log on to thegoan.net @thegoanonline WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 3, 2025 GOA IN SHORT >> Bills to regularise structures get Governor's assent PANAJI: The Governor has given assent to three bills pertaining to the Regularisation of Unauthorized Constructions on government and Comunidade land, which were passed in the recently concluded Assembly session. In addition, the Indian Stamp (Goa Amendment) Act, 2025 was assented to by the Governor and subsequently published in the Official Gazette. Race heats up for GSCB leadership PANAJI: Over two weeks after the elections for the Board of Directors of The Goa State Cooperative Bank concluded, the race for its leadership is heating up. Official sources said one nomination has been received from Pandurang Kurtikar for the post of chairman and another from Krishna Kudnekar for the post of vice-chairman.   >> See pg 3 Levinson Martins named GSPCB chief 2 GOA Govt seeks land for ‘buffer zone’ near Saligao waste plant 3 PTI PANAJI: North Goa Police on Tuesday handed over 50 stolen and lost mobile phones, valued at around Rs 15 lakh, to their rightful owners. The recovery was made possible through the Central Equipment Identity Register portal and police tracking efforts. WEATHER >> Max: Min: Humidity: 29.7 C 24.5 C 96% INFO Naturally occurring toxins in food and how to reduce them NEW DELHI The Centre is likely to push for a 5 per cent tax on EVs when its ambitious overhaul of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) to lower tax rates on daily use items ranging from butter to electronics is considered by the all powerful GST Council in a two-day meeting starting Wednesday. The Council, chaired by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and comprising ministers from all States, will discuss the Centre's ''nextgen'' GST reform proposal of having just two tax rates of 5 and 18 per cent by moving products from the current 12 and 28 per cent slab to lower rates. A special 40 per cent rate has been proposed to be levied on select few items. While the pruning of the tax slabs and the resultant expected fall in prices have been welcomed, opposition ruled states are seeking compensation for any loss of the revenue that may occur because of GST SLABS: THE LIKELY SCENARIO SHIFT TO 5% SLAB „„Food items like ghee, nuts, 20-litre drinking water, non-aerated drinks, namkeen „„Certain footwear and apparels „„Medicines and medical devices „„Daily-use goods like pencils, bicycles, umbrellas the rejig. A 4-tier GST structure of 5, 12, 18 and 28 per cent was implemented from July 1, 2017, when the Centre and states agreed to subsume most of their taxes like excise duty and VAT into one uniform tax. A compensation cess in the range of 1 to 290 per cent is levied on luxury and demerit goods to create a revenue pool for compensating states for SHIFT FROM 28% TO 18% SLAB „„Items like certain categories of TVs, washing machines, refrigerators „„Entry-level cars „„SUVs and luxury cars: Special 40% rate (higher than current 28% + cess) „„Demerit goods like tobacco, pan masala, cigarettes may attract higher tax @ 40% rate „„Apart from this additional taxes/cess may be imposed the loss of revenue occurring from the exercise. However, the compensation mechanism was for initial 5 years ending June 2022. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had in his Independence Day speech on August 15 unveiled the plan for GST reforms. Shortly thereafter the central government shared a blue print of the planned reform with a Group of Ministers (GoM) from different states for initial vetting. The GoM has consented to Centre's proposal of doing away with the 12 and 28 per cent slabs, and reducing tax rates to benefit common man. Its recommendations are to be considered by the Council on September 3 and 4. While broadly agreeing with the slab changes, the GoM has favoured charging Goa, two other States raided in `637 crore bank loan fraud PTI Diver dies while cleaning casino ship Cops hand over 50 stolen, lost mobiles RNI: GOAENG/2015/65729 9 CENTRE PUSHES FOR TAX CUTS ON DAILY USE ITEMS MAPUSA: Senior bureaucrat Levinson Martins has been appointed as Chairman of Goa State Pollution Control Board, a post that had remained vacant for nearly five months. The govt order, issued on Tuesday, stated that Martins, serving as Commissioner of Labour and Employment, has been transferred to head the GSPCB.   >> See pg 3 PANAJI: A professional diver died while carrying out an underwater cleaning of a casino vessel in Panaji late Monday night. The Panaji police said the deceased, identified as Clarence Anthony D’Souza, aged 42 and a resident of Aldona, would take private cleaning of ship underwater.  >> See pg 2 Instagram.com/thegoanonline Big GST revamp on cards as 2-day meet kicks off today OT H E RS Goa’s famous coconut comes under strain The Goan E-Paper (Playstore/IOS) 12 pages PRICE ` 10 PANAJI MARGAO GOA VOLUME XI, NO. 76 Anti-coal agitation leaders still face trial as Railways commission double-track >> pg 6 Facebook.com/thegoan IN DEEP WATER: A Ganesh idol made out of Plaster of Paris is seen in a water body at Vodlem Bhat, St Cruz on Tuesday. Narayan Pissurlenkar 60 kg of PoP Ganesh idol debris cleared from Caranzalem beach THE GOAN I NETWORK MAPUSA The aftermath of Ganesh Visarjan rituals has left behind a toxic trail on Goa’s beaches, with the Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB) on Tuesday clearing nearly 60 kg of Plaster of Paris (PoP) idol remnants from Caranzalem beach alone. Officials said the debris, which had washed ashore after immersion, will be transported to the State’s solid waste management facility at Pissurlem for scientific disposal. “We have made arrange- ments to collect and transport such idols to the Pissurlem facility. Our staff will attend to calls from citizens whenever such material is spotted,” the official said. Similar remnants of PoP idols were also seen at other >Continued on P5 NEW DELHI The Enforcement Directorate on Tuesday conducted searches in Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Goa as part of a money laundering probe against a Chennai-based firm in a Rs 637 cr bank loan "fraud" linked money laundering probe, official sources said. Locations in Chennai and Kanchipuram in Tamil Nadu, Kolkata and some premises in Goa were raided in the case against the entity named Arvind Remedies and its promoter Arvind B Shah apart from some others are being raided under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), the sources said. The money laundering case of July 2021 stems from a October 2016 CIB FIR against the accused company and its promoter for "cheating" a consortium of lenders. Annual reports of the company for financial years 200910 to 2014-15, audited financials of the company taken from the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, and 294 bank accounts were analysed and an "intensive" money trail was prepared by the ED. electric vehicles priced up to Rs 40 lakh with an 18 per cent GST, sources aware of the matter said. The Centre, however, is keen to push EV adoption and favours a 5 per cent rate and the same stance will be pushed in the Council meeting, they said. Most of the common use food items like ghee, nuts, drinking water (20 litre), non-aerated drinks, namkeen; certain footwear and apparels; medicines and medical devices are likely to move from 12 per cent to 5 per cent tax slab. Common use items ranging from pencils, bicycles, umbrellas to hair pins may also move to 5 per cent slab. Prices of electronic items like certain category of TV, washing machine and refrigerator are likely fall because of being taxed at a lower rate of 18 per cent, as against 28 per cent currently. Goods like automobiles that are currently charged >Continued on P5 SPORTS Aussie pace ace Starc retires from T20Is 12 Additional land not to transport coal: Railways Clarifies it is for stabilisation, access and alignment correction THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI A day after announcing the acquisition of 0.6 ha (6,000 sq mts) of additional land in South Goa for coal handling, the Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL) on Tuesday clarified the land is solely for stabilization, access and alignment correction. In a statement issued through the Chief Minister's Office, the RVNL denied any capacity expansion of coal transportation. “The limited acquisition of 0.6 ha initiated by the Ministry of Railways in Cansaulim, Sancoale and Issorcim villages is solely for banking/ stabilisation support to safeguard nearby houses, provision of road access to land owners, and correction of alignment mismatches identified in earlier surveys,” it said adding, “the project will facilitate tourism development and the faster movement of existing freight, including coal, in a The limited acquisition of 0.6 ha initiated by the Ministry of Railways in Cansaulim, Sancoale and Issorcim villages is solely for banking/ stabilisation support to safeguard nearby houses, provision of road access to land owners etc manner that reduces incidental pollution by decreasing exposure time. It is further reiterated that no capacity expansion of coal transportation will be permitted in the State.” The Indian Railways on Monday announced acquiring more 6,000 (approx) square metres of land in the three villages with public feedback being sought. The public notice stated that the land is to be acquired with or without structure, falling within the proposed special railway project of Hospet-Vasco line doubling. 450 Goa teachers trained for centralised common exams TEACHERS FROM 1500 SCHOOLS TRAINED, TAUGHT TO DRAFT PAPERS FOR ALL 6 GRADES THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI Ahead of conducting first-ever centralised common examination for students from Grade 3 to Grade 8 in October, over 450 teachers from approximately 1,500 schools across Goa have been trained for framing competency-based question papers, which would be set up through Goa State Council of Education Research and Training (SCERT). The teachers have already drafted model question papers. The examination that will be held through a common time-table for all grades will commence from October 9 for Grade 3 and Grade 4 while the students of Grade 5 to Grade 8 will answer their first paper on October 7. The SCERT has said that the common summative exams are being held to “bring uniformity and standardisation” in the way schools carry out the assessment of students. Speaking to The Goan, SCERT Director Meghana Shetgaonkar said that follow- „„Exam to be held “bring uniformity and through a common timestandardisation” in the table for all grades way schools carry out assessment of „„To commence WINDS students from October 9 for Grade 3 and „„Ten teachers OF 4 while students CHANGE per subject per of Grade 5 to 8 will grade have been answer their first trained paper on October 7 „„Model question paper „„Common exams already drafted and are being held to forwarded to schools ing the government approval, an external agency, having extensive experience in setting competency-based question papers, was roped in to provide training to our teachers on how to frame or draft such exam papers for all six grades, covering over 1.20 lakh students. She said that the agency also helped in question bank development. “This is the very first time that we are conducting such a competency based centralised examination on such a large scale. To ensure success- ful implementation, we had roped in an agency to train our teachers. Ten teachers per subject per grade have been trained by the agency,” she said. Shetgaonkar said that the teachers have already drafted a model question paper and the same have been forwarded to the schools for their understanding. “We had initially planned to seek help from the same agency for confidential paper setting. However, >Continued on P5 THE GOAN I NETWORK PTI JALALABAD The death toll from a major earthquake in eastern Afghanistan passed 1,400 on Tuesday, with more than 3,000 people injured, Zabihullah Mujahid, a Taliban government spokesman, said on social platform X. Rescuers are scrambling in a race against time to reach the mountainous and remote area devastated by the earthquake, a UN official said, warning of an exponential rise in casualties. The quake struck in several provinces, causing extensive A UN official warned of an exponential rise in the number of casualties as rescuers are scrambling in a race against time to reach the mountainous and remote area devastated by the earthquake damage. It flattened villages and trapped people under the rubble of homes that were constructed mostly of mud bricks and wood and were unable to withstand the shock. Rough terrain is hampering rescue and relief efforts. We cannot afford to forget the people of Afghanistan who are facing multiple crises, multiple shocks, and the resilience of the communities has been saturated, said Indrika Ratwatte, the UN's coordinator for Afghanistan. He urged the international community to step forward. These are life and death decisions while we race against time to reach people. It is the third earthquake since the Taliban seized power in 2021, and the latest crisis to beset Afghanistan, which is reeling from deep cuts to aid funding, a weak economy, and millions of people forcibly returned from Iran and Pakistan. PANAJI he Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) has raised questions over Goa Industrial Development Corporation’s (GIDC) “anti-competitive” tendering practice of rejecting technically qualified bidders for quoting greater than 20 per cent below the estimated cost. Since 2021, the Corporation has rejected almost 59 per cent of e-tenders, amounting to over Rs 48.29 cr for being 20 per cent below the estimated cost. GIDC has been rejecting any tenders pertaining to roads, buildings, sewerage, water supply, etc quoting more than 20 per cent below the estimat- T GIDC rejecting technically qualified bids quoting more than 20% below estimated cost „„Between 2021 and 2024, 59% of e-tenders worth Rs 48.29 cr rejected because bids were 20% below the estimate ed cost put to tender. CAG had pointed out the “incorrect” practice of the Corporation in 2010, despite which no corrective measure has been initiated so far. CAG said GSIDC has been following an “anti-competitive” practice in e-tendering „„Repeated rejection indicates GIDC’s project cost estimates were likely inflated, undermining the purpose of transparent e-tendering „„GIDC has not implemented corrective measures despite CAG pointing out the incorrect practice in 2010 process of rejecting bids that were greater than 20% below the cost put to tender. During the period from 2021 to 2024, there were 79 e-tenders with estimated cost of Rs 112.90 cr of which 46 tenders with estimated cost of Rs 48.29 cr, received bids that RECOMMENDATION Death toll from Afghanistan CAG slams GIDC’s ‘anti-competitive’ bidding norms CAG REPORT: KEY earthquake surpasses 1,400 OBSERVATIONS Discontinue flawed practice, align with CPWD guidelines, and ensure fair competition with clear communication were exactly 20 per cent below the estimated cost. One tender received a bid of 30 per cent below the estimated cost and despite technically qualified, was incorrectly rejected. “The bids of 59% of all e-tenders being 20% below the estimated cost clearly indicated inflated estimates and were not allowed to be corrected through the efficient price discovery mechanism of e-tendering,” CAG said. “As long as the bids being greater than 20 per cent below the estimated cost was through an efficient price discovery mechanism in competitive bidding, there was no reason to reject such technically qualified bids,” the Auditor said, pointing out that GIDC failed to safeguard its financial interests. CAG pointed out that the Central Public Works Department works manual does not prescribe such rejection of bids merely because the bidder breached any threshold vis-à-vis the estimated cost.