds. The Director of Mines and Geology (DMG) Narayan Gad said that considering that this would be the last revision of the scheme, the Chief Minister would be the final authority to grant benefit fully or in exceptional cases as ex-gratia benefit in either single or group of cases. Since the launch of the scheme in 2012, the financial benefits under the scheme has been extended for more than eleven times. The last extension granted to the scheme lapsed in March. As per the scheme, subsidy up to 35 per cent on the total loan settlement amount is provided. Govt’s ‘no profit, no loss’ coconut 112-mt casino vessel set to drop anchor in Mandovi scheme cracks high market price Coastal watchdog grants CRZ clearance to Delta Cruise Ltd to replace old vessel THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI A quiet intervention by the Goa State Horticulture Corporation Limited (GSHCL) has begun to steady coconut prices, with jumbo-sized coconuts now selling for nearly half the rates they touched only weeks ago. The Corporation’s “no profit, no loss” scheme, launched in mid-August, is being credited for curbing runaway prices in the run-up to Ganesh Chaturthi. The first consignment of 25,000 coconuts brought in from Shivamogga in Karnata- Until recently, coconuts were sold for as high as Rs 80 per piece. With GSHCL sale -- irrespective of size -at Rs 40-45, vendors in the market are now quoting around Rs 45 for smaller pieces and Rs 50-55 for jumbo ones ka sold out in just two days, pushing GSHCL to arrange fresh supplies within no time to meet the demand. The second batch, which arrived on Monday, is expected to be cleared by Saturday while a third lot of 25,000 coconuts will reach Goa on Sunday. “We are selling through our outlets, four designated centres and mobile vans. We have noticed that once our coconuts began moving at cost price, open-market rates also dropped sharply,” GSHCL managing director Chandrahas Desai told The Goan. Until recently, coconuts were selling for as high as Rs 80 per piece. With GSHCL retailing them -- irrespective of the size -- at Rs 40-45, vendors in the open market are >Continued on P8 SHWETA KAMAT MAHATME THE GOAN I PANAJI D elta Cruise Ltd has got green clearance to replace its offshore casino vessel MV Deltin Royale Floatel with a new massive 112-metre long vessel in River Mandovi. The Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA) has granted CRZ clearance for commencing operation at the new vessel- MV Deltin Royale. The CRZ clearance has been granted even though the Expert Members expressed apprehensions pertaining to the health of the river, which currently houses around six EXPERTS FLAG RIVER HEALTH ISSUES „„Experts say Mandovi river houses several casinos and health of the river is crucial „„Though it is a replacement to an existing vessel, it is of a larger dimension „„Any activity should be planned and managed carefully without causing detrimental changes to the offshore casinos. They also noted that the project proponent has not undertaken water quality assessment of the area, where the new vessel is set to be anchored. The Delta Pleasure Cruise ecosystem „„REIA has failed to undertake water quality assessment of the area where the new vessel would be anchored Company Pvt Ltd had approached GCZMA seeking permission to conduct business activities on vessel MB Deltin Royale- a new off shore casino vessel, which is set to commence its opera- „„Other than Santa Monica jetty there is no-sampling and data of water quality of Mandovi, where the new vessel will be placed tions in December, 2025. The application was filed way back in January. According to the proposal, the applicant is planning to replace vesse, MV Royale Floatel with vessel MV Deltin Royale. Following the application, a site inspection was conducted by the expert members led by Dr Sushant Naik in June. The proposed location for anchoring the vessel in River Mandovi is CRZ IVB area as per Coastal Zone Management Plan (CZMP) 2011. The vessel is five-storey from the base line with a total height of 26.50 meters. The expert members noted that above the 5th level, there is an open deck, which is not included in the height. The expert members raised concern over river water >Continued on P8