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Cotigao man keeps cane farmers afloat, buys produce at more than govt price | Goa News – Times of India

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Poinguinim: While farmers in Goa were struggling after Sanjeevani, the state’s only sugarcane processing factory at Dharbandora was shut down, a farmer in remote Cotigao in Canacona, Umesh (Daya) Gaonkar has turned a saviour. He also happens to be the sarpanch of Cotigao.
Gaonkar came to the rescue of sugarcane farmers by starting a jaggery production unit for which he began purchasing cane from local farmers.
Being a farmer himself, Gaonkar seemed to understand the plight of other food producers as him. So he started buying the raw sugarcane produce at Rs1,000 per quintal, a price higher than the government’s support price of Rs650 per quintal.
Gaonkar’s generosity does not end here. He also provides the waste generated after crushing the sugarcane, free of cost to the dairy farmers in his neighbourhood in Canacona, saving these milk production units the cost of purchasing cattle feed.
Gaonkar is a resident of remote Yedda ward in Cotigao and took the courageous decision to set up the unit of producing jaggery and kaakam or liquid jaggery almost overnight. His small home-based unit now provides employment to eight locals.
“To run the unit I buy the entire sugarcane produce from farmers in Cotigao and Gaondongrim, in Canacona at Rs1000 per quintal. About 20 farmers are tied up to my unit. Their harvest is about 200 tonnes,” said Gaonkar.
The farmers were thrilled to learn of Gaonkar’s unit at a time when sugarcane produce in the state was standing in the fields, unharvested due to the Sanjeevani factory shutting down. The farmers are now upbeat and have decided to bring under cultivation even the area they had left fallow for some years.
Meanwhile dairy farmers from the area, Manohar Velip, Vithoba Gaonkar and Gajanan Velip, who would have to bring cow-feed from Belagavi are benefiting from Gaonkar’s generosity as they can collect the sugarcane waste for free from CotiAgro Jaggery at Yedda.
Gaonkar sells his jaggery in ‘Khotigao Mahila mart’ run by 25 women’s self-help groups (SHGs). “The product is being bought by buyers from Panaji, Mapusa, Dhargal, Margao, Quepem and even Karwar. This jaggery has multiple advantages as it is prepared at home using age-old methods as well as containers for storage. The liquid jaggery is particularly good for those suffering from low haemoglobin and cold. The jaggery is sold for Rs150 per kg and the liquid jaggery for Rs200 per liter,” said Gaonkar
Gaonkar manufactures more than 600 kg of jaggery daily. Gaonkar began this home industry only in January this year and locals will be able to find employment here for 4-5 months upto May. “I spent about Rs5 lakh to set up this plant. So far we have had business of about Rs15 lakh,” he said.
Gaonkar added that minister for tribal welfare, Govind Gaude sanctioned Rs15 lakh under the tribal cooperative marketing development federation of India limited’s (Trifed) Navnirman Vandhan Vikas Kendra – an initiative to generate livelihood for tribals through forest wealth or produce. The finished product will be sold out through Navnirman village organizations, sanctioned by NABARD.

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Broke Swiggy guy walks 3 km to deliver food, Social media helps him find better job. Heartwarming story is viral

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Social media can be a wondrous place at times. While on most days, its ugly face is on display, on days like today, it sets examples of the power of kindness. In a social media post, a LinkedIn user shared how a delivery executive, in need of money and a better job, bagged one after the users on the platform came together to help the person out.

Priyanshi Chandel, Marketing Manager at tech company Flash, shared an incident about a Swiggy delivery agent who had come to deliver food at her residence. When she asked the late and out-of-breath delivery person, identified by her as Sahil Singh, about what happened, he told her that he had no transport and had to walk 3 km to deliver the order.

He also said that he was out of money and had nothing left to pay his landlord too. Singh told her that he was not looking for money from her but requested her to help him bag a job. He said that he had a degree in Electrical and Communication Engineering, and had worked with Byju’s and Ninjacart before. He had to move back to Jammu during the pandemic.

“I have not eaten for a week, just drinking water and tea to get by. I am not asking for anything, please if you can find me a job, I used to make 25k before, I am 30 years old, my parents are getting old and I can’t keep asking for money from them (sic),” Chandel quoted saying.

She also shared his marksheets and contact number for people to help. His details shared show that he is a 2018 BTech graduate from Mewar University, and completed his schooling from the Jammu and Kashmir state board.

After she shared the details, the comments section was filled with people who stepped up to help. While someone recharged his Yulu account so that he did not have to walk around to deliver food, someone offered a place to stay. Many offered to help him with his applications, while some offered jobs too.

Chandel, later on put an update on the post, and said that he received a job.

However, so far it is unclear what job he has received.

2023 has so far been a year of job losses, an eventual outcome of the pandemic and increased hiring by tech companies. For instance, the SSC MTS 2023 recruitment exam that took place in Uttar Pradesh in May saw over 55 lakh applications for Group D jobs. Numerous candidates who applied for positions such as peon, watchman, gardener had educational backgrounds like BTech, MBA, and Master’s degrees.

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Goa CM, NRI Commissioner writes to MoEF for help in safe return of Goans from Ukraine

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Panaji: Goa chief minister Dr Pramod Sawant on Thursday urged Union Minister for External Affairs Dr S Jaishankar to help in safe return of Goans who are in the Ukraine.

Sawant tweeted “we are concerned about the Goans in Ukraine who are considering to return to India in the light of ongoing Russia-Ukraine crisis. I request Union Minister for External Affairs @DrSJaishankar ji for help in the safe return of Goans. I am keeping track of the situation.”

The chief minister’s tweet comes hours after Goa’s NRI Commissioner Narendra Sawaikar wrote to the Union External Affairs ministry seeking help in return of Goans who are in the Ukraine.

“Many Goans are currently residing in Ukraine due to various purposes including higher studies and due to the ongoing tension between Russia and Ukraine, I have started receiving requests for help and assistance from them to return back to India,” Sawaikar wrote.

The Commissioner further wrote in the letter that advisories have already been issued by the Ministery of External Affairs to Indians currently in Ukraine and our Indian Mission in Kyiy is currently handling the matter.

“Striking note of urgency, the Government of India has recently asked the family members of Embassy officials in Ukraine as well as students and citizens whose stay is not vital , to leave the Eastern European nation amid it’s raising tensions with Russia,” the letter reads.

Sawaikar wrote that the Goans in Ukraine are in touch with this office as they are anxious to temporarily return till the situation normalizes.

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Election Commission announces polling dates and counting days for Vidhan Sabha elections in 5 states

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On Saturday, the Election Commission of India (ECI) announced the dates for the Vidhan Sabha elections in 5 States, namely, Goa, Punjab, Manipur, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

While briefing the media, Chief Election Commissioner Sushil Chandra informed that the elections in the poll-bound States will commence from February 10, 2022, to March 7, 2022. Elections in the State of Uttar Pradesh will be conducted in 7 phases, followed by Manipur with 2 phases. Elections in Goa, Uttarkhand and Punjab will be conducted in a single phase.

According to the Election Commission of India, the votes will be counted on March 10, 2022. ECI informed that all physical campaigning will be ceased until January 15, 2022, in light of the rising cases of Coronavirus.

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