Business Goa December 2022

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EDITORIAL

Let us be mindful of Goa’s image in the world

This may sound like a rant in futility… A yesterday once more phenomenon. Our taxi brothers are at it again! They have managed to put Goa in the news – this time on the global platform – for all the wrong reasons.

Goa’s tourism stakeholders and more particularly the government, has been spending taxpayer’s money to promote the state at some big ticket travel marts in expensive corners of the world – the quest is to attract ‘quality tourism’ to Goa.

For far too long, and this is in the words of many tourism professionals, Goa was surviving on crumbs thrown at them by charter tourists. A lot of that has changed during the pandemic. For the high-spending friends from across the nation, Goa became a safe haven to lay low, chill and work from. Now, with various countries opening up themselves for foreign travel, Goa pitched as a high-end destination, with enough strength of quality tourism to show over the last couple of years.

But calamity struck in the face of Goa’s tourism pitch. Two weeks back, a group of American tourists, who alighted from the luxury cruise liner ‘Ocean Odyssey’ during its port of call at Goa, were forced to return to their boat after a group of taxi operators picketed the port’s gate and stopped the coaches that they were travelling in. The coaches were stopped by the taxi drivers and their union leaders and they were not allowing the tour operators to get the coaches inside. The guests, many among whom were senior people, came up walking for one kilometre from the cruise to the coaches (buses) and the taxi drivers picketed the coach and they didn’t allow the guests to get into the coaches. They also hit the driver and told him to get out with the coach and followed the coach until the airport to see where it was going. The hapless passengers had to walk back all the way to where the liner was docked.

As a result of this incident, the tourists were extremely furious and following this incident the cruise liner said that it will not visit Goa again. According to sources, the ship’s owners have also reported this issue to the American Embassy in Delhi, which will raise it with the Central government because American nationals were being kept “hostage.” This is thought to have highly negative effects on Goa’s tourism business.

Incidents like these besmirch the name of Goa, which is otherwise known for its warm and hospitable people. Much as the Chief Minister has started an investigation in this case and stated that steps will be taken in relation to the event after meeting with tour operators and other stakeholders from the tourism sector; the damage has already been done.

For the last couple of years legislators have been trying to launch app based travel/taxi aggregators in the state, but they are divided over the issue amongst themselves, for obvious political backlash that may follow. Quite a few MLAs have been elected to office by margins of a few hundred votes – you get the picture!

With increased tourism, one would expect improved infrastructure, especially, when it comes to mobility. Unfortunately, that hasn’t been the case with Goa. The local transportation challenges in Goa continue to be the way it was even a decade ago. Not to say that there aren’t local transport services, but they have their limitations.

Goa is a state, albeit a small one, with many small cities and towns, connected by roads. But these places are mostly far off from each other, leaving no choice for travelers but to avail of public transport.

As far as the taxi service in Goa is concerned, there is a severe monopoly of local players. New entrants like app-based services face strong resistance from the local taxi unions, like frequent strikes. Cab drivers of branded taxis like Goa Miles routinely get roughed up. The local taxi unions in Goa have a strong hold on the cab service industry, which means, the exorbitant fares that some of them charge are not countered by others. This gets higher during peak travel season, making it a huge hassle for tourists. And because there is no stringent competition with other cab services, travelers have no choice but to resort to the high fares and whims of local cabs.

Organisations like GCCI have taken a tough stand against these unruly taxi operators and wants the government to walk the talk.

The government, tourism stakeholders and the taxi union should have an intervention and come up with a solution which will make everyone happy; else there is only victim in the tussle between all three – Goa’s image

Printed, published and owned by Harshvardhan V. Bhatkuly and printed at Elegant Offset Printers, D2-31, Tivim Industrial Estate, Karaswada, Mapusa Goa 403526 and published at 409, Citicentre, EDC Patto Plaza, Panaji, Goa 403001. Editor: Harshvardhan V. Bhatkuly

Harshvardhan Bhatkuly

Harshvardhan Bhatkuly

PRESENTED BY

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurates Manohar International Airport at Mopa

Ayurveda,

Six years after the GMR group won the bid, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated Goa’s second international airport. The `2,870 crore new greenfield airport which saw multiple delays due to protests over environmental concerns and covid will cater to around 4.4 million passengers per annum (MPPA) in the first phase which can be expanded to a saturation capacity of 33 MPPA. The airport will start operations from 5th January. The new airport has been named after former chief minister Manohar Parrikar, PM Modi announced during a formal dedication ceremony held by GMR Goa International Airport Limited in Pernem Taluka. “The futuristic airport in Mopa will greatly enhance connectivity and increase tourism in Goa. The modern government’s strategy and way

of thinking about infrastructure in the nation is demonstrated by Manohar International Airport. The smallest cities in the nation are now accessible by air thanks to our endeavour,” PM Modi stated. According to him the national government has spent more than `10,000 crore over the past eight years improving Goa’s infrastructure and addressing the state’s traffic problems. Speaking at the event, Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant reiterated that the Dabolim airport would continue to be in use. He also said that the new airport at Mopa would provide more than 3,000 to 4,000 job opportunities for Goans and residents of the Pernem taluka.“The new airport, which carries goods, will aid in the state’s continued development. It will also assist the state in bringing in revenue,” said Dr Sawant

Home-stay policy to be rolled out: Khaunte

Rohan Khaunte, Minister of Tourism and Information Technology, stated that Goa will soon have a homestay policy to standardise the services provided by the already operating homestays. Khaunte claimed that the government is attempting to draw high-end tourists to the state. The policy will encourage the opening of homestays and make the registration process simpler for Goans. The amount of paperwork needed to register a homestay has been reduced to just three. He explained that the government currently prioritises homestays because of their potential to foster female entrepreneurship, diversify

traveller traffic to remote and lesser-known places, and exploit the tourism potential of digital nomads.

In Goa, there is a sizeable group of digital nomads who make good money and want to live with locals for a while so they may work from home. A total of 46 nations have relaxed their visa requirements for digital nomads. It will significantly increase tourism if India makes it easier for them to obtain visas, stated Khaunte. He further revealed that the tourism administration anticipates a record-breaking influx of travellers during the current peak season and during the holiday celebrations

According to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Goa has the potential to boost the tourism industry to new heights by boosting naturopathy and ayurveda.

When speaking to the crowd at the closing ceremony of the ninth World Ayurveda Congress and Arogya Expo 2022 in Panaji, Modi said, “Ayurveda and Yoga tourism is one of the major factors contributing to Ayurveda’s growing popularity. By promoting Ayurveda and Naturopathy, a state like Goa, which is a hub for tourism, may grow its tourism industry.”

According to Modi, the government is working to establish a national Ayush

Goa to host eight G20 Summit meets

Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant announced that eight of the around 200 G20 Summit discussions on important topics like tourism, health, and sustainability goals would take place in Goa.

Dr Sawant was present at the virtual conference between Prime Minister Narendra Modi, chief ministers and representatives of every Indian state where the G20 summit meetings will be held. Dr Sawant said that these eight meetings will be participated in, by world leaders and will provide an opportunity for Goa to showcase its rich folk and food culture. “It will boost the tourism industry of the state. There is a lot of scope for cultural, spiritual, hinterland and wellness tourism,” he said.

Dr Sawant added that the Government is developing

research consortium. “Data from over 40,000 research projects are currently available, and during the pandemic, we had about 150 particular research studies linked to AYUSH,” he said. He claimed that the Ayush business, which was worth approximately `20,000 crore eight years ago, is now worth over `1.5 lakh crore and will continue to increase. According to him, the sector is home to some 40,000 micro, small, and mediumsized businesses. These Ayush centres will offer accessible healthcare to the general public and will work with numerous foreign research and academic institutions infrastructure on a large scale so that Goa should not lag behind in any terms. He mentioned that the state government has started preparations for the G20 summit meeting. Sustainability goals and zero carbon emission are the main topics of discussion

After the meeting, Dr Sawant announced that the G20 summit’s opening ceremony will take place in Goa in April 2023. The largest industrialised and developing countries in the world get together at the G20. Members of the G20 include Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States, and the European Union

Naturopathy can boost Goa’s tourism: Prime Minister Narendra Modi

Dr Pramod Sawant

Shack owners have requested permission from the government to set up dining tables and chairs in the area around their shacks, which has been designated for beach beds, in light of the Tourism Department and State police initiating action against shack operators.

They added that this practice of setting up tables outside their shacks has been going on for years and that it is the visitors who want to eat on the beach.

The Tourism Department, has in the past, taken legal action against people who were erecting temporary buildings

outside of the designated areas for each shack. The Shack Owners Welfare Society (SOWS) maintained in a letter to the Tourism Department that they had always set up outdoor tables and chairs in

the evenings after removing their deck chairs and beach umbrellas.

Ten deck beds can be found in the space provided to each shack owner. The SOWS petitioned the authorities to permit its members to utilise the area where they set up deck chairs and beach umbrellas as chairs and tables in the evening. Over the past three months, shack owners have called on the government to address a number of issues, including the exorbitant costs that they have been made to pay and the challenges that they encounter in maintaining and erecting their shacks

Govt to digitize Co-operative Department, forms core panel for roll out

The National Informatics Centre’s (NIC) e-Co-operative Management System will be implemented in Goa as the state government is eager to digitise the department of co-operation. A 14-person committee has been formed by the department to supervise project execution.

Vishant S. N. Gaunekar, Registrar of Co-operative Societies said “The government has approved the project for computerising the department of co-operation and implementing the e-Cooperative Management System through NIC.”

The Goa Mining People’s Front (GMPF) has urged the state government to make it a requirement that new lease holders hire laid-off Goan mine workers, when they resume operations if they want to begin mining without any obstacles. While denouncing a recent statement made by the Director of Mines and Geology that it is not required for bidders participating in the auction of mining leases to employ retrenched Goan mine workers, GMPF President Puti Gaonkar warned of widespread agitations if the government failed to protect the interests of

Gaunekar said that the government has established a 14-member core committee to oversee the project’s successful execution.

The Goa e-Cooperative Management System, e-Sahakar, was created by NIC. The e-Sahakar platform offers online services for society registration, renewals, appointment of chartered accountants, online payments, MIS reports, etc. The technology enables the Department to digitally sign papers while assisting cooperative societies in tracking the status of their

application. It also integrates SMS tracking and e-Sign functionality.

According to Gaunekar, “The core committee shall decide on all matters pertaining to the development of the new software for implementation of the Goa Co-operative Societies Act, 2001, and the Goa Cooperative Societies Rules, 2003, by providing for online services for all front-end activities, as well as back-end processing by the Department officers and officials and for providing for all reports for statutory compliances

The Special Investigation Team (SIT) looking into the alleged `35,000 crore mining fraud has received papers about mining leases from the Directorate of Mines and Geology (DMG). This action intends to bring the illegal mining cases to a successful conclusion. The SIT met with the DMG and requested documentation to decide how to handle the remaining mining cases.

A senior officer stated, “We have received documents from the mines department and will now scrutinise them to further investigate the instances.” In the incidents of illegal mining, the SIT had submitted and filed 16 first information reports (FIRs). Eight of them have received charge sheets, four have been closed, and three have been sent to the relevant police stations.

According to a senior police official, the court has dismissed three other cases.

Interestingly, despite the SIT’s ongoing inquiry into the issue for more than six and a half years, little progress has been made.

the mining-dependents, who have lost their livelihoods when mining was stopped, nearly ten years ago. According to Gaonkar said, “There is already a mechanism in the law to employ retrenched personnel, even if the leaseholders are changed.”

According to him, the

government has already begun the auction procedure and has made the names of the leaseholders public.

Invoking an assurance made by the former Chief Minister, late Manohar Parrikar in the Assembly in 2018, after iron-ore mining was suspended, Gaonkar stated “It is essential under mining law to employ retrenched workers if mining activity returns.” Back when Parrikar was the Chief Minister, he stated that when mining resumes in the State, leaseholders will be obligated to give retrenched workers preference

The Mines Department had filed a complaint with the Crime Branch way back on July 26, 2013, requesting that those responsible for the mining scam be held criminally liable.

Over 50% of the mining licenses have had their preliminary reports completed by the SIT, which is investigating 126 mining leases for possible infractions.

The study verifies the lease agreements, the parties to whom the leases were granted and those in charge of their operation, as well as the existence of relevant environmental clearances. A final decision on the investigation will be made based on this report

Shack owners urge government to allow tables instead of beach beds Directorate of Mines and Geology (DMG) submit documents in the alleged illegal mining scam to SIT

Make it mandatory for new lease holders to employ retrenched mine workers, GMPF urges state government

Puti Gaonkar

THE ST. REGIS GOA RESORT

Spread over 49 acres and nestled between the Arabian Sea and the Sal River, The St. Regis Goa Resort is a perfect blend of contemporary elegance and more than a century-old hospitality heritage

Customs, steeped over the decades, more often than not serve as the foundation of class and tradition.

Caroline Astor, a 19th century American socialite, heralded one such tradition in New York’s upper crust when she made a habit of inviting 400 acquaintances, friends and associates to galas, high teas and midnight suppers, which led to the creation of America’s first high-society register.

The venue which hosted Astor’s exclusive and much sought-after group referred to venerably as ‘The 400’ was The St. Regis New York, that is now the flagship establishment among 50 luxury hotels and resorts across the world run by the Marriott International group of hotels.

In November 2022, the Marriott International unveiled The St. Regis Goa Resort – the second in India after The St. Regis Mumbai – spread over 49 acres wedged between the open expanse of the Arabian Sea, alongside the scenic Mobor beach, and the Sal river in South Goa.

The contemporary resort blends seamlessly into its surroundings with its confluence of Portuguese and traditional Indian architecture. But the foundation of tradition, exclusivity and luxury savoured by Astor’s ‘The 400’ in New York

THE ST. REGIS BUTLER SERVICE

The St. Regis Butler Service is a signature experience with personalised and anticipatory attention to guests’ needs.

The St. Regis butler is a hallmark of the brand, offering personalised, around-the-clock service that allows for each guest's stay to be completely customised according to their individual preferences.

According to Amit Malhotra, Executive Assistant Manager - F&B, the butler service was first introduced at The St. Regis New York by John Jacob Astor IV. “The St. Regis

in the 19th century, continues to form the bedrock of the St. Regis experience in its luxurious Goa resort too.

Take the Bloody Mary for example.

The cocktail was originally invented by Fernand Petiot, a head bartender at The St. Regis New York, before it featured on the menu of virtually every bar and drinking hole worth note across the world.

The Bloody Mary has now been re-invented by The St. Regis Goa Resort as the ‘Goan Mary’, a signature cocktail, which draws inspiration from the vibrant colours and the popular spicy and tangy recheado masala from Goa, infused with aroma and flavours which resemble the Goan ethos.

According to The St. Regis Goa Resort’s General Manager, Satish Kumar, ever since its inception, the brand has been committed to an uncompromising level of anticipatory service for all its guests.

“Every St. Regis hotel and resort is a reflection of its locale, with its own distinct voice and culture, where guests consistently experience an exceptional level of service. The St. Regis butler is a hallmark of the brand, offering personalised, around-the-clock service that allows for each guest’s stay to be completely customised according to their individual preferences,” says Kumar.

Due to its advantageous and exotic location and its spirit of impeccable service, The St. Regis Goa Resort serves as a popular wedding destination and a favourite for corporate events.

“It provides the perfect

venue for guests who wish to experience a retreat along with receiving the best service. The F&B offerings spread across cuisines, from the best in Indian to delectable continental, Italian, Japanese, Asian, Mediterranean cuisine etc. The property boasts of an array of cuisines tailored to your taste. The venue, the service and the F&B are the highlights of the property, due to which we are extremely sought after as a destination wedding venue. Our signature St. Regis Butler service enhances the overall wedding experience as ‘attention to detail’ is key for this segment,” Kumar said.

Located approximately 60 minutes' drive from Goa International Airport The St. Regis Goa Resort features 206 guestrooms including 46 suites offering private terraces overlooking the tranquil lagoons or the golf course. For bespoke luxury of an exclusive kind, there are 20 luxuriously

Butler service is a signature experience with personalised and anticipatory attention to your needs.

The St. Regis Butler is a hallmark of the brand, offering around-the-clock service that allows for each guest’s stay to be completely customised according to their individual liking.

From unpacking and packing, beverage service to garment pressing and roundthe-clock accessibility, the St. Regis Butler Service ensures each guest’s unique preferences are understood and realised,” he said

The Goan Mary

St. Regis Butler Service

appointed suites and villas, 12 of which feature private plunge pools, private access to the beach and all-day indulgent dining at The Manor. All this spread over an acreage with sprawling freshwater lagoons and over 30,000 trees.

With its verdant bounty and water bodies inside and on the outer fringes of the property, The St. Regis Goa Resort is in a way a microcosm of Goa, where tourists flock to for a spell of fun, leisure and relaxation in the tropical oasis.

“Goa is a special destination where guests will find themselves surrounded by nature and sandy beaches. We embrace the Goan spirit of slowing down. This resort offers a place where our guests can renew and appreciate what is truly important. The St. Regis Spa offers the best in Ayurvedic and holistic therapies,” Kumar said.

And amidst the luxurious serenity and the tranquil on its grounds, guests at the property can also indulge in St. Regis Brand Rituals that include Afternoon Tea, The Goan Mary and Evening Ritual of Champagne Sabering by the beach, which are its key USPs.

Champagne Sabrage

The signature tradition dates back to the heady age of Napoleonic war. The great French general Napoleon Bonaparte himself would open a bottle of champagne with a sabre in the evenings to dull the rigours of battle.

“It is a unique evening ritual at The St. Regis Goa Resort by the beach. Its history can be traced to the battles of Napoleon Bonaparte, who famously opened Champagne with his sabre, in both, victory and defeat. The art of sabrage is the signature ceremony of the resort’s Evening Ritual series, it happens at Susegado (our seasonal beach restaurant), every evening at 6 pm,” according to Amit Malhotra, EAM-F&B at The St. Regis Goa

“The resort features the renowned hallmarks and vanguard spirit of the iconic luxury brand, such as its celebrated rituals, innovative cuisine, and bespoke St. Regis Butler service for guests. The anticipatory service ensures that each guest’s unique preferences are understood, met and curated for each guest,” says Kumar.

The St. Regis butler for example is a hallmark of the brand, offering personalised, around-the-clock service that allows for each guest’s stay to be completely customised according to their individual preferences. “We continue to fine tune our Butler Service experience across our portfolio,” according to Kumar.

When asked if the upcoming Mopa international airport in North Goa, could impact the footfalls of Goa’s newest icon of hospitality, Kumar states that guests who stay at The St. Regis Goa Resort are primarily seeking exclusive experiences. “We have positioned ourselves as a ‘soulful sanctuary’ which cannot be replicated in terms of location and impeccable services. A few of the immersive experiences provided by us are

celestial pod dining by the pool, Island camping at Serenity Island, Experiential dining at the Golf course, Evening Ritual of Champagne Sabrage, Aerial Yoga at Serenity Island, Floating breakfast at plunge pool, just to name a few. We have strengthened our position as luxury market leaders providing

such immersive experiences, and guests seeking these will visit us nonetheless. Hence, we do not foresee any challenge in terms of difficulty of getting business with the operation of the second airport in North Goa,” he said.

The St. Regis Goa Resort is also tinkering with the idea of

Resort Champagne Sabrage

Satish Kumar, General Manager at The St. Regis Goa Resort

setting up a helicopter service for its guests, in order to cut down on road travel time.

“Most of our guests travel to the property in their personal aircrafts. However, we are in talks with leading helicopter service facilitators on a possible collaboration to transform valuable hours travelling on the road to a couple of minutes in

Soulful Sanctuary Section

“The positioning statement of The St. Regis Goa Resort is a ‘Soulful Sanctuary’. The inspiration for this concept is in the location of the resort and the immersive experiences provided for its guests. The resort is a sanctuary located between the Sal River and the Arabian Sea near India’s southwestern coastal city of Goa, famous for its palm-fringed tropical beaches, historic Portuguese-era architecture, enticing seafood, and distinctive culture. Amidst the buzzing of life and exotic spirit of our landscape, we invite curiosity, empowering you to dive deeply into creating your idea of happiness. The St. Regis Goa Resort is a soulful sanctuary where senses are delighted, moments are treasured, and memories are made,” says R. Srijith, Director of Sales and Marketing

flight,” Kumar said.

The tourism prospects for Goa in the coming years are bright, the top official said, with the sentiment of ‘revenge

tourism’ extending into the international market, especially with guests streaming in from UK, Russia and Kazakhstan returning to The St. Regis Goa

Resort.

“Volumes are picking up and we hope they improve over the upcoming season. The current trends are looking very encouraging. The common thread unifying both our domestic and international travellers is a sense of purpose in their memory-making, a desire to indulge an aspirational version of themselves, and the time, space, and ease to achieve this.

At our soulful sanctuary we embrace the Goan spirit of slowing down to relish life’s moments to their fullest. For us, what the best address means is having a hotel either where it’s the energy centre of a destination, or the hotel becomes a destination within a destination. I think we’re helping to re-imagine what luxury means in any specific destination and that is what makes our guests visit us year after year,” Kumar said

Afternoon tea at The Drawing Room

Experiential Dining Golf Course

Goa to lead the way for startup growth

GOA SOON TO START C2S FLAGSHIP PROGRAMME

Goa will soon be launching the C2S (Chips to Startup) flagship programme in various colleges through the National Institute of Technology (NIT) and Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), with the government giving its sanction for the next five years.

IT Minister Rohan Khaunte said, “In line with Prime Minister Narendra Modiji’s plans to transform India into the next semiconductor hub, the Ministry of Electronics and Information has sought applications from 100 academia, R&D organisations, startups and MSMEs under C2S. From Goa, NIT and IIT have applied for it and have been accorded sanction.”

Khaunte on a recent visit to Delhi met up with Union IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnav and held a detailed discussion on the program. The program was immediately sanctioned by the Central Government. The IT minister further stated that the Government will provide ‘Har Ghar Fibre’ by 2024 in the State.

Khaunte elaborated on the flagship programme. “TheC2S aims to train 85,000 highquality and qualified engineers in the area of very largescale integration (VLSI) and embedded system design as well as result in development of 175 ASICs (Application Specific Integrated Circuits), working prototypes of 20 systems on chips and IP core

repository over a period of 5 years. This will be a step towards leapfrogging in the Electronics System Design and Manufacturing (ESDM) space by way of inculcating the culture of System and Organization Controls (SoC)/System Level Design at Bachelors, Masters and Research level and act as a catalyst for growth of startups involved in fabless design.”

Khaunte stressed on the importance of technology stating that Goa needs to be in the technological sphere. He appealed to the students to make the best possible use of resources and tune up in line with technology which will create a boost in this sector.

The Minister said that during covid times the Government was made aware of the issue of connectivity in remote areas of state; which it took as an opportunity to think differently and became a facilitator in making resources available. Khaunte further announced that Goa will start its first 3D printer this month.

Khaunte presided over a function for distribution of laptops to meritorious students from the scheduled castes and scheduled tribe communities who have passed standard tenth and twelfth in 2021-22.

At the function held at ESG auditorium along with Khaunte, chairman of Infotech Corporation of Goa and MLA Dr. Chandrakant Shetye, IT secretary Sanjeev Ahuja, director IT Praveen Volvotkar and Tribal Welfare director

Triveni Velip handed over laptops to 172 meritorious students of SC/ST communities.

CENTRE LENDS SUPPORT TO TURN GOA INTO A STARTUP AND INNOVATION HUB

In a bid to turn Goa into a startup and innovation hub, Union Minister of State (MoS) for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship and Electronics and IT, Rajeev Chandrasekhar said that the Centre will take all measures to expand economic opportunities in Goa that will help diversify its economy, turn it into a startup and innovation hub and also ensure its sustainable development. Further, Chandrasekhar spoke on the importance of expanding skilling opportunities for the young through skill hubs and Atal Tinkering labs, and bringing in more industries to the State. He further pointed out that the IT sector in India, unlike other big nations, has not been impacted by covid-19 pandemic as much and those returning to Goa after losing IT jobs abroad will find work in the country as there is a talent shortage in the country.

Chandrasekhar mentioned that the Ministries of Electronics and IT, Skill Development and Entrepreneurship along with

the Goa government would explore the possibility of setting up a Centre of Excellence for startups at the District Hospital South Goa.

Chandrasekhar met State IT Minister, Rohan Khaunte and discussed about the growth of IT opportunities in the state. Promoting Goa as a potential hub for startups and innovation, the Centre will now focus on the diversification of the state economy. They will also cater to the expansion of skill enhancing opportunities.

Besides up-skilling programmes, more industries will be established in Goa in order to provide a boost to the employment sector. This will also include the establishment of an efficient IT sector in the state, which will further prove to be beneficial for Goan individuals returning to the state after losing IT jobs abroad due to recession and other reasons. As per plans, the state’s medical sector can expect an improvement. For this, the administration will explore the possibility for the establishment of a Centre of Excellence (CoE) for MedTech and AI-oriented startups. This will further prove to be beneficial for monitoring and upgrading all health centres across the state

Goa is on its way to becoming a startup and innovation hub with help from the Centre and the soon to be launched, C2S (Chips to Startup) flagship programme

By SYBIL RODRIGUES

Rohan Khaunte

Rajeev Chandrasekhar Union Minister of State (MoS) for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship and Electronics and IT Minister of Tourism and IT Government of Goa

Margao market goes digital with LagiKon app

By RAGESHREE DAS

A hyper-local business directory, called the LagiKon app, was launched by Margao Municipal Council chairperson Damodar Shirodkar in the presence of the councillors of the Margao Municipal Council on the occasion of Goa Liberation Day.

The LagiKon app and website aim at listing each and every business activity in the state with a special emphasis on small businesses in rural areas.

Hundreds of shops selling diverse products and services in Margao New Municipal Market are available on the LagiKon app and website, making it Goa’s first digital market space.

Margao chairperson Damodar Shirodkar commended the promoters of the LagiKon app for launching this unique initiative from Goa’s commercial capital, Margao.

“The LagiKon app and website will immensely help small businesses to improve their customer base and at the same time benefit the customers to find the nearest shops,” Shirodkar said.

Margao New Market Traders Association President Vinod Shirodkar said that the Margao market is one of the oldest markets of Goa and the complete digitisation of this

market will help attract new customers to this market.

This compact market sells a wide range of products, especially some exclusive and typical Goan products. This app will help people across Goa and also tourists visiting the state to know about unique products available here.

While explaining the objective of this initiative, the promoter of the LagiKon app Niraj Naik said, “We want to connect the customers with businesses in their vicinity. The whole objective of the initiative is to bring every business operating in the remotest part of Goa on this app and help them to take advantage

Built around the concept of ‘Vocal for Local’, the LagiKon app gives users details of services and utilities available in their immediate vicinity, including contact information, photographs and also directions to the location of the service or utility through GPS

of information technology. Besides business info, this app will also contain useful data such as tourist attractions, social infrastructure, etc.”

Milind Prabhu, CEO of Genora Infotech, which has developed the LagiKon app and website, said, “LagiKon is a dear project to us. The project has been developed for the Goan customer base and that gives us immense satisfaction to be a part of the development team. We are thankful to the promoters for this wonderful opportunity.”

Built around the concept of ‘Vocal for Local’, the LagiKon app gives users details of services and utilities available in their immediate vicinity, including contact information, photographs and also directions to the location of the service or utility through GPS.

More importantly, the app gives local service providers,

small-time businesses and vendors a platform for getting noticed by their prospective customers. LagiKon’s hyperlocal database of products, utilities and service providers is what makes it stand out from other apps of its kind.

The app will direct the customer who is looking for services to the nearest service provider or business, saving his/her time and effort while the hitherto unnoticed smalltime local service provider will get the much-needed business and increased footfall. This will create a win-win situation for both.

The app database comprises a wide spectrum of businesses –very small household ventures to large specialised businesses.

However, small businesses and service providers, more specifically in rural areas of Goa, will be the main focus of the app. The endeavour is to collect real, active businesses by visiting their locations in every panchayat of Goa.

Genora Infotech hopes to ensure that any person doing any type of commercial activity in Goa is incorporated into the app.

Besides business information the app will also contain all useful data on tourist attractions and social infrastructure which prove useful to a local or traveler

Hyper local business directory for Goa, LagiKon App and website launched at Margao

Niraj Naik (second from left) along with Councillors and Chairman of Margao Municipal Council at the launch of the LagiKon

Mining blocks finally go under the hammer

By RAGESHREE DAS AND SYBIL RODRIGUES

The State Government held the auctions of mineral blocks out of which three are in North Goa – Monte de Sirigao, Sirigao-Mayem and Bicholim previously owned by M/s Rajaram Bandekar, Chowgule & Co and Sesa Mining

VEDANTA GETS GOA’S FIRST IRON ORE MINING BLOCK

Vedanta Ltd. won the bid to purchase the first iron ore block in Goa, located in the Taluka of Bicholim. The real mining operations, however, are most likely to begin after the monsoon next year. The state government’s ongoing efforts, according to Chief Minister Dr. Pramod Sawant, led to the successful auctioning off of Bicholim, Goa’s first iron ore mining block. Since the Supreme Court’s 2012 ban on mining operations, the Chief Minister claimed that no iron ore has been extracted.

According to Dr. Sawant, the Vedanta business formerly managed this specific iron ore block in Bicholim. As the government has demanded that locals must be given preference, this will enable it to keep hiring the same people for mining operations.

Dr Sawant predicted that within a year, mining activities will pick up steam in the state and provide income for both, the stakeholders and the government.

There were five bidders for the Bicholim block. Vedanta rose to the top bidder position for it. According to the mines director, Suresh Shanbhogue, the entire cost of the resources from the four blocks is estimated to be `43,000 crore.

The winning bidder firms would pay a premium amount equal to 215 crore, or 0.05% of the Actual Sale Price (ASL), according to the Indian Bureau of Mines. Three years is the maximum amount of time that mining companies have from

Corporation - and one in South Goa at Kalay, previously owned by NS Narvekar. Four Goan mining

Anil Salgaocar family.

The state expects to hand over possession of the lease to the winning bidder within fifteen days, Dr. Sawant stated.

NRB GROUP BAGS THIRD IRON ORE BLOCK

the day that the agreement was signed to get all the licences necessary to operate the blocks.

“In our opinion, six to seven months should be sufficient for them to acquire the necessary licences, including environmental clearance. And perhaps after the 2023 monsoon, actual operations will start,” the director said.

SALGAOCAR SHIPPING SECURES 2ND IRON

ORE

MINING BLOCK AT GOA AUCTION

Salgaocar Shipping Company Pvt Ltd has emerged as the successful bidder for the second block of iron ore mining leases promising to share 99.25% of the average sale price of the ore with the Goa government.

“The Bicholim Block-2 has been secured by Salgaocar Shipping Company Pvt Limited at the auction. The Directorate of Mines and Geology has successfully conducted the auction process in a transparent manner. It asserts the clean and efficient approach of the Government of Goa,” said the Chief Minister.

The winning bidder will be allocated the mine for 50 years. The company is run by Arjun and Sameer Salgaocar, sons of Goa’s mining baron and former legislator Anil Salgaocar who died in 2016, and is part of the group of companies run by

The Monte de Sirigao iron ore block has been retained by the Narayan Rajaram Bandekar (NRB) Group. The group was operating the mine before the lease was taken over by the state government.

Bandekar bagged the block with the highest auction premium of 111.28 per cent revenue share (99.2%) of the average sale price fixed by the Indian Bureau of Mines (IBM).

Of the four blocks, the Monte de Sirigao one saw the highest number of bidders participate. The ten companies that participated included Arcellor Mittal; Kirloskar; Shri Jagannath Steels and Power Ltd; NRB Group; MSP Ltd; Fomento; Kai International; JSW; Vedanta; and Salgaocar Shipping.

The state government has estimated minerals worth `43000 crore in all four mining blocks going for auction. The iron ore reserve has been estimated at over nine million tonne at Monte de Sirigao.

companies Fomento, V M Salgaocar, Salgaocar Mining and Rajaram Bandekar Mines Pvt Ltd submitted bids for three of the four mining blocks that had been put up for auction.

Eleven mining companies had submitted twenty eight bids for the four blocks

FOMENTO WINS BID FOR KALAY MINING BLOCK

Sociedade De Fomento Industries Pvt Ltd has won the final bid for Kalay mining block in Sanguem taluka.

The company, led by Auduth Timblo, bidded highest premium of 86.40 per cent of the average sale price of the Indian Bureau of Mines.

The mine, with erstwhile owner N S Narvekar, has got 16.731 million tonnes of iron ore in the unexplored lease area of 75 hactares. Here, 3.93 million tonnes of ore is blocked since the area falls within onekm of Eco-Sensitive Zone.

The tender document mentions that successful bidders will have to obtain forest clearances, wildlife clearances and environmental clearances afresh among a list of more than 15 clearances that will be required.

“The winning bidders have up to three years to begin operations after they are handed over the letter of intent. If not, then the lease reverts back to the government. But we expect that since the same mining company has won the bid once again, we are hopeful that they can secure all the clearances and begin operations within a year’s time,” said Shanbhogue

Out of the twenty eight bids for the four mining blocks which were auctioned off, three were bagged by companies from Goa

The tender document mentions that successful bidders will have to obtain forest, wildlife and environmental clearances afresh

Narayan Bandekar

Auduth Timblo

Aditya S Revankar

By RAGESHREE DAS

Aditya S. Revankar is a native of Karwar, Karnataka, who later relocated to Goa and is currently residing here. He earned his post-graduate degree from IIP Mumbai after graduating with a science degree. He is currently working for a pharmaceutical company and enjoys a happy home life with his family. Aditya expresses gratitude to his mother, who raised him by herself after his father passed on.

Aditya’s inspiration from his professors and peers during his childhood is where his quest to becoming a filmmaker began. He was always excited to participate in theatre activities. Following that, he was chosen for the Yakshagana, a wellknown folk event in Karnataka. He received a standing ovation for that performance. Aditya believes that this field will teach a lot about the future that is really exciting. Then he began creating stage scripts in addition to screenplays. He wrote quite a few plays while pursuing his Science degree. Additionally, he and his team

received recognition for their outstanding achievements and his interest in film making kept on growing from there on.

When asked about his venture, Aditya elaborated, “I like to travel, listen to music, and mostly love to watch movies. When I would watch movies, I used to often wonder how the background score was meticulously planned down to the smallest details. Other aspects, such as the location ideal for filming that specific scene, the landscape, the weather, etc. Each film conveys a message. The director, actors, and actresses work as a team to convey the message to the audience in a way that is appropriate for the story's intended audience. I was driven to take action for my community and raise awareness of how valuable life is. I used to discuss the stories with my teachers throughout my time in school and my co-workers, and I used to heed their advice. Hence with the support of my friends and family, I started NVNS Production.”

He further goes on to

Depicting life through films

share details of the films he has produced under NVNS Production. Initially, he created a story that he believed might be marketed to other producers and film directors. He soon realised that nobody would genuinely appreciate his ability without prior experience and preparation. Consequently, he started his production firm in 2019. His debut short film, Sikka, was soon posted on YouTube in 2019. The team and everyone else got excellent feedback and appreciation from the viewers. Salute, a film about celebration, came in second. Soon, covid-19 occurred and as a result, the C-C +, film entered the scene. This movie describes the period of lockdown and how people were dealing with significant challenges at the time. He sought to turn the film, which depicted these bleak times into something, uplifting and hopeful.

After that, he changed it into confidence positive and confidence negative. Social media also enabled one to maintain contact with loved ones. During that time they were unable to use any professional cameras because of covid-19, therefore his team members in Pune finished the job entirely with the tools at their disposal. Two filmmakers worked on the video using their mobile phones to film, edit, and publish it. The audience responded positively to this as well.

With his rising growth in film making he intended to film Ikshana which was later nominated for the prestigious short film awards. He approached a renowned Marathi performer named Anjali Joshi, who was so taken by the storyline that she immediately agreed to be part of the short film. Aditya considered the issue of obtaining the necessary

assistance from brands once they had finished filming. He contacted these companies personally as a result, but unfortunately, he received no feedback. And with little hope he tried to approached the optician company Lawrence and Mayo. He connected with Dr. Vivek G. Mendonsa, Director of Lawrence and Mayo Group via LinkedIn. Aditya voiced his thoughts on this short film, and Dr. Mendonsa responded right away. After reading the script, he liked it. As a result, they got into a partnership with Lawrence and Mayo.

The narrative of a mother and son is the subject of the movie Ikshana. The youth are the target audience for this short film. Following that, he launched the short film in 2021, which also had a positive reception. He then submitted this film to an Indian film house. Approximately 2500 applications were filed overall in India. With great luck, Ikshana was shortlisted for the film festival, and after receiving a call from them, the short-film was chosen and was awarded the third position.

The goal of this film was to increase social consciousness in the general population. Aditya thinks about creating wonderful stories all the time. He thus employs a method to document every event that occurs in his life.

Moving on, Aditya talks about his inspiration for the short film Ikshana which came to him while going to work one day. He stated, “One morning I was in a hurry to go to the office, as I was wearing my shirt, a button fell off. I asked my mother to mend it for me; she got her sewing kit to stitch the button. She strained as she attempted to get the needle into the thread. I realised then that my mother is getting older.

Aditya Revankar’s love of making films propelled him to use his honest portrayals of everyday existence in movies to spread awareness of how precious life is

Once she wore her spectacles, she was able to sew the button without any problem. And so I captured that point and turned it into a short film.”

Aditya created the script and the shoots were held in Pune. He already had a great team and all he needed were some excellent actors who could capture the essence of this film. Hence he approached Joshi, who is a veteran and has worked in many Marathi movies and series. He managed to effectively finish the film despite the difficulties that he faced during this process.

No road to success is complete without the challenges faced by an individual. Aditya talks about the hardships that he had to encounter as a novice in film making. Being the only member of his family to enter the field of film-making, presented various hurdles for him. He initially struggled with

figuring out how to approach the entire process, so he began reading and watching film making courses on YouTube. He had to teach himself how to do it. The next step was to assemble a team of experts,

and one of his friends who is a theatre performer assisted him in this process.

Aditya’s busy schedule made it challenging for him to balance both his career and personal obligations, which prevented

him from having enough time to commit himself entirely to film making. Many people have advised him that he is on the wrong path and that it would be better for him to focus more on his field than on making short films. He struggles to successfully juggle a balanced personal and professional life in 24 hours. Only when he travels for work does he have time for himself. He has invested all of his savings on his passion to become a filmmaker.

Aditya shares ideas about his next initiatives. He noted the impending release of Ikshana 2, a venture with the Lawrence and Mayo team.

The name Wake up was the official working title for the next film he has in mind. The movie is slated to be released is in February 2023. He also has several other concepts in mind under Dr. Vivek Mendonsa’s guidance

The goal of the film Ikshana, supported by Lawrence & Mayo, was to increase social consciousness in the general population.

Aditya thinks about creating wonderful stories all the time. He thus employs a method to document every event that occurs in his life

Bringing sophistication and refinement to your home KRAMONDE

By RAGESHREE DAS

Mark Goncalves started his career with the hospitality industry. He worked with Hilton Embassy Suites in Fayetteville North Carolina USA, which gave him global exposure. He returned to India and worked with Taj Exotica, Benaulim. Today, he owns Kramonde Home Décor & Gifts which is a luxury home décor and gifts store located in the heart of Margao. His signature decor style is sophisticated and elegant, understated yet luxurious. Mark’s travel and hospitality experience and his keen eye for detail along with an emphasis on quality products is what makes Kramonde one of its kind.

The store showcases globally sourced products attractively combined in visually attractive ambience to soothe one’s senses.

When asked about his inspiration on Kramonde, Mark responded by stating, “Being a Bandra boy I was brought up by a family where most family members took pride in their homes. I was surrounded with unique décor pieces from different parts of the world and well-maintained beautiful homes. Also, on my visits to Goa, I was amazed by the unique curios and artifacts, beautiful serve ware which were

a part of most of the ancestral homes of our family and friends in Goa. While I was working at the Taj, one day my mum Laura Goncalves introduced the concept to me as a business, and I was delighted by the idea as it would give me an opportunity to help convert other people’s houses into attractive homes.”

At Kramonde one will find the most adorable collection of decorative artifacts, figurines, luxe accents and accessories, lighting, tableware and soft furnishings. Handpicked and carefully curated, they bring the finest selection of gifts and collectibles comprising of art and decor, premium perfumes, clutches, leather bags, jewellery, ties to accentuate one’s personal style. The brand Kramonde is a celebration of the beauty and splendour of exclusive artefacts, inspired by distinct traditions and global appeal. Discover an array of classic and timeless pieces that will add charm to one’s interiors and personality. They source their products from India and different parts of the world.

While describing their interior design, Mark says, “We do not believe in designing one’s home. We assist in making your house into a home by curating products that will add class and finesse to your home.”

Excellent customer service is a hallmark of Kramonde. Because of this, they strive for excellence and quality in all that they do, whether it be at work or in their personal lives. Mark goes on to say that everyone, especially the team, plays a crucial part in the daily operations of Kramonde, and that they support him wholeheartedly in whatever they do. The team makes every effort to ensure that they are content and enjoy what they do, as this keeps the clients satisfied. The first and last lesson that he has learned while working in the hotel industry for more than six years was the importance of client happiness.

A well-known saying states that, “Home is where love, hope, and dreams begin.” Mark adds to this by saying, “We would like to contribute to the décor of every home in Goa and subsequently every home in India. Dreams and love are what truly count in life, and we hope Kramonde can help you realise your dream of owning a lovely home that you like.”

Without obstacles to overcome, no path to success would be complete. The store's timely completion was the only challenge that they faced due to the pandemic last year. It was also challenging for them to

find all the supplies that they needed, but they came out successful. Work on Kramonde began in February 2020, but it was challenging since the interior designer and his crew struggled to finish the project. Abigail from SOIDEMER brought Mark's ideal store to life on October 9th, 2022. He further extended his gratitude to Bruce Fernandes, Candida, the rest of the staff, and Robert. Even though it was difficult, they got a lot of help from their family, friends, staff, and their wonderful clients, whom they adore.

One should anticipate their new collection, which includes Christmas décor, Christmas curios, runners, wreaths, little Christmas trees, Christmas candles, and a variety of gift items, since Christmas and New Year are quickly approaching.

Mark shares his plans for Kramonde’s future. For the next five to ten years, their primary goal is to grow rapidly in terms of greater quality service while keeping their standards and broadening their clientele inside Goa. People in and outside of Goa should recognise Kramonde as the source for the best home décor and gift items. Kramonde hopes to make a quality statement and wow customers everyday!

Mark Goncalves’ venture Kramonde puts their opulent offerings on display which will help you decorate your home

Mark Goncalves

DEEPAK BANDEKAR | CHAIRMAN, GOA MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION

“GMA needs to augment its connect with industry and the corporate world”

Tell us about GMA...

GMA is a forum of management professionals in Goa and is involved in furthering management knowledge, promoting and developing management talent and professionals in the region.

GMA provides a forum for managers for interchange of knowledge, experience and ideas at various management development programmes, lectures and functions.

GMA was founded in 1975 and will complete 50 years in June 2025. All the major contemporary enterprises and business houses of that time participated wholeheartedly in this organisation and gave the much-needed impetus to this initiative which could promote debate in the body of management knowledge and provide professional training to managers and promote scientific management.

GMA has been conducting various management developments and training programmes since its inception, including conducting various Knowledge Lecture series. In order to promote and recognise managerial talent, GMA has constituted the Management Awards every year, which are given in four categories; Manager of the Year, Young Manager of the Year, Best Management Student – Undergraduate and Postgraduate; and other awards to recognise contribution to management and industry.

GMA is proud to be affiliated to the All India Management Association (AIMA), based in New Delhi.

Elaborate on your experience in the corporate sector and entrepreneurship over the years. Coming from a long established industrial house, I entered the business fraternity as the fourth generation product. The

sector at my time of entry was primarily iron ore mining and exports. It was a sudden and deep plunge for me straight out of engineering and business school.

The sector then was very mature, well organised and at its peak with exports to China sky rocketing. Dealing with mining issues at State and Centre were always a challenge, which only gave me more experience and exposure to grow in the corporate world. From there, our Group diversified in tourism and hospitality, acquiring and operating hotels and homestays across Goa. While in the good days of mining and tourism; our Group also diversified into helicopter tourism, a never before attempted entrepreneurial venture in Goa. We then spread our wings to Pune and Mumbai. My recent entrepreneurial venture has been into film making and film production. And with

OTT channels like Netflix and Amazon Prime being the new age need of the hour entertainment platforms, there is a world of opportunities in this creative space.

Who is part of your team at GMA and what strengths do they bring to the table?

At GMA, we are a very diverse and unique team, coming from all walks of life, with varied experiences and exposures. We have our President Blaise Costabir Managing Director GMI Zarhak Moulders Pvt. Ltd. as our guiding light. My immediate core team consists of Vice Chairman Rajesh Mehrotra. Managing Director, Berger Becker Coatings Pvt. Ltd., who brings in his long experience in the manufacturing sector. Secretary Rohan Bhandare, Proprietor R S Bhandare & Associates who is a Chartered Accountant, brings key financial and economic knowledge to the group.

Treasurer Virendra Acharya, Treasury Head V M Salgaocar & Bro Pvt. Ltd; and Immediate Past Chairman Amin Ladak, ex-Fomento Group.

Besides the above, we have our educational team consisting of Dr Venkatesh Naga, Professor and Dean (Academics), Goa Institute of Management; Dr Prita D Mallya, Principal, Shree Damodar College of Commerce & Economics; Dr Sonya K Angle, Assistant Professor, S S Dempo College of Commerce and Economics; among others.

A special mention goes to Vivekanand Faldesai, Consultant LIC of India, Goa who has been a member at GMA for many years, and continues to support GMA in many ways. So also G B Halkar, labour consultant who is presently heading a very unique project for us called ‘Silverhair Economy’.

My vision for GMA will not be complete and possible without the support, guidance and mentoring of its Past Chairmen like Dr Krishna Gopal Rajanala, General Manager – HR, Dempo Group of Companies; Dr Pradeep Salgaonkar, Director Saldots Academy; and Harshvardhan Bhatkuly, Chairman, Bhatkuly Ventures.

What are the various projects that you have envisaged in the near future?

GMA has stood tall as the forum where there has always been a constant interchange of knowledge, experience and ideas. Our projects are all aimed keeping this ethos in mind. We have recently signed MOUs with nine BBA colleges across Goa, where students will get to connect with management professionals and business gurus, as a part of their learning process in their business studies syllabus. The very next big event in this direction is the

Deepak Bandekar, new Chairman of GMA, speaks to Business Goa on his plans for the organisation

Deepak Bandekar

Shaping Young Minds Program (SYMP), a flagship event of AIMA scheduled in February 2023.

Then we have our own flagship program called Certified Manager Program (CMP) which is designed to enhance managerial and leadership skills, and develop managers who want to take up higher challenges. The CMP is designed to meet the needs of organisations that seek to enhance the managerial acumen of their key frontline performers. It is a 6-month programme having modules covering management functions and processes, and admissions for our next batch of GMA CMP will commence soon. We have yet another interesting project in the pipeline called ‘Silverhair Economy.’ It is the brainchild of our President Blaise Costabir, and it is presently being spearheaded by G B Halkar.

Today, we have many fit and experienced individuals who retire and very often return to their motherland. They are brimming with confidence, unique experience and the much needed skill sets.

This project will strive to connect retired individuals (hence the name Silverhair) who may be retired but never tired to work and be back in the game. GMA has plans to connect these individuals with MSME in Goa, so that their experience can be utilised for the betterment of Goan MSME and the MSME can have access to a talent pool that can advise or ever work hands on, part time or full time.

Not only will this keep such individuals active post retirement, but it will help impart their immense knowledge, skills, expertise and experience to whichever industry or corporate that may need to fill the void in their operations. Presently we are in the process of compiling such a database before facilitating the marriage between industry and available skilled professionals.

Explain to us the synergy between GMA & AIMA

The All India Management Association, New Delhi (AIMA) is the national apex body of the management profession in India. GMA is a one of the 67 affiliate LMA’s (Local Management Association) affiliated to AIMA.

AIMA partners with GMA on various fronts in facilitating GMA to realise their full potential in management development. AIMA has always been assisting GMA whenever the need arises to scout for talent, speakers, etc for events, including some key flagship events of AIMA like Shaping Young Minds Program (SYMP), while the next edition will be held in February 2023. The SYMP provides a platform for young professionals and management students to

interact with iconic leaders from various fields, where these leaders talk about their lives, their successes and more importantly – their failures.

GMA and Goa is especially proud and honoured to have our very own son of the soil, Shrinivas V Dempo Chairman and Managing Director of Dempo Group, head All India Management Association as the President for this term.

What is your focus on management education in the state?

Management should not be looked at only as an education, but rather, an art. And art can only become a masterpiece with practice and constant improvements. Most management institutions in Goa have a very extensive and thoroughly crafted syllabus, and they are doing a commendable job in bringing out good management students. However, what is generally missing is a more of hands -on holistic approach once fresh students join mainstream work and managerial positions in organisations. At GMA, we strive to be such a connect via our various MOUs and partnerships with BBA Colleges, as well as exposing them to firsthand knowledge of the successes and failures in the corporate world, via our knowledge series, Leader Talks events and of course, the much informative SYMP program of AIMA.

What is your vision for GMA as it marches towards its 50th year in 2025?

We need to further strengthen the connect with the industry and corporate world. GMA needs to offer industry-oriented programmes and initiatives to help management professionals and students keep in step with times.

We need to be that facilitator for individuals and organisations, especially MSMEs to realise their full potential. We need to offer various services in the areas of skill development and

training, research, education and management development programmes. And of course, my personal vision is winning awards for GMA’s achievements at AIMA’s annual award functions, which should be every Chairman’s vision and dream.

How is GMA’s association and relation with other trade and industry bodies and how would you like to build bridges with them?

GMA has traditionally had very good relations with other organisations like Goa Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI), Tourism and Travel Association of Goa (TTAG), Goa Mineral Ore Exporters Association (GMOEA), Goa State Industries Association (GSIA), Indian Institution of Engineers (IIE), National Institute of Personnel Management (NIPM), etc.

But our aim is to further strengthen this connect and create a bond, mutually beneficial to both, by collaborating on issues like skills development, policy advocacy and other key areas.

We would also like to have inter body memberships among these various associations, so that it has a positive impact, both on GMA as well as other trade and industry bodies

How are you building connect with the industry to further the aims and objectives of GMA?

Industry connect will come from a mutual win-win for both. Having projects like our Certified Managers Program and the soon to be launched Silverhair Economy Project, will bring in a lot of benefit to industry. So also, our flagship programs like the Leader Talks events

bring tremendous insights into entrepreneurship and good corporate governance for industries and organisations. All this, coupled with GMA’s affiliation to AIMA, thereby indirectly benefiting from their national events, should further facilitate building strong connects with the industry and GMA

will

in the years ahead

“AIMA partners with GMA on various fronts in facilitating GMA to realise their full potential in management development. AIMA has always been assisting GMA whenever the need arises to scout for talent, speakers, etc for events that GMA hosts; including some key flagship events of AIMA like Shaping Young Minds Program (SYMP), whose next edition will be held in February 2023”

“Commitment and dedication will always bring benefits in the long run”

By SYBIL RODRIGUES

Jyoti Sardesai took over as Director of Food and Drugs Administration in 2017 and was the first woman to take over the post. Sardesai was born and brought up in Siolim, where she completed her primary and secondary schooling. She went on to complete her higher secondary from St. Xavier’s College, Mapusa and later graduated from Goa College of Pharmacy, which was then affiliated to Bombay University. Back then obtaining a higher education degree was no easy task especially for those who had to commute from far off places what with only one bus being available from Siolim to Panaji.

When Sardesai graduated in 1984 with a first class, there were very few pharmaceutical companies in Goa, mostly promoted by local entrepreneurs and one public sector enterprise, Goa Antibiotics and Pharmaceuticals Ltd. at Tuem, Pernem where she began working. Here too, she had to commute by public transport which was limited and since the Siolim bridge was not ready, she had to take a ferry. After gaining sufficient experience, Sardesai moved to a Mumbai based company at the Tivim Industrial Estate. “I gained valuable experience in Quality Control and Quality Assurance, and I was approved by the then Office of the Drugs Controller as expert staff in chemical and instrumental, microbiological analysis as well as pyrogen testing. Back then, I was among a few pharmacists in Goa to hold all these analytical approvals,” she says.

While at GAPL, Sardesai was also selected to undergo a specialised training course in microbiological analytical techniques conducted at Hindustan Antibiotics Ltd in Pimpri Pune. After around 8 years of experience, in the

private and public sector, Sardesai joined the Government of Goa at Directorate of Food and Drugs Administration in the Gazetted Officers cadre.

Sardesai joined the FDA as a Drugs Inspector in 1992 through the Goa Public Service Commission selection process. “My first boss was the then Director, S. N. Tripathi, who was pleased over my joining the department, as he felt that officers like me with a good academic background and sound professional experience were essential in government services. He also expressed his desire to see me occupy the chair of FDA Director one day. Later I was promoted to Assistant Drugs Controller in 2005, Deputy Director, in 2010, and finally as Director in December 2017. Tripathi was also instrumental in encouraging me to pursue my further education, and I did my Masters in Pharmaceutical Science at Goa College of Pharmacy, again with a first class. Incidentally, I was the first person from the Department to complete this course, while in service.”

Sardesai was also the first woman to occupy all these positions at Goa FDA, and also amongst a very few in the

entire country. In addition to her regular duties, over the years, she has also shouldered additional responsibilities in her department, such as Designated Office for Food Licensing, Public Grievances Officer, Public Information Officer, and Chairperson of Committee against sexual harassment at the workplace.

For Sardesai, it was a challenging task to manage official work, field duties, investigations, offsite meetings, various training courses, conferences and also the home front at the same time. However, with the strong support, understanding and adjustments from her family and domestic help, she could perform not only on par with her male counterparts, but even better. “I never asked for any concessions on the basis of my gender, and none were given either. Besides being the Director FDA, I have the honour of sitting on various committees such as Management Council of Goa College of Pharmacy, Board of Technical Education, Goa State Pharmacy Council, Goa State Pollution Control Board, Central Advisory Committee of FSSAI, and Association of Food Scientists & Technologists of India etc.”

As Director of FDA, Sardesai is entrusted with the responsibility to ensure availability of safe and efficacious drugs to the public. This involves regulation of pharma manufacturing and trade activities in line with the Drugs and Cosmetic Act, Rules and various other Central Acts.

“In addition to being Director FDA, I am also the Commissioner Food Safety, Goa, with the responsibility to ensure that food available in the market is safe and of right quality. Here, we are responsible for implementing various food safety regulations in the State, under the guidance

of FSSAI, which is the Central body. As such, my day always remains busy with the technical matters, files to be disposed, administrative matters, meetings, hearings, etc.”

Goa FDA has its own testing laboratory at Bambolim, which is accredited by NABL for Food testing. “Besides being a regulator, Goa FDA has always believed in acting as a facilitator for the food and pharma industry and trade. Being at the helm for the last five years, I have taken special efforts in promoting facilitation, ease of doing business and increasing efficiency and transparency.”

As a result of the efforts of Sardesai’s department, Goa has won the first place in the Food Safety Index in the category of small states, for the last four consecutive years, in the evaluatory contest conducted by FSSAI on the national level, a unique feat among all the Indian States, in any category. She has also been appointed by the Ministry of Health, Government of India as Member of the Food Authority, an achievement she is particularly proud of.

She makes a special mention of the contribution of her department during covid-19. “We had a vital role to play in the management of the pandemic. My team and I worked tirelessly in the background throughout the pandemic. I personally went to my workplace every day while working 17-18 hours daily, and did not miss any SEC meetings, which were convened on all days irrespective of weekly or any other holidays. It is a matter of pride to me that even senior bureaucrats from Central Government appreciated the work of my department, which was always first in providing them real time data on daily basis, apart from all other duties and assignments.

We were the first state

JYOTI SARDESAI | DIRECTOR, FOOD AND DRUGS ADMINISTRATION

Jyoti Sardesai

Jyoti Sardesai highlights her journey from a pharma graduate to being Director of FDA

in India to operationalise the activities of the pharma manufacturing units and to achieve 95% productivity in just a couple of weeks. This collaboration between Goa FDA and GPMA was exemplary to the entire country.”

The FDA carries out regular inspections of the premises of food business operators. “It is observed that especially, during the I, feasts and fairs, some operators carry out onsite cooking of food like gobi manchurian, without proper facilities for safe water and waste disposal. Many also use banned food colours, and otherwise in excess of allowable quantities, which makes such products overly attractive especially for children. Consumption of food at such places may lead to stomach disorders. Hence, special drives are undertaken to check on such stalls at such places.” Goa FDA, in addition to regulatory functions in the

drugs and food sectors, also has the vital responsibility of providing food security to His Excellency the Governor of Goa, as well as VVIP visitors during their visits to the State, including the President, Vice President and Prime Minister of India, a task the Department has been carrying out diligently.

Sardesai is also a member of the Women’s Wing of GCCI and her association with the Chamber goes back a decade. She has also been a member of the Consumer Affairs Committee of GCCI.

GCCI and FDA in collaboration have undertaken many initiatives of knowledgesharing on food safety, licensing and registration of food businesses, for the benefit of women entrepreneurs and self- help groups. “Self-help groups, who had obtained registration certificates from our Directorate for their food business and had started

marketing their products, have expressed their contentment about the programs conducted by the women’s wing of GCCI and FDA,” she adds with satisfaction.

Women Empowerment is another subject that is close to her heart. Sardesai ensured that her domestic help’s daughter completed her education with financial help and material support from her.

During covid, when classes were being conducted online, Sardesai’s family presented mobile handsets and laptops to deserving girl students. She also enjoys listening to classical music. Sardesai’s source of inspiration has been her parents, various teachers at different stages of her education, her husband Jaiwant, who has been her best friend, advisor, and harshest critic, too. Her son Aditya has also encouraged her to be the person that she is today.

Two of her teachers predicted that she would make her school proud someday and encouraged her in public speaking, and writing articles in newspapers. Her mother often refers to her as the third son. Having worked for forty one odd years, Sardesai will be attaining superannuation next year. “I will be happy to share whatever little experience, expertise and knowledge I have gained over the years, if anybody desires to benefit from it. I intend to keep myself active and wish to continue with my passion for social service and women empowerment.”

She concludes with a message to women who wish to succeed. “Quality and compliance are the two main factors on which the success of any enterprise depends. There is no substitute for hard work. Commitment and dedication will always bring benefits in the long run”

Providing the best in eye care

By SYBIL RODRIGUES

My Eye Hospital, a brainchild of a couple, ophthalmologists Dr Chandrakant Gaonker and Dr. (Mrs) Madhavi Gaonker was inaugurated in December 1997 as a pioneer day care centre, the concept of professional eye care in Goa was nascent. It heralded the practice of hi-tech eye care based on least invasive cataract surgery (Phaco).

Dr. Chandrakant was born and grew up in Canacona, attending Katyayani Baneswar High School. A rank holder in the tenth standard, he later went to Chowgule College and entered the Goa Medical College, completing the undergrad and post graduate studies.

Dr. Madhavi was born and brought up in Mumbai to Goan parents. She too completed her education from Goa Medical College. After completing the tenure at Goa Medical College, the couple shifted to Manipal for a few years. Later on to Mumbai and outside the country for a few years, and would often come to Goa for holidays.

Hi-tech and expensive equipments had just entered the eye care practice then. The sheer pressure of financial investments made them continue to practice outside Goa although they always wanted to come back and settle down in their motherland.

Finally, the time to take the plunge arrived in December 1997, recalls Dr Chandrakant Gaonker, and My Eye Hospital was set up in Margao. With no backing from any corporate or support of any organisation, they had to solely rely on bank loans for setting up the centre and acquiring equipment. In just a couple of years all their hard work paid off and the centre began getting more patients simply by word of mouth, as it was a technologically advanced eye care centre in Goa; people did not find it necessary to move

out of the State for advanced eye care. Soon, the Gaonkers began getting patients from other states including Goans who were working abroad. Later, many foreigners began consulting them as medical care is a very expensive affair abroad and they would avail of the same facilities here in Goa at reasonable rates. “The team at MY EYE has never compromised on quality and has worked with some of the best equipments so that they could provide superior eye care in Goa.” says Dr. Chandrakant.

Back in the 70s, there were only 2 career options –medicine and engineering. But thanks to his high scores Dr. Gaonker was able to get into medicine and he began enjoying the process. He chose ophthalmology as his specialisation since he believes that eyes are the windows to the world outside and one of the most important amongst the senses. He states that vision is one of the higher functions of the brain and considered it a pleasure in helping people see well or try and repair someone’s vision.

Their early years in the profession involved practicing and learning technological advanced eye care. For ten years the Dr Gaonkers practiced outside Goa but never wavered from the focus to set up an eye care centre in their home state. Since then, there have been regular up-gradations in terms of acquisition of

technology/equipments and space expansion.

One of the major upgradation was of Laser Eye Surgery – the LASIK Excimer laser technology from Carl Zeiss, Germany in 2007 and it remained the sole laser eye centre for a long time. Facilities and services of expert consultants were made available for super-specialties of surgical retina, occuloplasty, glaucoma and childhood eye diseases.

Apart from this, the centre conducts charitable camps for financially backward people without diluting the quality of eye care. Dr. Chandrakant says that he feels extremely happy when his patients meet him after a long time and say that they are doing extremely well thanks to his care.

The centre was shifted to a spacious big building in Gounloy, Nuvem, Salcete in 2011 where it is functioning with a number of specialty eye doctors both in-house and visiting (local, as well as from outside the state).

My Eye Hospital completes 25 years this year and Dr. Chandrakant Gaonker recalls the journey has been a long and interesting one. Having always wanted to set up an eye care, he didn’t hold back when it came to achieving his dream. Coming from a middle class background with little financial support he had to take loans and pay them back with interest. Yet he feels that the struggle was worthwhile as his patients have

expressed total satisfaction with his services. He mentions that he has invested in a large place with the best of equipment to treat people. He feels that it is the blessings and goodwill of his patients that has seen him and his hospital through tough times. Dr. Gaonker says that he wouldn’t live his life in any other way and if he had a chance to do it all over again he would do the same.

Their daughter, Tanvi, a student of Manovikas school, Chowgule College and Goa Medical college, a top rank holder in the 10th and 12th exams has finished her Master of Surgery in Ophthalmology from the prestigious Maulana Azad Medical College and Guru Nanak Eye Centre, New Delhi and will be joining the hospital soon. The Dr Gaonkers plan on adding more people to the team, have a training faculty, start a satellite centre and pass on the baton to the future generation. “It’s a continuous process; you have t be with the flow,” says the doctor.

Speaking on the most challenging thing about his profession Dr. Chandrakant Gaonker says that with technological advances people are looking out for the best in eye care and sometimes it is not possible to help everyone. There are some special cases like degeneration of the retina, brain damages or people born with multiple eye defects where medical help is limited. He feels the challenge is to make these people happy and that he tries his best to make them comfortable with the idea that it is not possible to have perfect eyesight.

As far as future plans are concerned, there are plans to expand further in multiple sub specialties, establishing training facilities, have technician courses for graduates and postgraduates and expand the team to a higher level so as to provide the best of eye care to the people of Goa

As My Eye Hospital completes 25 years, Dr. Chandrakant and Dr Madhavi Gaonker speak on their journey

Dr Chandrakant Gaonker

Dr Madhavi Gaonker

FiiRE announces Goa Tourism Accelerator - Cohort 2

The startup ecosystem consists of many stakeholders like the Government and policy makers, industry experts, investors and community builders. But the essential component is the founders in the ecosystem and the support that they are getting to nurture their innovation.

The last few years have also seen the evolution of prominent representative bodies that play a critical role in ensuring that the startup founders receive the support that they need at various stages of the startup journey.

FiiRE – Forum of incubation, Innovation, Research and Entrepreneurship, has been one of the key participants in the Goa startup story, with a mandate of helping TourismTech startups to accelerate and grow their innovative organisations.

From startup to take-off, FiiRE is amongst the premier TourismTech accelerators in the country and pursues the objective of supporting tech founders to design and scale TourismTtech innovations in various segments including travel, hospitality, sustainability, mobility, operational efficiency, new payment solutions, amongst others. FiiRE Goa combines its rich experience in start-up incubation with industry experts in the field of tourism and tourism technology to provide a robust ecosystem for acceleration and support of TourismTech startups.

It offers start-ups with the platform, knowhow and

access to various forms of financing – including nonequity financing. Their flagship support initiatives include the Accelerator Program, Founder Club, International Market Access and Virtual Programs.

In September 2021, FiiRE conducted the first Goa Tourism Accelerator, with a view to attract and support startup entrepreneurs in the TourismTech space.

Goa Tourism Accelerator 2021 was a 16-week accelerator program for startup founders who are developing solutions to future-proof the travel, tourism and hospitality industry. This program helped them with GTM strategy to apply their solution to the industry for the first time.

During the first edition of the Accelerator Program, 14 startups were handheld to success from the 50+ applications received from across the globe. These 14 startups included technological innovations in various areas –waste management, customer experience, new payment solutions, mobility, and sustainability, among others.

Rethinking tourism, especially in the period of climate change and global

in

warming essentially involves facilitating, asking the right questions for effective solutions, which is what FiiRE dreams to achieve with this 16-week Tourism Accelerator Program. The startups identified for acceleration needed to fulfil specific parameters to be eligible for acceleration at FiiRE.

Startups that emerged from the Goa Tourism Cohort 2021 are Digitour, (Auxbrains Ventures Pvt Ltd ) Momingly, Srishti Lifescience Private Limited, Zodhya, Tyndis, Campper, Instio, Revio, Highway delite, hav. life, TravStack, Offbeat Tracks, Lokaso Media and 10Times.

At FiiRE, it is well acknowledged that along with mobility, operational efficiencies, fintech solutions, media tech innovations and customer-centric experience powered by technology, sustainability remains at the forefront of all innovation in the tourism sector.

In December 2022, FiiRE has announced the Goa Tourism Accelerator Cohort 2. This has been announced for startup founders developing solutions for future-proofing the travel, tourism, and hospitality industry. The second edition of the Goa Tourism Accelerator for 2022 is expected to give a big-push to the tourism sector and empower its stakeholders.

This 12-week accelerator program is designed to help redefine the Go-To-Market strategy for startups with some traction or help them apply their solution to the industry for the first time

Forum for Innovation Incubation Research and Entrepreneurship (FiiRE) unveils Goa Tourism Accelerator 2022

This 12-week accelerator program is designed to help redefine the Go-ToMarket strategy for startups with some traction or help them apply their solution to the industry for the first time

A Year in the life of Business

Goa

www.

Take your seats for Matinee Gin

As the crisp sunlight shines on a lazy weekend, you can see people gushing through the doors of the nearby theatre to catch the matinee show. There is fascinating charm in a movie binge kicking off a vibrant weekend. Matinee is nostalgically relevant to the India that loves its dazzling cinema culture. It is reminiscent of a fun and glamorous time when you can feel the bright lights and the splash of colours. The word also brings theatrical familiarity to many across the globe. So to Lavanya and Anjali it seemed apt and curiously quirky to call their brainchild – ‘Matinee.’ A craft gin with India at its heart, Matinee is the maiden spirit of Speakeasy Spirits.

With the spirits industry picking up pace in India and the Gin revolution taking its space, a homegrown craft gin with unique flavour combinations was the route taken by Lavanya Jayashankar and Anjali Shahi. They are the founders of Speakeasy Spirits that launched its pioneer spirit – Matinee craft gin in late 2021. India’s first and to date, only women founded gin, the story behind Matinee’s production is one of friendship and shared aspirations.

The ladies have been friends since they were 18 and

have seen each other strive through the years. So after having spent years in successful individual careers, they decided to join hands to begin their entrepreneurial journey in their homeland – India. It is thus the reason that when they chose the product they wished to work on, they wanted to carry India with them. Matinee is the result of years of experimentation, distillation and quality checks. Diving deep into India’s treasure trove of botanicals was the first step to find their star ingredients. The hunt resulted in four uniquely Indian ingredients – Nagkesar, Goan peppercorn, Kagzi Lime and White Turmeric. One of its kind and first to use these ingredients locally and internationally, Matinee carries India in its spirit, quite literally!

Matinee is not just a gin; it's an experience – a world of colours and celebration. The classic gin botanicals of juniper, orange, cinnamon and cardamom are featured alongside the four unique ingredients. Matinee is a blend of flavours that will make you taste the hopeful and bright embrace of modern India and transport you to blissful times. The citrus notes and coy piquant flavours of the complex combination fit together like

Lavanya Jayashankar

puzzle pieces coming together to make the vibrant personality of Matinee.

The unique botanical inspiration for the gin comes directly from core Indian flavours. Any flavour in India doesn't hit right until the perfect combination of spices is found. So it was the obvious route to spend countless hours experimenting to find the perfectly Indian spiced flavour combination for Matinee’s craft Gin. Its robust and citrusy nature makes for a splash of freshness with every sip. And because of its complex curation of spices, there is a method to the madness here; the distillation process is designed with careful consideration of the flavour of each botanical and spice used and that is why every bottle, every batch is the exact same – smooth and fresh in every way.

Having consulted with some of the biggest alcohol brands in the world, Lavanya draws from her strategy expertise when it comes to Matinee. The women wanted to build a brand that would be accessible, inclusive and familiar. A brand that respects the essence of India and carries it for the globetrotters; Matinee is an effort in that direction.

With ingredients sourced

from local Goan markets and farmers in Bihar; spirit sourced from a local Indian distillery and a bottle on which the label is printed without paper, aiming for positive impact; Matinee is not just Indian in its flavours and name but also in its production process. A homegrown local craft gin made by two women is already an entrepreneurial feat, enough to turn heads, but Anjali and Lavanya took the step to include the vibrancy and brightness of India in its branding. The brand stands out on the shelf by embracing India’s love for colour over global codes of the category that embrace a much more somber palette, as do many of their competitors. Their aim is to inject fun and vibrancy into a category that takes itself too seriously. It celebrates the chemistry that 2 people share when they enjoy a drink together, making the world a more colourful place. It is also a design illustrated by an Indian artist by hand before transferring it to a printable design which is printed directly onto the bottle!

www. business goa.in

Lavanya Jayashankar and Anjali Shahi bring their craft Gin with India at its heart to Goa

Anjali Shahi

EO Goa Chapter to host Global Student Entrepreneurship Awards

Entrepreneur’s Organization (EO) is a high-quality support network of 16,500+ diverse business leaders from over 60 countries that enables entrepreneurs to achieve their full potential through the power of life-enhancing connections, shared experiences and collaborative learning.

EO has been helping entrepreneurs achieve transformational growth since 1987. This member network is committed to learning and helping each other succeed. Today EO members employ more than four million people worldwide.

In 1998, EO launched the EO Global Student Entrepreneur Awards (GSEA), a premier global competition for students who own and operate a business. Student nominees compete against their peers from around the world in a series of local and national competitions with the intention

to win the GSEA Global Championship.

Participants must be undergraduate or graduate college/university students with a company operating for at least 6 months with generated revenue of a minimum US$500 or US$1,000 in investment.

Besides the collective price money of 100,000 USD, GSEA student entrepreneurs are mentored, recognised,

and make strategic connections to help take their businesses to the next level of success.

“This year we have partnered with AIC, who have assured Goa semi-finalists an opportunity to get funding up to `40 lakhs and a chance to be on the next season of the Indian OTT show Horses Stable, on the lines of Shark Tank. Top 6 semifinalists will also be trained and mentored by industry stalwarts. Additionally, the EO Region has tied up with Mumbai Angels (Investment Platform), Venture Catalyst (Funding & Knowledge Partners) and I-Ventures @ ISB (Incubation and Networking), which will give finalists an opportunity to raise funds, get mentored by the best in the industry and learn how to successfully grow their

ventures. This is an excellent opportunity for student entrepreneurs in Goa, and I wish I had had this opportunity as a student” said Gaurang Suctancar, GSEA Chair for EO Goa.

“Students can register online on www.eonetwork.org/ goa up to 18th of December, 2022. Shortlisted students will be informed by the end of December, 2022 and the Goa finals will be held on 21st January, 2023. Shortlisted students will go through a series of trainings and contests, before the Goa finalist is selected by a team of esteemed judges and participate in the South East Asia finals in March 2023. The winner of the South East Asia finals will compete in the Global Finals and we are confident that this year we will have a local student competing in the finals,” said Siddharth Goel, GSEA co-chair for EO Goa

DHS partners with GIM for Ayushman Bharat Health Account enrolment drive

Over 400 students, faculty members and staff of the Goa Institute of Management (GIM) were provided with Ayushman Bharat Health Account (ABHA) IDs, as part of the Goa government’s Directorate of Health Services’ (DHS) pilot project in collaboration with the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) to create integrated digital health infrastructure in the country.

The Goa government’s DHS is working on mission mode to provide the entire state’s population with an ABHA ID, a 14-digit number that will uniquely identify each member as a participant in India’s digital healthcare ecosystem. Students of the GIM along

The creation of an ABHA ID is a voluntary choice made by participants of their own free-will.

The enrolment drive which was held at the GIM campus in Sanquelim recently was inaugurated by Dr. Geeta Kakodkar, Director of Health Services and Dr. Kedar Raikar, Nodal Officer, Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission. The drive was organised under the aegis of the B-school’s 'Give Goa' initiative, which is a part of the institute’s curriculum

with the government’s health administration will continue to develop various strategies to promote ABHA enrolment throughout college campuses across the state.

AUTHOR: MATTHEW BALL | PUBLISHER: LIVERIGHT

THE METAVERSE AND HOW IT WILL REVOLUTIONIZE EVERYTHING

Author Matthew Ball offers a thorough and provocative overview of the Metaverse technological stack as well as the societal and economic drivers that he thinks will influence its progress in his book The Metaverse and How It Will Revolutionize Everything The book offers an accessible and important reference to the strategic, technical, and philosophical foundations of the Metaverse as well as the trends and developments that are influencing current thought. It is both a historical account and a future-focused work.

Ball, a well-known essayist on the subject, is the managing partner of EpyllionCo, which manages an early-stage business fund, and the former head of strategy at Amazon Studios.

Ball has bylines at the New York Times, The Economist, and Bloomberg and has been featured in those journals as well as The Atlantic, The Wall Street Journal, The New Yorker, Washington Post, Financial Times, and others. He occasionally contributes to The Economist.

Three sections make up the structure of the book: What the Metaverse is, how it is being built, and how it will revolutionise everything are the first three questions.

In the first section, a historical account of the Metaverse’s conceptual inception and the essential supporting technologies – the personal computer, the internet, mobile phones, strategic video games, and virtual

are discussed in length in the second section.

The use cases that might be considered in section three as well as the governance issues that might arise with widespread adoption are discussed.

“Metaverse is the latest catchphrase, but few know what it means. The promise of the Metaverse and how it fits into the technological evolution from personal computer to the internet to mobile computing are laid forth in Matthew Ball’s thorough thesis, along with just as importantly the problems that must be overcome.

Anyone who wishes to comprehend the possibilities of the Metaverse should start by reading this book which helps differentiate between truth and hype,” stated co-founder and co-CEO of Netflix, Reed Hastings

Matthew Ball

Jingle Bell Time, Have a Swell Time at Fortune Miramar

Christmas and New Year are upon us, which means it is time for you to immerse yourself in the colourful chronicles of this joyous period.

Celebrate the arrival of the season with an array of heartwarming, fun and festive activities. Experience the adventure and excitement of seasonal indulgence at Fortune Miramar.

So mark your calendar and put on your dancing shoes as this boutique hotel has gone all out to ensure that you have a marvelous time.

ART Street Food at the Children’s Park

As the holidays approach kick-start the festivities with handcrafted bites and meals at the Serendipity Arts Festival. Explore a variety of international street food at the Art Park, opposite Inox, Panjim from 15th to 23rd December.

Box up a ton of love

The staff at Fortune Miramar are eager to help you kick start your Christmas preparations with customized Christmas hampers, perfect to gift your loved ones. “We have everything that you need, including freshly baked gingerbread cookies, Christmas cakes, assorted jams, pies and much more which

are available at our restaurant, Orchid from 15th December onwards”, says Ricardo de Lima, GM, Fortune Miramar.

Joyful carols paired with mulled

wine and Christmas cake

Make your Christmas holidays with your family and loved ones more memorable at Fortune Miramar. The young serenading carolers, the tantalizing mulled

wine and the decadent plum cake together with the cozy ambience perfectly blends with the Christmas spirit and will be available from 20th December onwards from 6 to 8 pm.

Christmas Eve midnight buffet dinner

Experience the true embodiment of Christmas with near and dear ones over a mid-night buffet. Delve into the sumptuous flavours of the season with an enchanting selection of appetising dishes, complemented by delectable desserts at the mid-night buffet on 24th December, 12 am onwards.

So this is Christmas - Brunch

Enjoy a fabulous Christmas brunch with friends and family. Explore a delectable array of appetisers, soups, mains and desserts and an array of live counters. Indulge in a handcrafted buffet listening to the foot-tapping beats by Ashley Afonso on 25th December from 11.30 am onwards.

Ring in the New Year

Have an unforgettable time counting down the hours to the brand new year at Fortune Miramar’s New Year Dine and Dance. Feast on a scrumptious spread which includes an array of cuisines and live stations with a selection of fish, meats, vegetables and desserts. Dance to music by Entre Nós, featuring Omar, Selwyn and Nadia on 31st December.

Welcome 2023 with a four course lunch

Begin 2023 in style! Make the first day of the year marvelous by delighting your taste buds with a divine four-course New Year lunch. To ensure that you have a fabulous time, Angelo will keep you entertained with his popular beats on 1st January, 12.30 pm onwards

For more details and reservations call 0832-6637373

As Goa welcomes the festive season, Fortune Miramar promises to make merry with fun and festive activities

Christmas tree lighting at Goa Marriott Resort and Spa

oa Marriott Resort & Spa ushered in the festive spirit with the annual Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony. The event commenced with the General Manager Gaurav Apte, addressing and welcoming everyone to the resort’s annual Christmas Tree

G

Lighting and inviting all the guests to join him and Santa in lighting the Christmas tree and inaugurating the beginning of the festive season, followed by the melodious voices of the children singing carols from Bethesda Life Centre and the Goa Marriott Resort

and Spa team. Their Executive Chef Amit Dash and his team put together a 40kg chocolate mousse cake igloo house, also known as a snow house or snow hut, a chocolate Santa, a chocolate snowman, and a chocolate Christmas tree in the lobby. Eggnog, mulled wine

and festive bites, along with a visit from Santa Claus added a magical touch of Christmas Spirit. The event was attended by city’s elite and the evening went on with an array of delectable live food counters, lots of yummy cake, live music, loads of fun and laughter

Grand Hyatt Goa rings in the festivities with its annual Christmas Tree Lighting Celebration

Grand Hyatt Goa has set flight right into the sparkling spirit of Christmas festivities with its annual Christmas tree lighting celebration by the 17th century chapel on the resort. The evening began with a countdown leading to a brightly lit Christmas tree and the delightful sounds of Christmas

carols by the children of Bethesda Life Centre. No Christmas celebration is complete without the joyful cheer of Santa Claus as he hopped, danced and sang along to Christmas carols with both kids and adults. Set along the calm waters of the Bambolim Bay, the evening witnessed

a captivating performance by a live pianist performing nostalgic Christmas tunes while singer Katya dazzled with an impromptu dance with Santa Claus. Highlights of the evening also included a homemade spread, where guests were treated to a menu that was curated and personally prepared

by the General Manager, Jaco Le Roux along with Executive Chef, David Ansted. Nothing compares to the spectacular experience of spending the holidays at Grand Hyatt Goa and the 5th edition of annual tree lighting celebrations marks the beginning of the festivities on the resort

Jaco Le Roux, General Manager & Area VP Leisure Hotels India

Spreading Christmas cheer at The St. Regis Goa Resort

In a unique celebration of the Christmas spirit, children from Valentina’s Little Heaven Orphanage celebrated the traditional Christmas tree lighting ceremony at The St. Regis Goa Resort in Cavelossim along with guests and influencers. The special guests at the ceremony were witness to a 32-foot Christmas tree which was decorated, to mark the celebration of the

32-year legacy of the property located in South Goa. The Christmas tree at the St. Regis Goa Resort represents lineage and fond memories created by the guests during their previous visits at the resort. “Christmas is the perfect time to give back to society, a time to share your blessings. At The St. Regis Goa Resort, we spread joy with our little friends from Valentina’s Little Heaven Orphanage, as

we celebrated our cake mixing ceremony with them. 100% of the proceeds from the revenue made through the sales of these Christmas cakes will be handed over to the orphanage” explained Satish Kumar, General Manager, The St Regis Goa Resort.

The lighting up of the Christmas tree is seen as a symbol of love, with the wish that the lives of our near and

dear ones shine as brightly as the tree, followed by carol singing, a special raffle draw to spread holiday happiness, marking the beginning of the Christmas season.

The unique Christmas celebration at The St. Regis Goa Resort sums up the spirit of the festival in the words “It’s not what’s under the Christmas tree that matters; it’s who’s around it!”

Carol singing by the children of Valentina’s Little Heaven Orphanage; Children from Valentina’s Little Heaven Orphanage lit the Christmas Tree; Satish Kumar, General Manager of The St. Regis Goa Resort handling over prize to the raffle draw winner

Copperleaf VIP lounge for the 53rd International Film Festival of India (IFFI) 2022

Goa’s renowned restaurant

Copperleaf sponsored a VIP lounge for the 53rd International Film Festival of India (IFFI) 2022. Numerous film stars and film makers such as Anupam Kher, Varun Dhawan, Yami Gautam, Sai Tamhankar, Rana Daggubati, Kalki Koechlin, Deepti Naval, Prateik Babbar, Nandamuri Balakrishna, Prasad Oak, Aahana Kumra, Hrishita Bhatt, Nagaraj Manjule, Ramesh Sippy, Madhur Bhandarkar and many more graced the lounge.

The restaurant’s service team offered their celebrity guests house-made corn canapés, branded eateries and

created a relaxed atmosphere for them with commendable hospitality.

Speaking on their first-time sponsorship experience, Sachin S. Pai Bir, Chief Executive Officer, Vishwamukta Group Unit Copperleaf said, “This was

a great experience overall. This activity was also a motivator for our staff. We are thankful to Entertainment Society of Goa (ESG) for providing this opportunity”.

In addition, veteran actor Anupam Kher visited Panaji-

based Copperleaf’s premium private dining room, ‘Solitaire’ and had the pleasure of tasting Copperleaf’s delicacies.

On asking about the veteran actor’s visit to the restaurant, Vishwanath S. Pai Bir, Chief Operating Officer, Vishwamukta Group Unit Copperleaf said, "We were thankful to Anupam Kher for providing us an opportunity to serve him at our Solitaire Private Dining Room at Copperleaf Panaji. Milan, Panaji Outlet Manager, assured his visit was comfortable and memorable. Kher was very happy with the service, food, ambience, and our overall Copperleaf hospitality”

Kalki Koechlin

Hrishitaa Bhatt

Rana Daggubati

Yami Gautam Dhar

Prateik Babbar, Sai Tamhankar, Madhur Bhandarkar, Aahana Kumra

Shreekant V Pai Bir and Vishwanath S Pai Bir, Copperleaf directors with Ramesh Sippy Deepti Naval

Anupam Kher

Goa Chamber of Commerce & Industry hosts masterclass on GST

The Commissioner also looked forward to outreach programs with the Chamber to address any GST grievances.

The Taxation Committee of Goa Chamber of Commerce & Industry (GCCI) organised a ‘Masterclass on GST’, a full day GST seminar recently. The seminar was attended by over 120 participants.

Ralph de Sousa, President GCCI in his inaugural address said that GST was a path breaking reform introduced to streamline indirect taxes. Despite the magnitude of the pandemic, the Government as well as industry, have been agile enough to quickly adapt and revive economic activities.

It has also helped all businesses to go digital and embrace technology in filing return, payment and other compliances.

GST is a destination based tax, and Goa being a consumer state has been a major beneficiary of this new regime. The GST compensation received by Goa over the years has significantly helped the state’s finances.

The Chief Guest for the event, V. Soundararajan, IRS, Commissioner, CGST Goa in his address said that the nation

has overcome the initial glitches in implementation of GST and the success of GST is being appreciated globally. The `1.50 lakh crore average monthly GST collections along with the buoyancy in GST revenues in Goa indicate a recovery from the pandemic. He appreciated the initiatives taken up by the Goa Chamber of Commerce & Industry and also informed all the participants that a facility of drop box has been provided by the CGST Department to the public for any grievance or suggestions.

Special invitee, Basant Kumar, Joint Commissioner, CGST was also present for the seminar. The Masterclass on GST was conducted by CA Pritam Mahure from Pune, addressing the burning issues under GST such as handling GST notices, handling GSTR2A / 2B issues, issues in e-invoicing, input tax credit and supply along with discussions on recent amendments and relevant Supreme Court decisions.

The Chairman of Taxation committee of GCCI, CA Rohan Bhandare welcomed the gathering and presented an overview of the program.

The guest speaker was introduced by CA Yatish Pai Vernekar, member of the Taxation Committee. Kiran Ballikar, Director, GCCI proposed the vote of thanks. The program was hosted by Sanjay Amonkar, Director General, GCCI

MAGSONS GROUP WINS ‘MOST ADMIRED FOOD & GROCERY RETAILER OF THE YEAR’

Food and Grocery Forum

India is the only business event in India featuring food and grocery retailers, manufacturers, marketers, distributors and vendors, who converge to develop and share business insights and product innovations under one forum. The Forum also recognises and rewards those retailers who have undertaken path-breaking innovations in the food and grocery segments across the country while acknowledging their rising importance of modern food retail, and presents them with accolades in the form of the prestigious IMAGES - COCA COLA Golden Spoons Awards.

Recently at the India Food & Grocery Forum 2022, the Magsons Group, Goa was awarded the ‘IMAGES Most Admired Food & Grocery Retailer of the year Supermarket

Chain – West’ The Award was accepted by Ranjit Rajput, Senior Business Development Head, on behalf of the Magsons Group.

The Award also acknowledged the pioneering and sustained efforts put in by the Magsons Group, for a regional State, in the field of gourmet foods and niche food category product offerings.

What makes this award

special for Magsons is that even with over 16 national bidders for this award, the jury unanimously decided to nominate Magsons, Goa, as jury nominees, at the glittering awards ceremony at the Westin Hotel, Powai.

This is the second time that Magsons is being honoured with a similar award, the first one being in 2012 for ‘Excellence in Food Retailing’.

Kirit Maganlal, CEO and Founder of the Magsons Group, who was attending the Forum as a guest Speaker on the subject of ‘Creating a more productive and transparent retailer-brand relationship’ stated that this award was a dedication to the efforts and customer-centric attitudes of all the employees and associates of the Magsons ‘family’ chain of stores and it was a great moment of satisfaction for the Group to receive this honour.

Magsons currently operates 14 outlets in Goa, equally spread between North and South Goa districts with 3 new opening this year, at Taleigao Fresh, Canacona (franchise store) and ‘Champagne & Cigars’ at Magsons Towers (an alliance store).

In the pipeline are two more offerings before the end of the financial year

L to R: V. Soundararajan, Sanjay Amonkar, Rohan Bhandare, Ralph de Sousa, Pritam Mahure, Yatish Pai Vernekar

Dr Sangam Kurade felicitated for enterprise and job creation

Dr Sangam Kurade, Managing Director, Dr. Kurade’s, was felicitated by Chief Minister Dr. Pramod Sawant at Canacona for thirty years of service to community through creation of employment and enterprise.

Dr. Kurade is a reputed food technologist and promoter of a successful business which is India’s oldest and largest running mushroom farm in India, since 1994.

A Masters in food

technology from the University of Hawaii, USA, an MBA in Business Marketing at the Pacific Western University, he completed his PhD in Food Technology from the University of Tennessee, USA. Setting up

a typical high-tech startup at micro scale to manufacture world class button mushrooms, he led the growth of the enterprise from a 100 kg/day production facility to the one producing button mushrooms 17000 kg/day. Dr Kurade has a long association with industry bodies such as FISME, GSIA and Goa Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and has been associated with National Institute of Food Technology Entrepreneurship and Management (NIFTEM), all agro-food processing state institutions and committees set up by Government of Goa and also Bureau of Indian Standards Committee for Foods and Spices, Government of India

Change of guard at CII Young Indians - Goa Chapter

Dr. Pratiksha N. Khalap

Dr. Pratiksha N. Khalap, is a doctor by profession, she has graduated in homeopathic medicine and surgery (BHMS) from Shiroda, Goa and completed her post-graduation in clinical research and management from Mumbai.

Dr. Pratiksha has past clinical experience of working as a RMO in a multi-speciality hospital in Mapusa and has worked as the lead safety specialist for 10 years at a Mumbai-based MNC involved in clinical research and new drug development. She was a member of Rotaract for over 8 years, during which she held various positions on the board and was the Past President of Rotary Club of Mhapsa Elite. She is the administrator of Mandrem College of Commerce, Economics and Management, Mandrem. She was also the Director of I&V Hotels Pvt. Ltd., Mapusa. In addition to this, Dr. Pratiksha is also the Mahila Congress Block President of Mapusa Block. Pratiksha has been the member of Young Indians (Yi) for over 8 years, during which she has

held various responsibilities as Vertical Chair for Masoom, Gift An Organ, membership and Yuva. She has been a resource person for Yi Goa and has conducted multiple sessions on Masoom, Gift an Organ and Yuva orientations. She has also conducted training sessions for students of Goa Institute of Management.

Her hobbies include singing, dancing, painting, traveling, networking, and interacting with people. She loves to keep learning new things and has joined keyboard classes recently while securing full marks in the grade 1 theory examination; she has been pursuing training in

Kung fu for the last two years and has received a blue belt. She has been very active in sports and cultural activities as a child and won multiple allrounder awards as well while representing Goa at nationals in hockey in the past.

Her love for learning new things keeps her going. She says that through continued learning she can better herself every single day. She is married to Nikhilchandra Khalap who is businessman and past chair of Yi-Goa and is blessed with 2 sons, Ojas and Om

Shaibaz Sayed

Shaibaz Sayed has completed his diploma in pharmacy from

the Goa College of Pharmacy and then joined his family business.

Eventually, he ventured on his own and set up Abcom Solutions which deals in computer hardware and surveillance and caters to corporate clients like Asian Paints, Indoco Remedies, etc. He is also the proprietor of Abcom Retails which deal in home decor products. Shaibaz has been a member of Young Indians (Yi) for over 4 years during which time he has held various responsibilities as Vertical Chair for Road Safety and Climate Change.

He is also a part of Rotary Club of Miramar. Shaibaz enjoys meeting new people, making friends and traveling. Has been very active in sports and cultural activities as a child and represented his school at nationals in basketball in the past.

He believes in the ideology that change is the only constant and he is always ready to learn new things. He is married to Diyana Agha, a media professional and is blessed with a daughter Samaira

At the recently concluded CII Young Indians Goa Chapter Annual Session, the new Chair, Dr Pratiksha N. Khalap and CoChair, Shaybaz Sayad, of Young Indians - Goa Chapter were nominated for the year 2023

Dr Pratiksha N. Khalap

Shaybaz Sayad

L to R: Premendra Shet (MLA, Mayem), Rajesh Phaldesai (MLA, Cumbharjua), Sadanand Shet Tanawade (Chairman, EDC Goa), Dr Sangam Kurade, Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant and Ramesh Tawadkar (Speaker, Goa Legislative Assembly)

GTA and UK’s DIT Business Outreach - Setting up in the UK

Goa Technology Association (GTA) in collaboration with the UK’s Department for International Trade (DIT) held an informative session at Taj Vivanta, Panjim recently, which was attended by over 60 businesses including GTA members and members of Goa Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The UK’s Department for International Trade (DIT) helps businesses export, drives inward and outward investment, negotiates market access and trade deals, and champions free trade. The session highlighted business and investment opportunities in the UK and the support available to Indian companies planning to set up or expand in the UK via DIT.

Milind Anvekar, President GTA welcomed the gathering on behalf of GTA and Vikram Singh, Strategic Head –Investment presented on

behalf of DIT. GTA office bearers provided inputs and assistance towards planning and hosting the event. Thanks to the audience, the session was extremely interactive with an excellent Q&A session. The DIT team including Siddhika Banerjee (Head of Inward Investment-Western India) and Neha Nigadikar (Inward

Investment Adviser) held one to one meetings with interested companies the next day.

The Inward Investment team at DIT can help Indian businesses – whether you are a start-up, a mediumsized / family business, a corporate or an institutional investor, DIT supports Indian companies with the realisation

of their international business ambitions. DIT offers flexible support packages for every aspect of one’s investment. “Our service does not stop once you are based in the UK, it continues as your business expands internationally. We have helped thousands of businesses locate and expand in the UK”, said Singh

HOSTS ITS ANNUAL CHARITY ‘ROAD TO GIVE’

Marriott International returned with the 8th edition of the flagship charity run – ‘Run to Give’ with a more inclusive and reformed avatar as ‘Road to Give 2022’, with an aim to encourage participants from across its South Asia portfolio of hotels to embrace all forms of movement beyond just running-walking, cycling, swimming and others. Goa Marriott Resort and Spa, Fairfield by Marriott, Goa Anjuna, Fairfield by Marriott, Goa Calangute all a part of Marriott International, came together and organised the charity run. This annual charity run is an integral part of the Marriott South Asia calendar and is a testament to the company’s commitment to cultivate a people-first environment that promotes the associates’ well-being and drives its people to care for the communities where they do business. This year, ‘Road to Give 2022’ had committed to lend support across 143 hotels from Marriott International hotels and resorts in South

Asia who will come together to raise funds to support Rising Star Outreach of India, a nonprofit organisation dedicated to empowering individuals and their families to rise above the stigma associated with leprosy and to live healthy, productive lives through quality education, medical care, and community development. “Road to Give 2022 is essentially a step towards creating a space for inclusion in our bid towards making tangible a contribution towards the upliftment of the communities around us. The annual run is an opportunity for Marriott International associates, along with family

and guests to come together and make a move, this year in all possible ways, in the direction of a more diverse and accommodative future which holds space for individuals from across the spectrum. The idea is to make the event larger and cohesive each year by taking participants closer to our TakeCare philosophies by adding new facets and elements to the annual run” said Ranju Alex, Area Vice President, South Asia, Marriott International. With an aim to incorporate participation from across the country, the run was open to Marriott associates, partners, as well as families,

friends and guests who could join the event, lend support, take some time to reflect, care for their bodies and minds and most importantly, to be part of a larger, purposeful initiative that aims at the hotel group help build a more cohesive and responsible society. The run held in Goa was a 6 km run, where participants ran along the banks of the Mandovi River. The participants were entitled to t-shirts, breakfast, and completion certificates after the marathon. The marathon concluded with a jubilant celebration along with the prize distribution to the winners of the event

MARRIOTT INTERNATIONAL

L to R: Vikram Singh (Strategic Head – Investment, UK’s DIT, Milind Anvekar (President, GTA) and Rohan Warty (Secretary, GTA)

Small Acts of Kindness

It is better to fight for something than do nothing. These famous words by George Patton is a motto that YUVA swears by.

An association of enthusiastic youth who dream big and have potential to fulfill their dreams, YUVA was formed in 2012 to channelize the potential energy of the youth into the development of society – specifically youth, women and restoration of environment besides helping youth mould themselves by providing them a platform and opportunity to build a personality that is able to connect, converse, collaborate, and co-operate with likeminded people to serve society.

Over the years, membership of the organisation has grown to include not only the youth, but a lot of people who are experienced in their respective professions, who will help give the youth depth and purpose while they work towards a cause. Every year, YUVA conducts membership drives in schools and colleges in and around Panaji and after a thorough screening procedure, memberships are granted free of cost. In the last ten years, more than eight youngsters have played a part in the journey. Currently they have fifty active members.

In the past decade, YUVA has achieved different milestones with the major one being crossing the ‘valley of death’, where they had to be consistent and convince a lot of youth to do social work and devote time for society in whatever way possible. The

second milestone would be the consistent effort of organising at least one activity every month for over five years. The third would be the dedication and perseverance with which everyone has been working hard for over a decade to serve society.

The four pillars of YUVA has been health and senior citizens, women and child, youth and environment. Every year, the organisation sees an increase in tree plantation and sapling distribution activities. The sense of imbibing Swachh Bharat among young minds has been possible by getting their own hands dirty while cleaning roads or heritage sites and painting bus stops, walls and the Panaji Market. Through health camps they have served over 2000+ people over the decade. Their programmes like Community Kitchen during the covid lockdown and serving people over a month has been a highlight of their journey. The recognition by Prime Minister Modi in ‘Man Ki Baat’ has been a huge motivational factor for the organisation.

YUVA has received various state and national recognitions for their stellar work since the time that they have started out. In 2015, they received the ‘Best Youth Organization’ at District

Level by Nehru Yuva Kendra, Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Government of India; in 2016, YUVA was awarded the ‘Best Youth Organization’ at State Level by Nehru Yuva Kendra, Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Government of India; In 2017, the Goa State Youth Award for ‘Best Youth Organisation’ by Directorate of Sports and Youth Affairs, Government of Goa; In 2018, the National Award for being the ‘Best Youth Organization’ by Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Government of India; In 2019, the ‘Samajratna and Samataratna Puraskar’ at Nasik, Maharashtra and the GEC Award for ‘Charity Leadership’ in Goa in 2022.

YUVA’s founder Raghuvir Mahale has received the Goa State Youth Award by Directorate of Sports and Youth Affairs, Government of Goa and ‘Best Social Worker’ Award by Directorate of Social Welfare, Government of Goa in 2015 and 2016, respectively.

As YUVA completes a decade, the vigour, frequency and magnitude of events and activities has increased exponentially. They have conducted eight health camps ranging from women’s special, general; breast cancer screening camps and Ayurveda camps compared to the conventional one or two camps that they organise every year.

This year, YUVA has organised the Balotsav 2022 which was a mega fair filled with a fusion of sports and cultural activities for high schools which was a first of its kind, and had a participation of over 1200 students of 16 high

schools from all over Goa.

YUVA is known for its enviro-tech and tradition fusion in their Ganesh Dekhava that they create at Zor / Fonte Pheonix, Mala, Panaji. This time they not only cleaned the spring and installed the Ganesh Dekhava but also curated an art exhibition inside the underground spring with the artworks of 50+ prominent artists from across Goa.

International Yoga Day was celebrated with over 500 people from across the state. YUVA has conducted a Ramayan and Mahabharat examination for kids in Marathi, as well as in English.

During the covid lockdown, YUVA commenced their community kitchen where they served stranded people, senior citizens, and homeless people with food twice a day.

The founder of YUVA, Raghuvir Mahale has been the driving force of the organisation and they have had Dr. Rufino Monteiro and Aakash Khaunte as their presidents in the past.

YUVA plans to expand not just geographically but also in its scope of work by transforming it from a completely activitybased cause driven organisation to a project based result driven organisation within the next five years. Being the first and only youth organization from Goa to win a National Award, YUVA has requested the Government to provide them with land to build a YUVA Bhavan which will have its own day care senior citizen centre, a clinic space for homeopathy as well as allopathy practise. This will be clubbed with a library and a small hall for meetings

YUVA, a national award winning voluntary youth organisation, recently completed 10 years and as they highlight their achievements, they also shed light on their future plans

Merchandise Matters in Retail

Availability of what the customers require at a retail outlet is critical to its success, and thus managing merchandise of a retail store calls for discipline, astuteness and strong gut feel. Retail Merchandise Management (RMM) is a tedious and continuous process that ensures you carry optimum merchandise that the customers want, with due care taken to be sure that you neither understock nor overstock goods. In retail, it so happens that if a customer does not find the desired product at a retail store, s/he will move away to a competitor and sometimes never to return to your business. Non-availability of merchandise and empty shelves leave a negative impression on the customers’ mind and they become reluctant to visit the store in the near future. Importantly, a retailer cannot afford to lose even a single customer, but will have to guarantee that, every one leaves the store with a smile. Proper merchandise management facilitates retailers to meet customer demand without running out of stock or carrying excess products thereby preventing revenue losses to business.

Some key issues in RMM

Lead time: In managing merchandise, one must realise that it takes reasonable time for goods to reach the store from the supplier’s unit owing to various reasons. Depending on the lead time to fulfil orders, a retailer must hold sufficient stock to offer to the customers during this period. ‘Just-In-Time’ is a wonderful technique if circumstances are amenable for it to work; but most times this system does not work efficiently due to poor logistics issues. Thus, holding safety stock is the best option for a retailer to ensure that customer requirements are fulfilled during lead time. Alternately, retailers will have to be a party to cultivate and develop suppliers for required merchandise within arm’s reach so as to fulfil its requirements just-in-time. The number of items that a store is required to stock, in order to meet customer requirements, is huge with large number of suppliers in chain, and this complicates the merchandise management task. Streamlining and minimising number of suppliers would be a logical solution in this case.

Centralised Merchandise Record: It makes great sense to maintain centralised records of purchases, in-hand stock and also future requirements, for easy and quick review and decision making. Irrespective of the

inventory control method followed by the store, having updated records in one centralised place for overall control is critical for smooth merchandise management. This calls for a high degree of self-discipline on part of the employees involved in this activity to ensure that records are updated on a daily basis or instantly as and when stock is received or issued. Even a slight lethargy in updating this record would later cascade to shortfalls in merchandise on the shelves very soon. It is best to maintain and monitor merchandise records centrally and regularly.

Inventory figures to hold: Equally important decision in merchandise management is to decide on the number of units of each product to hold, both in store and on shelves.

As a thumb rule, every retailer must see that there are no empty shelves; at the same time there is no overcrowding or dumping of goods on the shelves. Both these situations put the customers off and contributes to displeasure of shopping. Realistic estimates on inventory figures may be worked out based on past sales for a specific period and/ or gut feel – the best companion of a retailer. Regular stock checking: A sure way not to fall short of stock is regular stock checking – both on software and physical stock. There are instances where the software shows the product, while physically the item is missing, and if it happens in front of a customer, it is an embarrassing situation. Some disciplined retailers continuously take review of merchandise and maintain a ‘to be ordered list’ that facilitates placing repurchase orders easily.

Re-order time and quantity: ‘When to order’ and ‘how much to order’ are two major decisions in purchasing of stock for refill. While lead time (time taken by supplier to fill the order) is critical, knowing the quantity to order is equally important. A retailer friend of mine dealing in stationary items narrated an incident whereby he had bought 500 units of a puzzle game because the company said its price is going to increase by `50 from the next month. My friend was waiting to encash on the forthcoming school season after two months when the schools would reopen and he would get bulk orders for this puzzle from various schools. However, the company did not send the revised price list to him even after two months, and as such he had to sell the stock at the same old rates with no benefits but loses owing to blocked funds

and storage space plus the regular discount that he offered to schools from his side.

Traffic flow analysis within store and sales value: Keeping check on the customers’ movements within the store to various counters and calculating the sales value generated per customer per counter, helps in figuring out the dead spots or non performing counters within the store. Such non performing counters should either be discarded or changed and stocked with fast moving goods or items those are most sought after. One needs to identify and take an immediate call on the goods that are slow moving or not moving, as it leads to blocked money. If need be, minor changes in the store layout could be carried out based on the information from traffic flow analysis.

It is essential to have every counter within the store as an active counter with high sales value generation.

Markdowns, promotions & returns on time: Handling non-moving merchandise, near to expiry goods, old items, wrong orders received etc. is very critical in smooth merchandise management. Instant decision making on these categories of merchandise is required. It makes no business sense for sitting on non-moving merchandise, or old items or out of fashion items for long. Rather, it makes better sense to clear off these type of goods as early as possible, even at a partial loss via markdowns, discounts or schemes to customers. What can be returned to the supplier as per returns policy, should be returned well in time.

Pilferages and losses: One of the major reasons for revenue loss of a retail store is reduction in inventory due to pilferages and losses. They can happen through various sources like store employees, customers, rodents, expiry, breakages/damages, theft etc. In retail business, the biggest amount of pilferages happen at the entry point where the goods are received from the supplier. The software and the bills would reflect the exact number of units as ordered, but the physical units in stock would be short. Goods are accounted for, but instead of being in the store stock they are missing. This is one area that needs to be managed very critically by retailers. The second most common is shoplifting by customers. But this can be controlled to a large extent with proper surveillance system. Continuous monitoring and visual inspection and stock taking would help to reduce pilferages and loses to a large extent.

The writer explains the concept of Retail Merchandise Management and its importance to the retail business

The writer is Founder Director, Saldots Academy, corporate trainer and facilitator. He is former Chairman, Goa Management Association. Email: pradeepsalgaonkar@gmail.com

High inflation? How to invest now?

The writer elaborates on the effects of inflation and the best avenues for investment in such a scenario

Arupee saved is a rupee earned, inflation is inevitable, and everyone gets affected by it in every manner. Along with prices of goods, even the cost of living goes higher and so does the cost of borrowing. Inflation also has a huge impact on your investments and the way you plan it. While moderate inflation is considered good for the growing economy, high inflation is not good and it hits the worst for the poor section of the society. In the last couple of months, we have been observing a high inflation rate and have been noticing its impact on our daily lives and investments as well.

So, what is inflation?

In simple words, inflation is the increase of prices of goods and services which eventually increases the cost of living. Inflation also decreases the purchasing value of money over a period of time. Inflation erodes the pricing power and is the biggest enemy of every consumer and investor.

What has caused a high inflation now?

The high inflation that we are facing is a global phenomenon. Economist have identified several reasons from rising wages to an increase in the supply of money but the main factors are,

1. The economic crisis caused by the outbreak of the pandemic has forced Governments and central banks to take extraordinary measures in fiscal and monetary policies to deal with the chaos in the economy. These measures were expected to have an inflationary effect. The central banks were expecting the inflation to be slow and gradual, but unfortunately it was not and now the central banks are trying its best measures to control it.

2. Covid-19 pandemic and lockdowns caused a major disruption in supply chain leading to shortages in the supply side and increase in prices of commodities / manufactured products. Considering that most parts of the world have started functioning back to pre-pandemic figures, even this issue should get sorted soon.

3. OPEC countries and their partners have been cutting back on crude oil production for the last few years, leading to increase in crude oil prices. The Russian invasion

of Ukraine and the economic sanctions on Russia has created an extraordinary situation leading to surge in crude prices. Since petroleum and petroleum products are raw materials in many industry sectors, this has led to very high inflation in goods and services.

What is the impact of high inflation on investments?

A high inflation is also called as negative rate of return, the real return you get from your investment is reduced due to inflation. Inflation always has a negative impact on equity related investments. Rising raw material cost does pinch the operating margins of the corporates. To curb inflation, banks increase the interest rates on fixed deposits, investors start preferring to withdraw their funds from equity and park it in fixed deposits. Inflation impacts fixed income investments the most due to its inverse relationship with interest rates. When it comes to gold, the price increases as it is an international commodity and its price is linked with our currency. (Generally high inflation results in devaluation of currency).

How and where to invest now?

While planning for your investments now, you need to consider inflation as a major factor and check whether the returns on your investment beats inflation. Inflation helps investors to understand how much returns they should make on their investment in order to have the same standard of living in the future.

So if your income doesn’t increase along

The writer is an investment consultant and business coach. Email: mahesh@maheshpai.in

Merchandise is the backbone of a retail business and needs to be upright and updated every moment, catering to the changing needs of modern digitised, informed, time

pressed customers. Hence, making available what the customer requires at the right time in the right quantity and quality is the primary responsibility of a retailer.

with inflations then your investments need to do its magic for you. So how and where to invest?

• Asset allocation: Do not park all your investments in one asset class, for e.g. Don’t invest all your money in real estate just because you believe that the prices will rise one day and you will sell it off and reap profits. Rather, have a portfolio of mixed investment products which will give a fixed income monthly, which has the capacity to liquidate at any time, long term investments, and investments that will provide returns higher than the rate of inflation.

• Rebalance your portfolio: If your current investments are beating inflation then it is time for a revamp. Consult a professional and check the performance of your portfolio and fill the gaps to reach your desired goal.

• Goal based planning: Most people invest only when they have surplus funds and simply invest without any goal in mind, but this time when you start or realign your investments then do it as per your goals; so that you are aware on how much you need to save. Don’t change your goal but change your actions to reach that goal within the given frame of time.

Conclusion

If your investment strategy does not take into account the impact of inflation on investment, then expensive securities may eat into your returns.

In other words, the money that you save for the future may not be enough to beat the rising price of goods and services. But there are ways around it. As an investor, you should take a long term view and remain disciplined in your investments

And, self-discipline coupled with quick action on merchandise management issues would certainly help to reap better benefits. Remember, merchandise matters in retail

In search for meaning in business!

n the olden days, if someone gave up his ‘normal’ life, either he gave it up to become a sanyasi and he banished himself to the mountains or Varanasi; or he ended up as a ‘hippie’ on one of Goa’s innumerable beaches. In both the cases the trigger was frustration with ‘normal’ life. Post Covid, this frustration seems to have intensified to the power of hundred and it is making people do unexpected things. In the entrepreneurial space, it has made people become suddenly risk-prone – anything to change the way things are – safety net be damned.

I

Covid has made us all realise that instead of planning how we will live in the future, we should start living in the moment, because the only certain thing is this moment. This has led educated professionals to give up their jobs and their lifestyle and choose to live in a manner that is almost grassroot. The domain could be anything – it could be farming, or adventure sports in the mountains; it could be ‘unschooling’ or it could be plant-based nutrition. The urge to ‘escape’ from life as they have known, to a life as they desire, seems to be imminent and genuine. How they go about it to make a viable and sustainable business model remains to be seen.

We live in the mountains in Uttarakhand and since Dominique, my partner and I love trekking and climbing, we are fairly tuned to whatever is happening in the holiday/ adventure sports domain in the entire Himalayan biosphere. Two constant refrains as value propositions being offered, of late, are ‘slowness’ and ‘organic’. I’m guessing by slowness they mean there is no rat-race; and by organic they mean chemical-free. Given that most of them focus more on selling the visuals and none on creature comforts, you’d expect price points to be reasonable if not rock-bottom. Much to our surprise we found that a mud-hut is prized like a Louis Vuitton bag!

Covid has made us all

IKEA), I asked myself, why should gourmet food cost a kidney?

And when we decided to shut down Concoctions because we wanted to hang up our professional boots and wear trekking shoes for the next phase of our life, we were in a place where we could afford to do so, without compromising on creature comforts. This is not the case with those who are becoming disenchanted with their lives and embracing grassroot entrepreneurship. They still need to earn their livelihood and therefore they offer products and experiences at prices that are exorbitant and not commensurate with their intrinsic value.

such ideas will fall by the wayside and we will have a more frustrated populace. In business, heart matters. Only as long as heart guides the head to build a robust business model. When we shut down Concoctions, and we put our equipment on sale, plenty of people approached us. Somehow either the intent to buy was not backed by the purchasing power or the last mile closing would falter and we did not press the action button. Then one day someone who wanted to set up a Community Kitchen in the temple town of Tiruvannamalai reached out on LinkedIn and bingo! It clicked. It seemed that our heart had found a new body to beat in and continue to create meaning! We decided to donate all our equipment to this company and we are hopeful that the Concoctions spirit will continue to live and spread cheer!

It is very hard to get head and heart to have a meaningful conversation, especially in business. It is strange because both are intention-centric, yet the head overlooks the value of intended consequence. And that necessarily has to be to create meaning in society. If this doesn’t happen and happen on scale, the person who ran away from the life that frustrated him will duplicate the exact same life for himself and more dangerously for others!

When we opened Concoctions, our Indo-French eatery, we were very clear that our pricing would not be driven by costs. Since we had a Michelin Star Chef, we could have positioned our eatery as a gourmet artisanal space and therefore commanded premium pricing. But like Kamprad (of The columnist is co-founder of bakery and restaurant business (www.concoctions.fr) with her French Michelin-star chef life partner. Email: nandini@carmaconnect.in

This can at best be a phase of transition. On Instagram I see that every second person is a happiness coach or a yoga teacher or a nutrition expert. If these are the new escape career options and if there is no thought applied to make them sustainable, more

The writer explains the concept of escaping life as people have known to the one they want, from the point of view of business

realise that instead of planning how we will live in the future, we should start living in this moment because the only certain thing is this moment

Raghu K. Pikale, Finance Powerhouse of Goa

He was born 72 years back in a nondescript village in Karnataka. But, he chose Goa as his ‘karmabhumi’. What a choice it was. Today, this Chartered Accountant in practice Raghu Pikale commands the largest number of partners (CAs) and employees. As many as 98 Chartered Accountants have passed from his office (trained by him) in his Panaji, Ponda or Margao offices.

Today he has the most enviable clientele representing maximum high net worth people and also last 7 Governors of Goa. Indeed a formidable financial powerhouse of Goa. His son CA Vinesh and daughter in law CA Priyanka and partners form a rock solid second line of leadership in his organisation. Admirably Vinesh has carved out his own independent name over the years and is a leading practitioner on his own.

Over to Pikale’s trailblazing social work. Since 1984, he has been the elected Chairman of Goa State Co-operative Housing Finance Federation Ltd. This federation has financed homes of hundreds of people by way of inexpensive and easy loans. He was the Vice Chairman of National Co-operative Housing Federation of India, New Delhi. He has drafted Goa State Co-operative Societies Act, and also rules/byelaws for housing societies. He has served on the Finance Committee of Goa University. He was treasurer and later Vice Chairman of Red Cross Goa. He is President of Kanara College Society which runs 7 colleges. Pikale painstakingly mentions that founder President of this society was Dr. A.V. Baliga who played some role in the liberation of Goa. He has been honorary auditor and tax consultant for temples, muths, churches, social organisations and charitable institutions.

And what is his advice to run a successful profession? “It is important to serve a client competently, rather than with expectation of reward or fees”

“You have to be accessible to the client 24 hours and in person at the time of emergency”.

He says that a professional should be one step ahead of his competitors. He adds: One has to take care not only of the clients but also of employees/trainees etc.

While dealing with CA students who train under him, he keeps 2 things in mind: 1. They have come to him to learn and graduate as CAs. 2. They could be more intelligent than him.

In particular, how does he take care of the clients? He ascribes three qualities: Truthfulness, dedication and competency. Always advice the client what is the law and

consequences of not following the same. One must always update one’s knowledge by reading, discussing, attending seminars and adding more intelligent and young partners.

Coming from a poor agricultural family, Pikale knows what deprivation is. Hence, he believes in returning the debt to the society through the means in which he is an expert – the co-operative sector. He did not feel it necessary to join any club etc. to serve the society. He is a prolific donor and was one of the highest donors for office premises of Goan CAs at Patto Plaza.

Happily married to Shrudha, a simple, religious, compassionate lady (as I have seen personally), he lives in Caranzalem.

I have known this powerhouse of finance since 1980. I have seen his magnetic smile and willingness to do monumental hard-work which has not diminished with age. He is always ready to help the needy and the poor. May God give him many more years of fulltime practice and social service. Goans, at large, will agree with me

The author elaborates on his friend and mentor, Raghu Pikale, a chartered accountant and a person who believes in giving back to society

Raghu Pikale

Coming from a poor agricultural family Pikale knows what deprivation is. Hence, he believes in returning the debt to the society through the means in which he is an expert – the cooperative field

IHCL’s acclaimed gastro pub launched at Aguada

House of Nomad, the acclaimed gastro pub, from Indian Hotels Company (IHCL), India’s largest hospitality company, now boasts of a new address in Goa. Located at Taj Holiday Village Resort & Spa, one of Goa’s leading luxury beach resorts, this marks the brand’s debut at India’s popular sea-side destination. Easily accessible for those exploring North Goa, guests can enjoy a melange of innovative cocktails while immersing themselves in Indo-Portuguese architectural heritage and picturesque views.

Speaking on this occasion, Vincent Ramos, Senior Vice President - Goa, IHCL, stated, “One of the most popular beach destinations for travellers from across the globe, Goa is a melting pot of culture, heritage, and culinary trails. We are delighted to introduce House of Nomad in Goa, allowing guests to experience the gastro pub’s unique brand of cocktails paired with a fusion of contemporary bites infused with local Goan flavours in a classy, modern atmosphere. We look forward to hosting guests at Goa’s chic new address.”

This second outpost of House of Nomad, which opened its first gastro bar in Mumbai at Taj Lands End, will offer guests an elite selection of international cocktails with trademark local flavours reflecting Goa’s vibrant spirit. Be it the ‘No Sleep Nomad’ or the ‘Coffee infused Dukshiri’, guests can pair their cocktails with finger food such as ‘Rissois de Camarao’, ‘Chorizo Poi Sliders’ and more. Made from the freshest of local ingredients, the menu will reflect the perfect amalgamation of glocal flavours.

Weaving in the power of new age technology, what will truly set the guests experience at House of Nomad apart is the interactive tabletop experience and

immersive lounge. Consumers can interact with touch activated screens to arrive at the perfect cocktail suited to their palette and discover a symphony of flavour at the immersive lounge creating a truly sensory experience.

Shweta Jain, Chief Business Development Officer: Luxury, Reserve & Craft - India & South Asia at Diageo, added by saying, “It thrills us to partner with IHCL to bring alive a groundbreaking sensorial experience at the House of Nomad. We have been all for challenging conventions and status quo, constantly pushing boundaries with bold actions. We are looking forward to create a symphony of classic flavours while reshaping the traditional bar experience with immersive technology. This

partnership with Diageo and IHCL is truly about setting new benchmarks, and we are excited for a new generation of consumers to be introduced to the world of iconic spirits”

This marks the celebrated brand’s debut in Goa at Taj Holiday Village Resort and Spa

Chorizo Base Poi Slider

Coconut Caramel Custard

Gado Gado

Larb Gai

Romaine Cesar with Avocado

Vietnamese Banh Mi Soft Pork Ribs Vindaloo

Amber Snap

The Time Traveller

Siracha Patatas Bravas

SHEKHAR SARDESSAI SHARES HIS ENTREPRENEURIAL JOURNEY AT GMA’S LEADER TALKS

Goa Management Association organised their marquee event, LeaderTalks recently. The guest speaker Shekhar Sardessai, Founder, and Managing Director, Kineco Group shared his entrepreneurial journey to an audience comprising of management practitioners, entrepreneurs and thought leaders.

Sardessai’s company, Kineco has successfully partnered with two global entities – Kaman Aerospace (USA) and Exel (Finland). The parent company, Kineco Limited is one amongst India’s leading composites manufactureres offering a wide range of products and processing technologies to customers all over the world. Kineco Kaman Composites India (KKCI) is a multinational joint venture between Kaman Aerospace Group (USA) and Kineco Limited (India). The JV is set up with its headquarters and manufacturing facility based in Goa with an objective of addressing the growing needs of global aerospace and defence companies. Kineco Exel Composites India is a joint venture between Kineco Group and Exel Composites of Finland. Kineco provides advanced composites solutions for transportation, aerospace, defense, infrastructure, and telecommunication industries across India. Exel Composites serves customers in a wide range of industries and has a global sales, R&D, and manufacturing footprint with factories in Austria, Belgium, China, Finland, the UK and in the USA.

The session was an interactive one moderated by CA Rohan Bhandare, Secretary of GMA. Deepak Bandekar, Chairman, Goa Management Association welcomed the audience; while Dr. Sonya K Angle compered the session and introduced the guest speaker and moderator.

Sardessai took questions from the audience and was candid in sharing the challenges that he has faced in a journey spanning 27 years. He spoke about his company’s tryst with the skybus project, which eventually was shelved. He also explained the working experience for various defence (Sonar dome), railways (Vande Bharat) and other projects of national importance.

Blaise Costabir, President, GMA, presented mementoes to Sardessai and Bhandare

Deepak Bandekar

Yatish

Dempo

Rajiv Narvekar

Rohan Bhandare

Dr Seema Salgaonkar

Vivekanand Faldesai

Dr R Krishna Gopal R Shankarnathan

Charlotte Fernandes

Blaise Costabir

Harsh Rajani

Praful Patil

Sanjay Bharne

Dr Sonya Angle

Rohan Kuncalienkar

Harshvardhan Bhatkuly

Dr Pradeep Salgaonkar

Dr Saidas Khorjuvekar

Rajesh Dempo

Amin Ladak

Atindra Banerjee

Shekhar Sardessai

Yi Goa hosts Annual Session. Pratiksha Khalap takes over as new chair

Yi Goa’s Annual session saw the takeover of the Chapter by the new Chair, Pratiksha Khalap and Co-Chair, Shaibaz Khan. The event was held in two parts, the public session and the business session. The Yi Goa Thought Leadership TV was also launched during this session.

Swetika Sachan, IAS, Director, Industry, Trade, & Commerce, Government of Goa spoke on the ‘Role of Entrepreneurs in India’s Development’. She also emphasised the efforts taken by the government to support women entrepreneurs.

Vaishali Gupta, co-founder mCaffeine, spoke on the topic ‘Women, and Entrepreneurship.’ She also urged the men present at the session to give wings to their wives, sisters, and daughters to chase opportunities, not because ladies need it, but because they deserve it.

The business session which was strictly for Yi members started with Vaikunth Dempo, Yi Goa Chapter’s outgoing Chair

a brief video on the activities of Yi during his term. Pravit Parikh, Regional Chair, Yi Western Region addressed the gathering, while Dhruv Seth, Chair, Yi Learning (National) announced the name of the Incoming Chapter Chair and Co-Chair. Swati Salgaocar,

CII Goa State Council released the Annual Report for the year 2023.

The business session concluded with a vibrant fellowship after the change of guard

presenting

Chairperson,

Vaikunth Dempo

Tanvi Sawant

Rohit Zantye

Nadia Khan

Pravit Parikh

Shaibaz Khan

Srinivas Khalap

Nitin Desai

Laxmi Kunkolienkar

Nikhil Khalap

Ashwin Khalap

Pavitra Arora

Jayesh Raikar

Sandra Fernandes

Swetika Sachan

Sheetal Pai Kane

Viraj Dhond

Sairaj Dhond

Dr Jennifer Lewis Kamat

Pratiksha Khalap

Arpit Bejwalkar

Prabhakar Narulkar

Anirudh Dempo

Rajesh Salgaonkar

Swati Salgaocar

Anirudh Agrawal

Aditi Joshi

Madhumita

Salatry

Harshvardhan Bhatkuly

Dhruv Seth

Shraddha Khalap

Dr Priyanka Raikar

Omkar Kamat Sambari

Ramakant Khalap

Lalit Saraswat

Divya Navelkar Tulasidas Pai

Dr Sajal Dhond

Vibhav Joshi

Vaishali Gupta

Chef Jason DeSouza will launch his new restaurant in Candolim, White Plate this month. For Chef Jason, a white plate represents endless opportunities to create, innovate and captivate the senses with gastronomical delights; and he has chosen to name his first restaurant in Goa after his muse. Chef Jason started his culinary experience with the Taj Group of hotels with a passion for food and the gastronomic world. A graduate from Le Cordon Bleu - London, Jason refined his skills in the renowned kitchens of Gordon Ramsay and Alain Ducasse, two members of the culinary elite. Back home, he contributed to the creation of a number of high-end hospitality companies with a flair that has become Jason’s trademark. His goal is to offer top-notch culinary experiences along with the nostalgic flavours of our own backyards to Goa in order to create the ultimate fine-dining experience. “True fine dining is more than merely combining trendy techniques and ingredients to make something look appealing. Above all else, it is an experience”, he claims

Amit Chopra elected President of National Association of Realtors

The Goa Association of Realtors (GAR), chairman Amit Chopra has been elected as the new president of the National Association of Realtors, India (NAR) for 2023-24. NAR, a member of the Central RERA Consultative Council is the country’s largest representative body and advocacy group for those involved in the business of real estate transaction advisory services.

NAR is a non-profit organisation that was formed in 2008 and created to be the collective voice of the realtors in India. It provides support and education for realtors all over the country through its 44-member state and city associations including the GAR. Chopra, director Escala Realty served as the founder- chairman of GAR from 2015-2018 followed by two more terms as president from 2018 to 2022.

Since July 2022, Chopra has served as chairman once more and is the association’s honorary head

Anant Agni has recently released a new book called Aatmasod which means self realization. The book is about the role of parents and teachers in overall development of children; responsibility of school and home in laying strong foundation of a child's career; the perspective of the young generation towards looking at careers, life goals etc and the responsible stakeholders to create healthy environment for the same.

Agni is actively and passionately engaged in the teaching profession for last thirty years. The preface has been written by veteran educationist Dr Narayan Desai. Sanket Lawande has designed the cover and the book is published by Sanjana Publication. Agni has earlier translated the monograph on Raja Rammohan Roy and has translated and compiled 400 thoughts/ quotes of Mahatma Gandhi

On the occasion of Goa Liberation Day, Superintendent of Police (SP) Kiran J Poduval was presented with the President’s Police Medal by Chief Minister Dr. Pramod Sawant at the State-level Liberation Day celebrations at Goa University grounds.

On July 26, 1990, SP Poduval began working for the Goa Police Department as a Police Sub-Inspector after completing a year of fundamental training at the Maharashtra Police Academy in Nasik.

In May 1991, he graduated with honours, placing first among the recently hired PSIs from the Goa Police and eighth overall. On Goa Liberation Day 2012, Poduval received the Chief Minister’s Police (Gold) Medal for Meritorious Service in recognition of a number of accomplishments. On December 20, 2021, Goa Police Raising Day, he received the DGP’s Insignia for Excellence in Service

A resident of Kudne village, Minanath Mohan Jalmi has become the first Goan to be selected for the ‘Agricultural Entrepreneur Award’. This award is given to people working for the benefit of farmers in various states of India by the Union Ministry of Agriculture and Framers Welfare. Jalmi is awarded for his tireless work for the welfare of farmers in Goa. Jalmi is the chairman of the Goa Rural Agricultural Society which along with other organisations guides farmers on various topics related to agriculture along with solving their problems. Jalmi is also the director in the board of directors of Gomanchal Dairy in Kudne. He has started a goat rearing business in the premises of Gomanchal Dairy. Jalmi will receive the award in January 2023 at the hands of Narendra Singh Tomar, Union Minister of Agriculture

1. The task force of blue economy for sustainable development is a collaboration between India and which country?

2. Which animal appears on the logo of Boroline, a brand established by Gourmohon Dutta of Calcutta? 3. Which economic system is related to the word ‘laissez-faire’? 4. Which Indian company has bagged one of the world’s largest solar contract from Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI)? 5. Which major cosmetics brand offers the ‘Modiface‘ augmented reality app? 6. In competition to Mackintosh, Jack Tramiel launched a low priced home computer. It is the best selling PC of all time. Name it. 7. Which company, started in 1877, did Isidore Mendonsa acquire? 8. China’s TCL Communication company has a joint venture with which European firm to produce mobile phones? 9. Which news paper has the motto - ‘Journalism of Courage’?

Anant Agni releases new book, Aatmasod

SP Kiran Poduval to be felicitated on Goa Liberation Day

Minanath Jalmi selected for ‘Agricultural Entrepreneur Award’

White Plate, a new restaurant by Chef Jason DeSouza to open in Candolim