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LETTER TO THE EDITOR FOR THE ISSUE DATED JANUARY 31, 2026
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LETTER TO THE EDITOR FOR THE ISSUE DATED JANUARY 31, 2026

Jan 31- Feb 06, 2026, Letters To The Editor January 30, 2026 , by

COMING CENSUS SHOULD DISCLOSE REAL POVERTY & UNEMPLOYMENT!
 THE Census of India 2027 should in fact, collect detailed information on individuals, including occupation, education, for the first time since 1931.
The two-phase, fully digital exercise – covering house-listing (April-Sept 2026) and population enumeration (Feb 2027) – will also generate significant temporary employment; however there will be self-enumeration app to upload by the public. This is a good source.
The population enumeration phase (Feb 2027) is likely to cover key individual attributes, including occupation, and this is important.
It is learned that the project will create approximately 1.02 crore man-days of work, engaging around 18,600 technical personnel for about 550 days at local levels. But this will be be temporary employment.
The Census indicates that the 33 questions will cover, besides occupation, amenities, demographic details, and caste for SCs, STs and OBCs. This census should disclose the genuine poverty and unemployment of the country to fulfill the economic conditions of the fellow citizens.
— Rajesh Banaulikar, Arpora, Goa.

CASINO GAMING
 IN an interview exclusive to CNBC-TV18 Manit Jain said, “Deltin has brought luxury gaming to India at par with Las Vegas and Maau and has been the pioneer in putting India on the map for casino gaming and entertainment.” As a concerned Goan, I research news regarding casinos regularly and I noticed that Maau gives each resident a dividend from gambling revenue every year. The current in-charge – a justice who resigned his post to contest elections – has just closed satellite casinos for good.
Melco International Development has set up a full-fledged IR in Sri Lanka, and they are slated to have their gambling authority up and running by June 2026. The FATF will review Sri Lanka’s anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing safeguards when they are in place, which will surely have to be foolproof – given the island nation is debt ridden. Their intelligentsia are aware of the threat Chinese organized crime syndicates pose to legalized casinos, especially in the ASEAN, Pacific Isles and Africa – where regulations tend to be sketchy.
Mr Jain, as a job provider, visionary and stakeholder in Goa’s Tourism Industry, perhaps could advise the TTAG to embed Singapore’s gambling model here in Goa too. After the Birch incident – where 25 young lives were lost in an inferno at an illegal nightclub – Goa tourism has to do more than just save face. It has to slam the brakes and put in multiple layers of guardrails to protect both Goa’s future generations and pilgrims to our sacred shoes.
The Goa government’s duplicity – permitting narco-tourism for the sake of tourist footfalls – cannot be extended to casinos too. You’re aware of the prevalence of billion dollar transnational human trafficking syndicates setting up base in gambling hubs like Cambodia, Laos, the Philippines, Laukkaing and Saipan.
Thailand’s plans to legalize gambling are now on ice, but during tumultuous debates Spectrum Gaming Group made their pitch to the Thai government. The consultant manages Singapore’s gambling authority and their Home Ministry too, along with the commissions of 44 countries across six continents. The speaker drew comparisons between South Korea’s cautious yet unproductive model and Singapore’s.
India is sadly not in the litany of countries on Spectrum’s client list, and that is surprising, given that we are the world’s fourth largest economy. It is even more shocking, after the news that Pakistan is raising funds to rebuild terror camps destroyed by the Indian Army. Historically, casinos have been misused for terrorism financing (Northern Cyprus) and are pawns for pariahs like DPRK (Proliferation Financing, re.the Lazarus heist). (https://spectrumgaming.com/clients/)
Mr Jains should know that the deeds and sacrifices of our upright (integrity, plus humility) ancestors ensured we’re cocooned in blessings like peace, unity and sweet rain. The opposition to the new behemoth in our sacred Mandovi is justified, as we’re convinced that wayward administrators are piling up curses for Goa’s innocent future generations, because of their reckless/greedy decisions.
Ideally, as narco-tourism and corruption are off the rails here, the Goa gambling commission should be guided by both Spectrum Gaming and the UK’s gambling authority too. An article published reveals the BGC’s partnership with Chile. The youth of Goa are aware that casinos owned by an Indian PEP were raided last year, links to Dubai were uncovered. To an amateur, the crimes seem indicative of transnational crime (call centers, etc).
Goans mourned the bloodletting at Pahalgam.
Goans do not want Goa to be culpable for Pakistan’s next act of hate.
Goans do not want a repeat of heartbreaks like Sarlett Keeling and Danielle McLaughlin – chalked up to villagers allowing narco-tourism to warp youngsters into sociopathy.
Mr Jain should know that a man is only as good as his word. The guarantee of Singapore’s gambling guardrails will open doors for international gaming giants like Sands, Hard Rock Café and the overachieving Galaxy. Goa can be on par with her energetic sibling Bhutan, instead of continuing a kamikaze nosedive past Laos and Laukkaing.
— Chris Fernandes, Goa

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