ON Wednesday, April 2 the Lok Sabha passed the amendment to the Waqf bill with the help of allies like Nitish Kumar and Chandra Babu Naidu. The ruling group got 288 in favour as against 232 against. Even before the amendment, the Waqf board had control over properties owned by Muslims, including mosques and madrasas.
The new amendment stipulates that donors of Muslim properties should be Muslims who have been practicing Islam for five years. The new amendments will give state government full authority to regulate the Waqf boards. Indeed, the government has empowered itself to non-Muslim members to the Waqf board. The amendment will affect disputed structures as it will leave the state government to decide their status.
The amendments have been denounced on the grounds that this is an attempt to interfere with the religious affair of the Muslim community. It may be pointed out that there are no such regulations on the Diocesan Board which regulate church property or the temple committees which manage Hindu property. The temples and the church have much larger land areas and property than the Muslim mosques and madrasas.
SMART BUSES WITHOUT CONDUCTORS
THE new electric buses introduced by the Smart City Administration will operate without conductor on the Altinho-Taleigao and the Cujira routes. At the entrance of the bus there will be a pole-mounted QR code which commuters can scan to pay their fares. Payments can be made through banking and UPI cards.
There is however a provision for cash payment also. The driver will supervise the issuance of tickets against appropriate payments. The system has also been adopted on the Panaji market- Dona Paula road.
HARIDWAR DECLARED MEAT-FREE
THE Haridwar Municipal Corporation has decided that no shops selling meat, fish and even eggs, will be permitted within the limits of the city. Shops selling these items will be shifted outside the city. There are about 100 butcher shops operating in the municipal area. According to the municipality, only a handful of them have a valid license. So much so a majority of the butcher shops will be shut down by the municipality. Incidentally, the sale of alcohol has also been banned in Haridwar city.
SCHOOL TEACHER SUSPENDED
IN a controversial step, a school boy who was disciplined by a teacher in an aided school in Curchorem, has been suspended by the Education department, under pressure from the Bajrang Dal and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad. Apparently, the student was disciplined after consultation with his parents for violent behaviour on the school campus. We understand that the management was overruled and the teacher was suspended on the orders of Education Minister Pramod Sawant.
CARDIAC DEPARMENT PRIVATISED
IN keeping with Vishwajit Rane’s policy of privatising the Goa Medical Hospital, an agreement has been reached with Fortis Healthcare Ltd to strengthen the cardiac department of the GMC. The Cardiac department will now benefit from the services of Dr Vivek Jawali, the chairman of the cardiac services at Fortis Hospital, Bengaluru. Fortis will primarily assist with open heart surgery and will not be involved in angioplasty which will be managed by Dr Guruprasad Naik, the HOD of cardiology department. Recently, an economic survey pointed out that a large number of Goans die of heart attacks.
DEMAND FOR WATERMELONS
IN view of the scorching heat, there is a huge demand for watermelons in Goa. It is not widely known that the late chief minister of goa, Manohar Parrikar, hailed from the village of Parra which has the reputation for producing the biggest, juiciest water melons. Parrikar himself once recalled that while he was growing up the local farmers would organise watermelon eating competitions for school kids. The children could eat as much watermelon as they wished as long as they returned the seeds to the farmer. Recently, Delilah Lobo, who represents Parra, presented a watermelon from her garden to Chief Minister Pramod Sawant.
PARRIKAR’S FAVOURITE GADDO CLOSED
THE late Manohar Parrikar used to patronise the collection of gaddo outside the Alankar Cinema in Mapusa even after he became the chief minister of Goa. He rarely spent the nights at his official Chief Minister’s residence at Altinho, but returned to his own home in Mapusa every night. Parrikar used to work late at night and on his way home would oftentimes stop over at the Alankar Cinema gaddo camp outside on the street for his favourite Goan “ros omlet.” The Food & Drug Administration has now finally closed down all the gaddos in front of the old cinema hall for violating basic rules of sanitation and hygiene rules. For how long we do not know.
SCREENING FOR BREAST CANCER
THOUGH mammography is now widely available, very few women in the age group of 40 and above get themselves screened for breast cancer. The consequence is that breast cancer is detected only when it is often too late. In serious cases of breast cancer, the breast has to be often removed. Apparently, only one percent of the women above 45 take the precaution of doing a mammography test.
It is recommended at least once in a two years after the age of 40 every women should undergo a mammography test, which is as simple as an X-ray of the breast. Women can also examine themselves by checking whether there are any lumps in their breasts.
SIGNS OF HAPPINESS
THE Indian Institute of Technology in Madras is introducing the signs of happiness. The Rakhi for the excellence of signs of happiness will integrate happiness studies as part of the curriculum. It will help students to develop positivity and lead a purposeful life. The step has been taken in view of the large number of suicides in the top technical colleges in the country.
CM INAUGURATES KARAPUR PANCHAYAT
CHIEF Minister Dr Pramod Sawant inaugurated the newly constructed Panchayat Building of V P Karapur — Sarvan on April 1, 2025. Present on the occasion were Premandra Vishnu Shet, MLA & Chairman, Goa State Horticulture Corporation; Mahesh Anant Sawant, ZP Member, Tanvi Tukesh Sawant, Sarpanch, VP Karapur – Sarvan, Divya D Naik (DySarpanch) Omkar Mandrekar, Block Development Officer and other ward members.
Addressing the gathering the CM appealed to the farmers to consider undertaking community farming in villages. He said community farming would be profitable as it is supported by various schemes by the Agriculture Department. He urged farmers to make maximum use of barren land for cultivation purposes available in villages.
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant underscored that Swayampurna Goa program, the government-led initiative, is to make every village and city self-reliant. The success of Swayampurna Goa Mission mainly depends upon local panchayats, he added.
Premendra Shet stressing on Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana, said panchayat buildings became a reality because of such government schemes. Till date developmental works of Rs27 crore have been completed in Mayem constituency. He said he intends to make Mayem constituency a model for others to emulate and sought cooperation from the public. Tanvi Tukesh Sawant, Sarpanch, VP Karapur — Sarvan welcomed everybody and mementos were presented to the dignitaries.
2500KG NARCOTICS SEIZED BY NAVY
IND Tarkash, a frontline frigate of the Indian Navy operating under the Western Naval Command, successfully intercepted and seized over 2500 kg of narcotics in the western Indian ocean. This operation underscores the Indian Navy’s unwavering commitment to combating maritime crime and bolstering regional security.
Deployed in the western Indian ocean since Jan 2025 for Maritime Security Operations, INS Tarkash is actively supporting Combined Task Force (CTF) 150, which is part of the Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) and is based in Bahrain. The ship is participating in the multi-national forces joint focus operation, Anzac Tiger.
On March 31, 2025 while on patrol, INS Tarkash received multiple inputs from Indian Navy P8I aircraft, regarding suspicious vessels operating in the area. These vessels were believed to be involved in illicit activities, including narcotics trafficking. In response, the ship altered its course to intercept the suspicious vessels.
After systematically interrogating all suspicious vessels in the vicinity, INS Tarkash intercepted and boarded a suspect dhow, with the coordinated efforts of P8I and the Maritime Operations Centre in Mumbai. Additionally, the ship launched its integral helicopter to monitor the activities of the suspicious vessel and identify other vessels operating in the area.
A specialist boarding team, along with Marine Commandos, boarded the suspect vessel and conducted a thorough search, leading to the discovery of various sealed packets. Further search and interrogation revealed over 2,500 kg of narcotic substances(including 2386 kg of hashish and 121 kg of heroin) stored in different cargo holds and compartments on board the vessel. The suspicious dhow was subsequently brought under the control of INS Tarkash, and the crew underwent comprehensive questioning regarding their modus operandi and the presence of other similar vessels in the area.
This seizure underscores the effectiveness and professionalism of the Indian Navy in deterring and disrupting illicit activities, including narcotics trafficking at sea. The Indian Navy’s participation in multinational exercises aims to promote security, stability and prosperity across international waters in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).