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Illegal mining: Govt to issue orders for recovery of Rs 300 crore | Goa News – Times of India

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PANAJI: Directorate of mines and geology will issue orders to recover around Rs 300 crore money from illegal mining in the state, based on the audit report submitted by the team of chartered accounts.
Sources said that the department has completed the process and it has found that there was around Rs 300 crore loss to the state.

“Most of the recovery orders will be issued on Wednesday,” sources said, adding that investigations will continue to check if there is any further loss to the state exchequer.
In the recent concluded assembly session, Goa Forward Party MLA Vijai Sardesai grilled chief minister Pramod Sawant on the floor of the House over the government’s failure for the past nine years to recover losses to the state exchequer due to illegal mining.
In October 2020, the department had started the final hearing, based on the audit report, to recover money lost to illegal mining. Earlier, the department had evaluated the replies filed by holders of 118 mining leases to the audit report submitted by the team of chartered accountants.
In 2015, the state government had appointed 15 chartered accountants to undertake a comprehensive audit of lease holders and traders of mineral ore in Goa during the past five years, when exports touched peak figures. The accountants had submitted an audit report of 118 mining leases to the mines department. Subsequently, the department analysed the report to ascertain the exact loss to the state owing to illegal mining.
The high court of Bombay at Goa had directed the mines department to decide on the showcause notices issued to mining companies for recovery of over Rs 3,000 crore.
Goa Foundation had approached the court through a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking directions to the state government to recover Rs 3,431 crore from mining companies within a time-bound period. It had filed the PIL when it became apparent that the government was not pursuing the recovery with zeal.
Director of Goa Foundation, Claude Alvares had said that the demand notices worth Rs 1,580 crore were issued in 2016 on the basis of a report by a team of chartered accountants. Notices pursuant to the Comptroller and Auditor General’s (CAG) report were issued in 2017 and were worth Rs 1,922 crore.
These notices were produced by the state to prove its bonafides during the hearing of the writ petition filed by Goa Foundation challenging the grant of 88 mining leases.

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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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