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PWD FOR DIGAMBAR
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PWD FOR DIGAMBAR

Aug 30-Sept 05, 2025, WEEKEND UPDATES August 29, 2025 , by

ON the first day of auspicious Chavath Chief Minister Pramod Sawant allotted the PWD portfolio to former chief minister Digambar Kamat. Pramod Sawant had  retained the PWD portfolio when he dropped Nilesh Cabral from his cabinet earlier on. Regrettably, Digambar Kamat has not been given the Art & Culture portfolio where he distinguished himself. Art & culture portfolio has been given to Ramesh Tawadkar along with Tribal Welfare & Sports & Youth affairs.  Digambar Kamat gets the river navigation and the weights and measures portfolio in addition to PWD.

WORLD CHESS CHAMPIONSHIP IN GOA

GOA has won the competition to host the World Chess Championship which was allotted to India. Goa was chosen by the International Chess Federation instead of Ahmedabad because of its beaches and the fact that it is an international tourism destination. The World Chess Championship will give Goans an opportunity to see all the superstars of chess in action, including the veteran chess champion Vishwanathan Anand.

The classic open championship will also feature Magnus Carlson, who has been present as a world champion. It will also feature Gukesh Dommaraju, who won the 2024 Open World Championship.  This is a major achievement for Goa as it will attract chess lovers from all over the world.

PANAJI CITY EMPTY

THE streets of Panaji are comparatively empty nowadays with most of its  residents returning to their ancestral  village home to celebrate Chavath or Ganesh Chaturthi. Therefore, all the Goan-owned restaurants and shops are closed including the popular Cafe Bhonsle , Café Real and Café Central. Goan-owned beauty parlors like Guru’s and popular Goan food restaurants are also taking a break. The only establishments which remain open 24×7 in Goa during the Lord Ganesh festival are the casinos and the bars.

MAUVIN GODINHO ACQUITTED.

A LOWER court acquitted Transport Minister Mauvin Gudinho in the 20-year-old power scam case. A case was filed against Mauvin Gudinho for illegally extending huge rebates to rolling steel plants, in violation of the decision taken by the Pratapsingh Rane cabinet. The complaint was filed by former chief minister Manohar Parrikar when he was in the Opposition. Subsequently, when Mauvin Gudinho became the part of the BJP government, Parrikar in fact tried to withdraw the complaint.

Initially, Mauvin was convicted on the basis of evidence by then chief minister Pratapsingh Rane, to confirm that Babush had favored Mormagoa Steel Ltd in violation of the Cabinet decision. It would appear that Pratapsingh Rane has withdrawn his claim now that he is part of the BJP.

It is not surprising that the Pramod Sawant government has decided not to appeal against the acquittal to the High Court.

NEW DELTIN CASINO

DELTIN,  the casino company owned by Jaydev Mody, who is close to the BJP, has been granted permission to replace his present offshore vessels with a much larger ship to be called MV Royal Floatel. The 112-meter vessel will have a capacity to entertain almost a thousand passengers a day. The new Deltin casino vessel will have five decks from the baseline. Deltin is the largest operator of offshore casinos in the country.

HEALTHCARE FASHION

Goa will be hosting the Healthcare Iconic Fashion & Awards (HIFAA) on August 30-31 at the Taj Convention Centre in Dona Paula. The event will witness the participation of more than 500 doctors and medical professionals from across the country, representing naturopathy, acupuncture, modern medicine and wellness therapies. They even aim to celebrate excellence in healthcare.

MARIGOLDS SHORTAGE DURING GANESH FESTIVAL

GOA has to import a large quantity of marigold flowers which are reportedly the favorite flowers of Lord Ganesh. Consequently, there is a steep increase in the demand for marigold flowers during major festivals like Ganesh Chaturthi and Diwali. There are not many farmers in Goa who have taken to growing marigolds yellow and orange. There are different varieties of marigold large and small blossoms. The usually seen marigold flowers take 90 days to bloom to be harvested to feature in religious occasions. Marigold garlands or “toran” are always in demand to be strung up at home and office doorways and also to festoon four and two-wheelers. We believe attempts are being made to promote the cultivation of marigolds in Goa so that they are available at the time of Dassera and Diwali coming up soon.  

GANESH TU AMCHO UZVADD!

A NEW “bhakti geet” in praise of Lord Ganesh — “Ganesh tu amcho uzvadd” (translating to “Ganesh you are our light”) — written by John Aguiar was released on a YouTube channel. Aguiar is a veteran of Goa’s Information & Publicity Department for many years. He started his career as a  reporter at the “OHeraldo” when  Rajan Narayan was the editor for 20 years.  John Aguiar later on also worked as public relations officers to advocate Eduardo Faleiro when he was minister for banking. Aguiar has been writing devotional songs for the last two years and recently  received the Bhakti Sahitya Puraskar. The song has been sponsored by Pravin Zantye.

REAL GROUP TURNS 79.

THE Real Group of Companies started by Gajanand Shirodkar celebrated its 79th anniversary on August 28, 2025.  Real is the largest producer of Goa’s soft drinks, fruit juices and other horticulture products. Real’s most famous soft drink or beverage is perhaps the pink “Kane” (berry drink) and “Manik” (lemon-flavored drink). Real’s first pioneering business venture is Café Real down town Panjim which serves some of the best traditional Goan snacks. Real Group is also among the largest distributors of beer and alcohol. Our best wishes to the Real Group of Companies which have been good friends of the “Goan Observer” weekly over the years.

VIOLANT BAL GANESH!

WE happened to watch the popular Hindi film “Bal Ganesh” on television on Chaturthi night. I was shocked to see the violence in the film. In the opening scenes, Bal Ganesh acts like our Hindi film heroes who bash up all the villains. In this case it is Lord Shiva’s vahan Nandi the bull and the other followers of Shiva, who were   apparently sent by Lord Shiva to push away Ganesh, who was guarding the entrance to the house while Parvathi was having a bath. The film shows Bal Ganesh kicking and punching all those who try to take him away from the gate. This is hardly a good lesson for children and in fact amounts to defamation of Lord Ganesh who is always perceived as a very benevolent, kind and generous god!

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