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Hundreds from other Sattari villages back Melauli locals, serve ultimatum | Goa News – Times of India

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VALPOI: The protests against the proposed IIT project at Melauli in Sattari soared on Monday, as hundreds of villagers from neighbouring Mauxi, Dhabe and Khotodem entered Melauli’s forests to join the agitation. Residents from Mauxi marched almost 20km towards Melauli, shouting slogans, even as police attempts to stop the protesters failed.
Together, the protesters have given the government a 10-day ultimatum to shift the campus out of Melauli.
Residents have also demanded the suspension of Valpoi PI Sagar Ekoskar and the withdrawal of all FIRs filed against Melauli residents; these cases were registered after the January 6 clash between villagers and police personnel.
On Monday, the villagers threatened to hold a Valpoi bandh by evening if local Kalpesh Gaonkar was not released from police custody. The bandh, however, was called off as Gaonkar and two others, Vishwesh Prabhu and Shailendra Velingkar, were released on bail.
Convenor of Melauli Panchkroshi Gram Bachav Andolan (MPGBA) Shashikant Savordekar said that they would not stop their protest until the IIT is shifted out of Melauli. “If the government has guts, it should arrest all the villagers,” said Savordekar.
MPGBA co-convenor Shubham Shivolkar demanded a legal inquiry against Ekoskar for stepping on to a woman’s chest during the January 6 protest, when women were lying on the ground at Melauli to stop surveyors from carrying out land demarcation. “If the proposed IIT is not shifted from Melauli in 10 days, the government will face dire consequences,” he said.
Shivolkar said that the villagers also condemn health minister and Valpoi MLA Vishwajit Rane for not coming out to take a strong stand on the IIT issue despite the protests. “If his attitude towards this project remains the same, we will send bangles to him, let him wear them and sit at home,” he said.
Shivolkar said that chief minister Pramod Sawant, despite being an ayurvedic doctor, doesn’t seem to know the value of medicinal plants at the proposed IIT site in Melauli, as he has agreed to the project detrimental to the local flora.
A Mauxi villager, Sanjay Gaonkar, said that hundreds of Mauxi residents decided to march to Melauli seeing the locals’ ‘pain’. “Villagers do not have land ownership rights… in every village of Sattari. So we request villagers of entire Sattari taluka to come forward and save their properties as this government can take over people’s properties at any time,” Gaonkar said.
Another Melauli villager challenged Sawant to stop villagers from different parts of Sattari, who will now keep coming forward to support Melauli’s locals. He said the government has harassed Melauli villagers due to the IIT project. “Our villager Kalpesh Gaonkar, who was arrested by police recently, was the sole breadwinner of his family, as he doesn’t have parents. He only has an elderly grandmother, who was left alone unattended at home after his arrest,” said Shankar Devali.
Senior citizen from Melauli, Ram Melekar requested Goans outside Sattari to also come forward to save their village, and also thanked those who participated in their protests and supported them.
Melauli locals are protesting inside a forest patch ever since a large police force was brought into Valpoi following the January 6 clash.

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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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