28 march,2011 HERALD PUBLICATION PVT LTD

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Sports: Ponting hopes for Tendulkar-sort rebirth Pg 15

Business: Convert tax gains into higher investments: FM Pg 9

Cricket diplomacy gets a push, Pak PM says ‘yes’ Indo-Pakistan home secys to meet today

AFP ISLAMABAD, MARCh 27

In a victory for “cricket diplomacy”, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has accepted an invitation to visit India to watch the World Cup semi-final between the two arch-rivals.

Wednesday’s match in Mohali will be the first between the two sides on Indian soil since the 2008 Mumbai attacks by Pakistan-based militants, which sent tensions soaring.

“It was decided in response to the Indian prime minister’s invitation that Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani will visit India to witness the semi-final cricket match,” the Pakistan president’s spokesman said in a statement Sunday.

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Friday invited Pakistan’s president and prime minister to watch the match which will showcase one of the world’s most intense sporting rivalries, fuelled by nationalism and a shared history.

Analysts said Singh’s invitation was aimed at improving the environment for talks between the two nations.

Relations are still tense following the Mumbai attacks that left 166 people dead and stalled a fragile four-year peace process

The first step to getting the things you want out of life is this: Decide what you want.

— Ben Stein

IN BRIEF Black money: I-T dept signs MoUs The government has set the ball rolling for estimating black money by signing agreements with three leading think-tanks NCAER, NIFM and NIPFP to conduct study on unaccounted income generated inside and outside the country. They have been given 18 months to complete the study and also suggest administrative and legal measures to prevent generation of black money, according to sources.

The first study on unaccounted money was conducted by NIPFP way back in 1985. — (PTI)

TIDES TODAY High Tide: 0534; 1941 Low Tide: 0011; 1210

PTI NEW DELhI, MARCh 27

GAME FOR A GAME: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s sporting gesture of inviting Pakistani counterpart Yousuf Raza Gilani for the finals has got a positive response.

(Above): Tendulkar at a session in Mohali on Sunday.

between the two nuclear-armed South Asian rivals.

“These kinds of visits do not suggest an instant solution to the problems but break the stalemate, help improve the environment which facilitates talks,” analyst hasan Askari told AFP. Pakistan is holding seven suspects over the attacks on India’s financial capital, including the alleged mastermind of the operation, Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, and alleged Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operative Zarar Shah.

India and Washington blamed the Mumbai siege on banned Pakistani militant group LeT. Top officials from India and Pakistan are due to hold talks in Delhi from March 28 focusing on counter-terrorism, narcotics control and humanitarian issues.

“The diplomats will now be more relaxed in their dialogue but as the issues are complex, their solution will take time,” Askari said.

The two countries announced the resumption of peace talks last month after a meeting be-

tween Pakistani Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir and his Indian counterpart Nirupama Rao in the Bhutanese capital Thimphu.

The international community has been pushing the two sides to get back to the negotiating table to help ease tensions in an already volatile region.

Ties between India and Pakistan have been plagued by border and resource disputes, and accusations of Pakistani militant activity against India.

Setting a positive tone for home Secretary-level meeting here, Pakistan Interior Secretary Chaudhary Qamar Zaman today said such efforts would enhance peaceful relations between the two neighbours and that his side would look for an easier and faster visa regime.

Zaman, who is leading a sixmember delegation for the twoday talks with home Secretary G K Pillai from tomorrow, said his meeting was aimed at promoting and strengthening peace between the two neighbours.

“Such efforts between the two sides would enhance peaceful relations and promote people-to-people contact,” Zaman told reporters at the AttariWagah border before flying to Delhi.

“The entire country has appreciated this gesture of the prime minister of India” he said referring to the invitation extended by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to th e Pak istan resident and prime minister to watch the Indo-Pak World Cup semi-final in Mohali.

CWG contractors pocketed Rs 250 crore: Probe panel PTI NEW DELhI, MARCh 27

The prime minister-appointed Shunglu Committee has found that over Rs 250 crore of taxpayers’ money has been pocketed by various contractors executing the Commonwealth Games projects.

The high-level committee has estimated Rs 900 crore as “cost of delay” by certain government departments in implementing infrastructure related projects and Rs 300 crore loss to Delhi Development Authority (DDA) in construction of the Commonwealth Games Village near Akshardham Temple here.

The committee in its two reports — construction of village

89-year-old predicts world will end on May 21, 2011 AGENCIES LONDON, MARCh 27

A preacher from Oakland, California, has warned that the end of the world is nigh – 21st May 2011, to be precise.

At about 6 pm, harold Camping reckons two per cent of the world’s population will be immediately “raptured” to heaven; the rest of us will be sent straight to the Other Place.

Everyday, Camping, an 89year-old former civil engineer, spreads his Doomsday predictions via the Family Radio Network, a religious broadcasting organisation funded entirely by donations from listeners.

“It’s getting real close. It’s really getting pretty awesome, when you think about it,” the Independent quoted Camping as saying.

“We’re not talking about a ball game, or a marriage, or graduating from college.

We’re talking about the end of the world, a matter of being eternally dead, or being eternally alive, and it’s all coming to a head right now,” he added.

After 70 years of studying the Bible, he claims to have developed a system that uses mathematics to interpret (Continued on page 8)

and development of city infrastructure — has pointed out several irregularities like delays, collusive bidding and hasty decision on the part of certain central and Delhi government officials which led to cost escalation and loss worth crores of rupees to the government exchequer.

The committee has found

procedural violations by Delhi Lt Governor Tejinder Khanna, Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit and other top government officials for alleged inadequacies and indications of their poor oversight in executing projects related to the mega sporting event.

In its second report, the committee said the village site suffered from many shortcomings and necessitated extra spending of over Rs 630 crore in constructing a ‘Barapullah Nallah’ flyover. Besides, the project developer Emaar MGF also made gain of Rs 134 crore to Rs 220 crore and questioned the role of the consultant, Pricewaterhouse Coopers (PwC), the report said.

“The committee , based on the records made available to it, finds that the Union Cabinet was not provided with all information regarding the pros and cons of location of the Games village...

“The consultant chosen by DDA (PwC) to advise them on execution of the Games village project in the public-private partnership (PPP) mode failed to perform their assigned task satisfactorily,” the committee said in the report basing its findings on interviews of 16 people.

It also questioned the bail out package given to the builder and recomm e n d ed action (Continued on page 8)

(air Surcharge rs 2.00) pages 16+4

India: SRK wants to make kids proud with upcoming film Pg 7

After MGP, BJP backs Konkani and Marathi HERALD REPORTER PANJIM, MARCh 27

A day after the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) proclaimed its support for Konkani and Marathi as the medium of instruction, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) too announced their stand in favour of mother tongue.

“Worldwide there is a concept that elementary education has to be in the mother tongue. We cannot be an exception to it.

Congress is trying to politicize the entire issue at the cost of

the future generation,” BJP Goa President Laxmikant Parsekar told reporters on Sunday. he said that the party supports Konkani and Marathi as a medium of instruction and will discourage any debate on the MediuM of instRuCtion floor of the house on the issue during the ongoing session.

“The decision on such matters will have to be taken by educationists and experts and not by legislators,” Parsekar commented.

The BJP chief added that few of the legislators don’t even have a moral right to take a decision on education considering their own qualifications.

Parsekar said that leader of the opposition Manohar Parrikar has extensively spoken on this issue on the floor of the house.

“We have made our stand clear,” he said.

The BJP leader also welcomed MGP’s stand, which is in line with that of the BJP. “Initially, we were thinking that MGP (Continued on page 8)

OHERALDO

GOA

Pg 2

GOA, MONDAY, 28 MARCH, 2011

CIVIC FORUM Empty promises

Anti-Mopa protestors smell a rat in land acquisition HERALD REPORTER PANJIM, MARCH 27

With 266 sale deeds registered on nearly Rs 1500 crore worth land around the proposed Mopa airport in Pernem, the anti-Mopa airport protestors have smelt a rat. Sure enough, the residents claim that their land is being grabbed under the garb of airport project.

Mopa Vimantall Piditt Xetrkari Samiti (MVPXS) on Sunday said that traditional inhabitants are driven out so that their land can be converted.

“We are sure that building an airport is not their intention at all. The affected residents of Mopa and surrounding vilBABLUIS PEREIRA, POMBURPA

The above photograph shows students and commuters standing on the road in scorching summer heat, all in wait for a bus to transport them to their destination. Since the inception of modern road transport and ferry movement, basic amenities have been sadly lacking at Pomburpa. There is no bus/ferry shelter or even a public toilet at the ferry point. Commuters have to sit on the Ganesh idol immersion platform for the ferry and on the road or at the shop front footpath, for a bus.

Obviously, the government does not care for its people.

This neglect reminds me of the CM Digambar Kamat’s message on the golden jubilee year of liberation. He said that Goa is on the fast track growth in development and has made tremendous progress during the last 49 years, taking immediate priority has provided food, shelter and clothing for the people in every nook and corner. The visionary/commitment of his government is to take the development to the doorsteps of aam admi. If that is the case, then why is there not even a thatch shelter at Pomburpa for the commuters comfort?

Clean Goa, Green Goa

ANNIE COUTURE, CANADIAN

It's a shame, that picture was taken at the main entrance of Calangute beach next to government hotel. It's like that every day and the worst part of it is that they burn it!

Curb over-speeding in buses NYPHA FERNANDES, QUEPEM

I commute daily by public transport from Quepem to Panaji taking either private service buses or KTC buses. But most of the times it has been noticed that the private buses are over crowded to capacity. There is no authority to check the same.

Also, during the wee hours of the morning, the buses indulge in over-speeding.

The RTO authorities should be very cautious about the above mentioned issues. Also, they need to realise there are pregnant women who travel as also the old and infirm, who may not be able to cope up with the over crowding and over speeding indulged by bus drivers.

I am sure this is the concern of many other regular bus commuters. I wish some reliable NGO take up these issues.

Ensure proper work done

lages would be pushed into poverty as the Goa government is trying to grab our ancestral land. But we will not allow this to happen,” Samiti secretary Sandeep Kambli told reporters.

The villagers said that families would be displaced and starve after being paid a meager amount for their priceless land. “We will not be able to buy piece of land anywhere else. The land prices are soaring in the state faster than anything else. The government does not care for its people and environment,” he said.

The Samiti has warned the government to launch a massive ‘andolan’

Govt to promote handicrafts at tourism expos HERALD REPORTER PANJIM, MARCH 27

Endeavouring to promote Goan handicrafts across the world, various government-funded and non-profit organisations have come together to bind handicrafts with the booming tourism industry.

“Tourism is an important industry and it goes hand in hand with Goa’s handicrafts. The State’s one-third population is directly or indirectly dependent on the tourism industry. We have planned and executed several joint efforts to promote both industries all over the world,” Tourism Director Swapnil Naik said.

Naik was speaking at the inaugural of a two day seminar on ‘Building Brand Goa Crafts and Micro-enterprises’ on Sunday.

The South Asia Foundation (SAF), a non-profit making body, along with Goa Handicraft Rural and Small Scale Industries Development Corporation (GHRRSIDC) is simultaneously working out several initiatives to provide market for Goan handicraft items.

Naik further said that Goa tourism industry ensures that local handicrafts are promoted in different countries when the State participates in road shows.

“There is a tremendous response for Goan handicrafts abroad. We’ve been getting bulk orders,” Naik added.

South Asia Foundation has decided to join hands with Delhi-based National Institute of Fashion Designing for the skill upgradation.

The foundation is setting up a crafts village in Goa, ‘Goa Crafts Village’ that would have 200-250 local artisans of different crafts and would be provided with residents-cum-work sheds for displaying their crafts.

GHRRSIDC Chairman Sameer

Salgaocar said that on the similar lines, ‘Shipgram’ is being planned near Panjim to present the crafts under one roof.

With around 12 handicraft emporiums – 11 in Goa and one in Delhi – GHRRSIDC plans to set up two more emporiums in Agra (next to Taj Mahal) and Jaipur, shortly.

Goa Industry, Trade and Commerce Director Sanjit Rodrigues said that a ‘Handicraft Sourcing Hub’ is being planned at Fatorda.

“Local artisans will benefit if the handicrafts are spread all across the globe. We are planning to make these artefacts marketable by adopting new techniques and government will provide its full support with lot of schemes announced in the recent State budget,” he said.

GHRSSIDC Managing Director Nikhil Desai said that the corporation has been imparting extensive training to around 2000 artisans by inviting experts, mastermen and designers.

“There is always a challenge to preserve the generational craft. There was a time when we did not have funds to hold exhibitions but now we hold two craft bazaars and other exhibitions in a year. Several artisans had to abandon their convention vocations because of non profitability. But things have changed for good now,” he said.

The project under the South Asia Foundation would explore possibilities on creating more job opportunities, organize artisans into self help groups; upgrade skills, design development, marketing tie-up, managerial skill development and other aspects.

The two day seminar, which would conclude on Monday, would also prepare a data base on the socio-economic conditions of the crafts-persons so that possible intervention can be envisaged in phase manner.

Ramdev’s follower plans ‘cart-march’ against corruption

for protecting their land, water, resources and agriculture, which are threatened by the airport project. They claim that the green field airport is of no use for the State and locals, in particular.

Kambli quoted that more than 15,000 locals in Pernem are directly and indirectly dependent on agricultural produce - vast cashew plantation and other fruit bearing trees like coconuts, mango, chickoo and jackfruit.

“The land in question are slopes around a small plateau which are thickly forested and having all the fruit bearing trees, unaccountable in crores will be

cut to make way for the airport and IT parks, ice city, etc.” he stated.

The villagers also pointed out that destruction of plantation and felling of trees would force the animals and birds to flee from their habitat. Mopa village is located in the Western Ghats, which has been declared as bio diversity hotspot.

Kambli claimed that government has appointed a Mopa consultant without conducting any Environment Impact Assessment. Another supporter, Fr Bismark Fernandes, also chorused that construction of airport will affect entire Pernem taluka, as the land is situated

Most of the suspended cops reinstated: Ravi HERALD REPORTER PANJIM, MARCH 27

In a shocking admission, Home Minister Ravi Naik claimed that most of the police officials suspended are reinstated eventually.

Responding to an unstarred question on the floor of the House by Congress legislator Dayanand Narvekar last week, Naik said that 56 out of a total 77 suspended police personnel have been reinstated in the Goa police. Whereas, only one has been terminated from his services and none are demoted as yet.

Two killed in accidents HERALD REPORTER VASCO, MARCH 27

Two youths died in two separate accidents in Mormugao taluka on Saturday night and Sunday evening.

Deepak D M Chandrashekhar (29) of Dabolim died in a self accident on Saturday night, after he fell off from his motorcycle while proceeding towards his residence.

Vasco Police informed that the deceased was proceeding on his Enfield bullet motorcycle through an internal road of AssoiChicalim that hardly had any street light.

Police said Deepak banged his head on the gutter concrete, after he fell off from the motorcycle and died instantly.

In the second accident, an 18year-old scooterist from AravaleCortalim died, after a speeding tanker knocked him down along the Cortalim-Lotoulim route near Kurpawado-Cortalim on Sunday at about 5 pm.

According to Verna Police, Rolan Monteiro, who was proceeding on his Dio scooter (GA06-C-6408), came under the front wheels of the tanker (MH-06-BG8297). The deceased was proceeding towards his residence from Ponda.

Verna Police said that the deceased died instantly after he came under the wheels of tanker.

The driver tanker fled from the site. Verna Police have registered a case of accident and is investigating the case.

The minister said that as many as 1187 men-in-khaki have not been transferred for the last five years besides 62 others are posted at the same place for the last one decade. This is in contradiction of the Goa Police servi c e r u l e s , w h i c h m a ke s i t mandatory that the transfers have to be executed within three years of posting.

Responding to yet another question, Naik claimed that 3,399 policemen reported sick and went on sick leave since 2008.

Interestingly, the government

has spent a whooping Rs 2.07 crore on medical facilities to policemen suffering from high blood pressure, diabetes, flu, cold, fever among others from 2008 to 2010.

The issue of police committing suicide is not new in Goa, as one police personnel committed suicide for reasons unknown while 23 others have ‘left the jobs’ for various reasons.

Goa witnessed some of the touted cases showing Goa police in a negative light, including one hawaldar caught doing obscene

Float that participated in the Shigmo parade at Mapusa.

HERALD CORRESPONDENT PORVORIM, MARCH 27

Thousands of people from Mapusa and surrounding villages thronged the streets to witness the annual Shigmo parade at Mapusa on Sunday.

The parade, which was organised by Mapusa Shigmotsav Samiti, started from Alankar Theatre at 6 pm and converged near Bodgeshwar Temple.

Mapusa Shimgotsav Samiti President Ashok Bhartu flagged off the parade near Rastroli Temple in the presence of Ramesh Panker.

About 58 floats, 11 Romtamel, 20 folk dance troupes and 20 fancy dress participants partic-

ADELMO FERNANDES, VASCO

The stretch of the road near the IOC Terminus in Vasco has been dug up presumably for some sewerage work. As a result of this, the road users have to face a lot of inconvenience on this busy stretch of the F L Gomes road, especially near the vegetable market. It must be said that this is the second time that the road has been dug up for the same work in less than a year. The authorities concerned should see that the work is done properly at the first instance so that the road need not be dug up again and again, thus causing inconvenience to the general public.

They sleep on Rly Stn benches R RAMAMURTHY, MARGAO

Almost all Railway stations provide seating arrangements with concrete benches/chairs in platforms for the convenience of the passengers to sit comfortably. In Margao railway station, most of the benches/chairs are fully occupied by passengers by keeping their luggages on the benches/chairs, not only sitting, but also sleeping. Many passengers find it very inconvenient to sit and if requested, to keep the luggage on the floor and give space to sit, then they get irritated.

The Railway authorities should take proper steps to avoid such inconveniences to other passengers, not only by providing more benches/chairs, but also to announce on the mike to keep their luggages on the floor to accommodate other passengers to sit. No doubt, the passengers should also extend their full co-operation.

The Chinchinim gram sabha being conducted outside the Panchayat ghar after the change in the venue at the eleventh hour by the sarpanch.

Photo by Santosh Mirajkar

Uproar marked the gram sabha meeting of Chinchinim Panchayat on Sunday with agitated members taking strong objection to the decision of the sarpanch to shift the venue of the meeting at the eleventh hour and for not correctly recording minutes of the previous meeting.

The gram sabha members forced adjournment of the meeting, demanding that the adjourned meeting be held on April 10.

That the meeting was heading for trouble was evident from the word go when agitated gram sabha members and even panch members questioned Sarpanch Olwyn Antao for shifting the meeting venue from the Church hall to the Panchayat ghar.

Caught on the wrong foot, the

sarpanch decided to hold the meeting outside the panchayat ghar since the premises could not accommodate the large number of members inside.

However, the meeting was plunged into uproar with members accusing the sarpanch for holding the meeting on the road and demanded his resignation if he cannot handle the panchayat affairs.

The sarpanch defended his decision to shift the meeting venue since the gram sabha members had earlier resolved not to permit the gram sabha in the absence of a full-fledged secretary. Antao further maintained that he thought it fit to hold the meeting at the panchayat ghar since the agenda was to approve the Budget for the financial year.

Gram sabha member, Benny D’Costa, however, drew attention of

Photos by Anil Shankhwalker

ipated in the parade, which covered a distance of 2 kms.

Tableaux depicting mythological and religious scenes from epics Mahabharat and Ramayana enthralled the locals as well as tourists.

Attired in traditional costumes, various folk group dancers gave vibrant performances of various dances.

The Shigmo procession received overwhelming response with the streets filled with spectators on either side of the parade route, due to which the floats faced difficulties in wading through the streets.

Deputy Superintendent of

Chinchinim locals agitate against change in gram sabha venue

HERALD REPORTER MARGAO, MARCH 27

act in the police patrolling van, which was video-shot by his own colleague; Police sub-Inspector Nerlon Albuquerue’s suspension in the infamous death of British teenager Scarlet Keeling, his brother police inspector Nelson Albuquerque’s suspension for dereliction of duty at Patradevi check-post and other similar cases. Nerlon and Nelson were reinstated later.

There are several others who are shown the door for various reasons but ironically there is always a back door entry.

Shigmo floats depicting scenes from epics enthral Mapusa

HERALD REPORTER PANJIM, MARCH 27

A staunch supporter of Rishiguru Swami Ramdev has decided to pull a cart from Goa to Delhi propagating a message of anti-corruption.

Vijay Jadhav, a youth from Sangli (Maharashtra) began his journey from Goa to Nagpur on Sunday. The yatra, which will continue for two years touching almost all the states will finally culminate at Haridwar, where headquarter for Yoga Guru’s Patanjali Yog Trust is located.

“The famine has force farmers to sell off their cows and bulls, but the government is still insensitive. Falling to get respite, results in farmers committing suicide. I am trying to highlight the grave problem of corruption through this yatra,” Jadhav told reporters who came pulling the cart at Azad Maidan.

The youth, who in past had pulled cart from Sangli to Mumbai’s mantralaya, said that since the government money is not reaching to the needy, humans are forced to pull the carts.

Bharat Swabhiman Trust, backed by Swami Ramdev is on a nationwide movement against black money, corruption and illegal mining. Ramdev, in his public address at Campal ground on Friday highlighted the grave issues with civic social activists including some top-notch people, businessmen and other locals joining the chorus for a corrupt free government.

BST member Satish Sonak said that the yatra is a sincere effort to create awareness at the grassroot level to weed out corruption, which is not possible through newspapers or news channels.

“Some people might call it as a stunt.This is not a political yatra,” Sonak, also a lawyer-cum-activist, said.

on the plateau and all the water springs will dry up once the vegetation here is destroyed.

The villagers have questioned as to how the government could give environmental clearance for the project in such ecologically sensitive spots.

“International guidelines for Airports suggest that distance between two projects should not be less then 150 kms but Dabolim airport is approximately 40 kms from Mopa. Also, new airport is being planned at Chipi in Sindhudurg (Maharashtra) which is approximately 80 kms away from Mopa,” he said.

the sarpanch that the point discussed on the Tinto and market complex at the previous meeting find no mention in the minutes. The secretary, who was present at the meeting, also feigned ignorance on the deliberations since another secretary was present for the previous meeting.

Panch Constancio Fernandes later told newsmen that the sarpanch is not taking members into confidence before taking decisions. “ The sarpanch called a body meeting on Saturday by intimating the members on phone. Even I did not know that the meeting venue has been shifted,” he said.

Sarpanch Antao said he would discuss with the Panchayat members at the body meeting before taking a decision on the date for the adjourned gram sabha meeting.

Police Sammy Tavares, Mapusa Police Inspector Rajesh Kumar, Porvorim Police Sub Inspector Devendra Gad and others maintained security arrangements.

Buses coming from Panjim were halted near the Bodgeshwar Temple, due to which the passengers had to walk down considerable distance to the KTC bus stand.

Though the organizer had requested the Romtamel participants to report at starting point near Alankar Theater by 5 pm, only three Romtamel reported on time. Hence, there was considerable delay in the procession.

Chimbel bus owners to resume service today HERALD CORRESPONDENT MERCES, MARCH 27

Chimbel bus operators have decided to resume the bus services from Monday, after they got assurance from DySP Deu Banaulikar and Old Goa PI Francis Corte that they would ensure that the persons involved in threatening bus drivers, namely Sudeep Tamankar and Sudesh Kalangutkar, are brought to book.

Speaking to Herald, bus owner Prashant Borkar said that the assurance was given by the police to the bus operators when they called on local MLA Victoria Fernandes to air their grievances to her.

It may be recalled that the Chimbel bus operators were forced to keep their buses off the road, from Saturday afternoon, after Sudeep Tamankar and his supporters threatened the bus drivers with dire consequences if they continued to drive the buses.

On Sunday too, the bus operators kept their buses off the road fearing that the bus drivers would again be attacked.

Later, they took up the issue with local MLA Victoria Fernandes where the DySP Banaulikar and PI Francis Corte were also present.

After assurance from both Banaulikar and Corte that they would ensure that the incident is not repeated and that they would bring the perpetrators to book, and also on the insistence of the MLA that they should not make the Chimbel commuters suffer, the bus operators decided to resume services from Monday.

Meanwhile, the commuters from Chimbel heaved a sigh of relief as the KTC bus services were put into service on Sunday to cater to their travel requirements.

Crack a whip against road digging in Margao: CM HERALD REPORTER MARGAO, MARCH 27

Rampant digging of city roads by various agencies has attracted the attention of Chief Minister, Digambar Kamat.

At a meeting held in the district Collectorate, South on Sunday evening to review of the Shigmo festivities in the commercial capital, the chief min-

ister expressed his concern over the indiscriminate digging of the city roads.

He told the authorities to crack a whip against agencies undertaking digging work without permission.

Sources in the know said the District Collector, G P Naik had last week issued directions to the authorities to arrest

anyone digging works without the nod of the concerned authorities.

Menawhile, the Digambar Kamatled Margao Shigmotsav Samiti has appointed founder member of Shigmotsav Samiti Damodar P Naik as the Co-chairman of the Margao Shigmotsav Samiti for the year 2011-12.

At the last annual general meet-

ing, Chief Minister Digambar Kamat was re-elected as the president of the Samiti and was giving the authority to appoint the Committee members.

The Margao Shigmotsav 2011 will be inaugurated on March 30 at Costa grounds, Aquem and the float parade in the city will be held on April 3.

OHERALDO

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Pg3 GOA, MONDAY, 28 MARCH, 2011

Raia villagers hold protest march to oust sarpanch HERALD REPORTER MARGAO, MARCH 27

Gram sabha members of Raia panchayat turned up in large numbers to attend the adjourned meeting on Sunday only to find the meeting venue and the Panchayat ghar closed.

Agitated gram sabha members under the banner of Goa State Scheduled Tribes Action Committee took out a rally to the Panchayat ghar from the market area. The gram sabha members rejected the apology tendered by the Sarpanch Savio Gomes on the controversy over the “non-ST Convention” and vowed to continue the agitation till the Sarpanch steps down from office.

A large number of people turned up for today’s gram sabha as per the decision taken at the adjourned meeting on March 13 following uproar over the “nonST Convention” row in the village.

When the gram sabha members came to Panchayat ghar,

Raia villagers assemble outside the Panchayat ghar on Sunday for gram sabha.

they found it closed and later had a meeting in the market area, where they criticised the Sarpanch for staying away from the meeting.

Pa n c h m e m b e r s J u d a s Quadros, while addressing the gathering, said the Sarpanch should have attended the meeting to approve the budget estimates. He complimented the

members for turning up for the meeting to save the village.

Panch Esmeralda Gomes also thanked the gram members for showing their solidarity with the villagers. Armed with placards and banners and raising slogans against the sarpanch, the gram sabha marched to the Panchayat ghar from the market area and demanded the resignation of the

Photo by Savio Dias

sarpanch. Rejecting the apology tendered by the Sarpanch and other members of the Raia Villagers Association, the members said the ongoing protest will continue till the Sarpanch steps down from office.

While addressing the gram sabha members at the Panchayat ghar, Xavier Fernandes said the Sarpanch ought to have opened

the panchayat office and sounded critical of the BDO for failing to directing the sarpanch to hold today’s gram sabha.

The members also criticized the sarpanch for lodging a FIR against two gram sabha members nearly 13 days after the uproar at the gram sabha meeting.

Meanwhile, Sarpanch Savio Gomes said that today’s meeting was not called by him and whatever decision taken by the opposition group to hold the adjourned meeting today was illegal. “There was no question of me attending the adjourned meeting. At the last meeting, I was forcibly told to leave the dais midway through the meeting.

The Panch member who chaired the proceedings later adjourned the meeting to this Sunday, which is illegal”, Gomes said.

He said he would discuss with the Director of Panchayats on the question of approving the Panchayat budget for the coming financial year.

Chandor Panchayat forced to constitute vigilance panel HERALD REPORTER MARGAO, MARCH 27

Gram sabha members of Chandor Panchayat on Sunday forced the Panchayat to constitute the Vigilance and supervisory Committees after the Panchayat maintained that it has no knowledge of the works carried out by the PWD or any other agency in the village.

Angry gram sabha members

refuted the claim of the Panchayat that it is now aware of the works undertaken by the PWD or other agency, with members citing instances of Panch members accompanying the engineers at the project sites. After a heated discussion on the issue, the gram sabha members asserted that the Panchayat should stop such works unless the body was intimated

by the agencies.

The Gram sabha further resolved that the sub-committees constituted by the Panchayat should meet twice a year, after members pointed out that the Standing Committee constituted by the body has not met till date.

Newly-elected Sarpanch Stephen Dias assured the gram sabha to improve the functioning of the Panchayat body when

questions were raised over the declining revenue receipts for the last three years.

The Gram Sabha further directed the panchayat to invest part of the over Rs. 14 lakhs in savings account in Fixed Deposit to boost the Panchayat revenue, and further called for the revision of rent on the post office and telecom department.

Members castigated the RDA

Gaundalim residents plan to block trucks HERALD CORRESPONDENT OLD GOA, MARCH 27

Residents of Gaundalim have decided to stage a ‘Rasta Roko’ at Gaundalim-Cumbarjua on Monday morning in protest against sand trucks plying along the Old Goa-Gaundalim road.

In a letter to Old Goa PI Francis Corte on Sunday morning, residents of Gaundalim have informed the Old Goa Police station about the movement of sand trucks in Gaundalim, which are posing danger to human life.

“Therefore, we are staging a ‘Rasta Roko’ on Monday morning and are asking the Old Goa police officials to maintain law and order,” stated the residents in the letter.

Speaking to Herald, Cosme Da Silva of Gaundalim said: “We, the locals from Gaundalim village have informed the Old Goa Police that we are staging a ‘Rasta Roko’ in Gaundalim on Monday morning.”

“The reason for organizing the half-day Rasta Roko is to stop illegal sand trucks from plying through our village. The trucks do not have any license from the concerned authorities.

There are 250-300 sand trucks plying in a day from our village, which causes danger to the lives

of our locals,” stated Da Silva.

“The illegal sand extractors have also created danger to the environment by cutting a number of mangroves on the banks of Mandovi River for carrying out the illegal sand business,” he said.

A sand extractor from Cumbarjua said: “We ask for a solution on the issue, but don’t tell us to put a total stop on the movement of sand trucks along the Old Goa-Gaundalim road.”

“We have taken huge loans from various banks and have bought canoes to start this sand business and if there is total stop on sand, then we would be left with nothing,” said the sand extractor.

“We are ready to accept an amicable solution which the locals come forth with,” he added.

It may be noted that on Saturday night, over 150 residents of Gaundalim and sand extractors from Cumbarjua met local MLA Pandurang Madkaikar and held discussion over the confusion between Gaundalim locals and the sand extractors.

At the meeting, the locals asked the MLA to put a complete ban on movement of sand trucks along the Gaundalim-Old Goa road and also over dumping

Karnataka native stabbed to death by friend HERALD CORRESPONDENT MARCEL, MARCH 27

A 49-year-old native of BijapurKarnataka was stabbed to death by his friend over some money matter at Shantinagar-Ponda on Saturday night.

According to Ponda Police, Vahid Ahamad Ali was allegedly stabbed to death by his friend Mohan Biswas (32) of KatakOrissa. The incident occurred at about 11.30 pm at Shantinagar, where both were residing in rented premises.

Police informed that both had returned after having drinks to their rented premise.

It is learnt that while they were having drinks, Vahid had reportedly asked Mohan to lend him a sum of Rs 2,000.

Police further informed that after returning, Vahid again went to Mohan’s room, but it is still not known what happened there. However, when the victim was returning to his room, the accused came out with a knife and stabbed Vahid.

Police said the victim tried to run, but fell on the ground. A security guard at an under-construction building noticing some noise came out and found Mohan lying in a pool of blood.

The security guard immediately contacted 108 Ambulance, but Vahid was declared dead.

Police said the accused was residing a few meters away from the victim’s rented room.

The accused, a plumber, on Sunday morning left for work at Verna, from where he was brought to Ponda Police station.

During investigation, police learnt that the victim had last spoken to the accused over

phone and when interrogated, Mohan confessed to the crime.

of sand along the Gaundalim side.

The locals also informed Madkaikar that movement of sand trucks along the Gaundalim road was causing danger for the locals, especially the children.

However, the sand extractors were in no mood to listen to the demands put forth by the locals and in turn asked the local

MLA to find an amicable solution so that sand extractors were not put to a loss.

Meanwhile, Madkaikar said: “I am trying to find an amicable solution which will neither hurt the sentiments of the Gaundalim locals nor the sand extractors.

Both the groups have to sit and decide what could be the best outcome of the issue.”

for not coming out with guidelines on the payments to be paid to people working in their own fields under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme.

Guirdolim gram sabha members demand railway over-bridge HERALD REPORTER MARGAO, MARCH 27

Guirdolim villagers on Sunday demanded a railway over bridge at the railway crossing to ease acute traffic congestion and threatened to stage a rail roko stir if their long pending demand is not met by the Union Railway Ministry.

The villagers further demanded a re-survey of the 20point program in view of encroachments and rampant violation of the rules by the occupants.

At the gram sabha meeting held on Sunday, the members resolved to submit a memorandum to Union Railway Minister Mamta Banerjee in support of its demand for a railway over bridge at the railway cross. It was further decided to hand a copy of the memorandum to Rajya Sabha MP Shantaram Naik to pursue the demand at the centre.

The meeting has directed the Panchayat body to write a letter to the Salcete Mamlatdar to conduct a re-survey of the 20-point program in the village. Members pointed out that illegal extensions of the units have been rampant in the housing colony, adding that there’s not even

space to construct a soakpit near the residential houses.

The issue of landlords not paying the one month rent for letting our the premises also figured at the meeting, with members called for collection of one month rent from the landlords. When the members said the respective ward members should conduct a survey of the rented premises, Sarpanch Jose Antao said even members of the ward development committee should join in the survey work.

The meeting also asked the sarpanch to write to the concerned authorities to expedite land acquisition proceedings for the construction of the road from railway gate to Pocklemol, pending since the last three years.

Agitated members drew attention of the sarpanch to the failure by the authorities to crack a whip against the kerosene dealers for not displaying the kerosene quota and their timings of operation.

Members asked the sarpanch to write another letter to the Mamlatdar to initiate necessary action against the erring dealers.

The gram sabha approved the budget estimates presented by

the sarpanch at the meeting.

The sarpanch placed before the meeting various developmental projects, including interlocking footpath from Church to Monte Hill at a cost of Rs 32 lakh ,besides hotmixing of roads at a cost of Rs three crore under the guidance of local MLA Joaquim Alemao.

A village development committee under the chairmanship of the sarpanch was also constituted by the gram sabha.

Police in search of Raia murder accused MARGAO: A team of Maina Curtorim police has left Goa in search of the absconding accused in the headless body murder case.

PI Sidhant Shirodkar informed that the police have left the Goa borders in search of accused Vinod Kumar Yadav, who has played an incriminating role in the heinous murder.

He said the police have so far arrested nine person in connection with the murder, adding that the police are in the process of giving final touches to the chargesheet against the accused.

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Pg4 GOA, MONDAY, 28 MARCH, 2011

Shiv Sena seeks explanation from Mapusa council over ‘garbage tax’ HERALD CORRESPONDENT PORVORIM, MARCH 27

Coming down heavily on Mapusa Municipal Council (MMC), Shiv Sena has demanded an explanation from the council for collecting garbage tax from selected shopkeepers and vendors in the municipal market.

Speaking to Herald, Shiv Sena Ad Hoc committee member Philip D’Souza stated that all shopkeepers are paying garbage tax annually and vendors are paying ‘Sopo’ on a daily basis.

“Shiv Sena has now discovered that municipal labourers are collecting garbage tax of Rs 5 per day from selected shopkeepers and vendors. This fee is being collected on a daily basis by issuing a small receipt which reads ‘Mhapsa Municipal Council – garbage fee – Rs 5’,” said D’Souza.

“But this receipt does not bear MMC’s official stamp or any signature. When Shiv Sena questioned the MMC staff member, who was issuing the receipts, under whose instructions he was doing so, he said that MMC maintenance engineer directed them to collect the fee and the collection was handed over to the engineer on a daily basis,” informed D’Souza.

Similarly, a shop owner from

Illegal land filling case registered HERALD REPORTER MARGAO, MARCH 27

The Colva police has registered a case against a resident of Seraulim in connection with land filling in the village. The case was registered following a complaint lodged by an official of the Town and Country Planning department.

A case under section 17-A of the Town and Country Planning Act stands registered against the person since the land filling activity was undertaken without permission from the Chief Town Planner.

Photographs of the receipts issued to selected shopkeepers and vendors towards garbage fees.

Photo by Anil Shankhwalker

the market who sells vegetables told Shiv Sena that the fee is collected from him on a daily

basis and his neighbouring shops who conduct the same business are spared from the

fee.

Shiv Sena called on MMC Chief Officer Hanumant Toraskar on Friday morning and submitted a memorandum.

The Shiv Sena demanded a copy of the resolution passed

by MMC regarding collection of garbage tax of Rs 5 per day from selected shop owners and vendors, list of selected shopkeepers and vendors from whom they are collecting garbage tax on daily basis.

“We have also demanded documentary proof of how much fee is collected in the financial year 2010-11 and proof of deposit of the fee in MMC bank account,” said D’Souza.

D’Souza further said Chief Officer Toraskar immediately called municipal engineer Vishnu Naik and sought explanation from him in the matter.

Naik stated that there is a provision for collecting garbage fees from vendors, but not from shops and establishments.

“Regarding collection of garbage tax from selected shopkeepers, I will investigate into the matter,” he told the chief officer.

Naik also assured that he would furnish the information sought by Shiv Sena.

Youth urged to join civil defence HERALD NEWS DESK PANJIM, MARCH 27

The Civil Defence organisation has appealed to able bodied citizens to join the Civil Defence and to serve the nation.

The Civil Defence Organisation (CDO) trains its volunteers to give first aid to the injured and to rescue those trapped during emergencies and natural calamities.

Citizens, especially school and college students and ExNCC cadets may join the CDO. The training has been waived off in case of professionals like doctors, engi-

neers, lawyers and others on full time duties and who are willing to join CDO is similar to Defence but primarily manned by the civilians and utilized not only during wartime but also during peace time, especially for combating civil emergencies.

The main objective of the civil defence is to save life, minimize damage to property and maintain continuity of production and keep the public morale high. The Government of India have declared both the districts of Goa as multi-hazardous dis-

tricts for the purpose of civil defence.

The age limit for joining has been brought down from 18 years to 15 years.

Those interested to joining CDO may contact the Home Guards and Civil Defence Office at the Police Headquarters, Panjim for information and enrolment. They can also contact the Sub-Divisional Police Officer/Divisional Commandant of Home Guards in both Districts and Home Guard In-charge of concerned police stations.

Ex-NCC cadets interested in joining may also enroll.

What is Organic Chemistry?

Organic chemistry is a branch of chemistry that involves the study of organic carbon compounds. It encompasses the structures, composition, and synthesis of carbon-containing compounds. In understanding organic chemistry, it is important to note that all organic molecules consist not only of carbon, but also contain hydrogen.

While it is true that organic compounds can contain other elements, the bond between carbon and hydrogen is what makes a compound organic.

Originally, organic chemistry was defined as the study of compounds created by living organisms. However, its definition has been enlarged to include artificially synthesized substances as well. Before 1828, all organic compounds were obtained from living organisms. Scientists didn’t believe it was possible to synthesize organic compounds from inorganic compounds.

Many attempted to do so and failed.

However, in 1828, urea was synthesized from inorganic substances, paving the way for a new definition of organic chemistry.

Carbon Compounds

There are more than six million known organic compounds. In addition to being plentiful, organic compounds are also unique. This is because carbon atoms have the ability to form strong bonds with many different elements. Carbon atoms are also able to bond covalently to other carbon

Contact Us:

Agriculturists residing in the vicinity of Vaddem-Sanguem have bitterly complained of the damage caused to agricultural plantation by wild animals in the recent past.

In a representation to the Chief Conservator of Forests recently, the villagers have called for immediate steps from the forest department and the government authorities for preventing losses suffered by the farmers due to entry of wild animals in the agricultural farms and plantations.

The representation states that since the last over six months, there has been extreme agricultural damages caused to sugar-

cane, paddy field and other seasonal crops by the wild animals as that of Bisons, wild pigs, monkeys, etc.

The representation further stated that on account of stringent rules and various acts in force, the farmers are unable to resort to any preventive action against wild animals for fear of action by the forest department.

The villagers have also highlighted of the losses suffered by them on account of crop damage by wild animals.

The villagers have called for immediate and necessary action from the forest department at the earliest, failing which they have threatened to lead an agitation before the authorities concerned.

Parra locals urged to back MLA on development HERALD CORRESPONDENT CALANGUTE, MARCH 27

PWD Minister Churchill Alemao called upon the youth and villagers of Parra to back Calangute MLA Agnelo Fernandes for the developments in their village.

Alemao and Calangute MLA Agnelo Fernandes along with Parra Sarpanch Benedict D’Souza, former Candolim sarpanch Ramkrishna Kerkar and others attended the Youth Congress meeting at Parra on Sunday.

Alemao also called upon the gathering to remain a distance from BJP and brought the medium of instruction issue to the fore ostensibly to meet the political ends of the Congress party.

“The only party that can assure you of the English medium of instruction is the Congress Party,” stated Alemao.

As for developmental works, Alemao called upon the villagers to get all their works done before the elections through MLA Agnelo Fernandes.

In his address, Calangute MLA Fernandes had a dig at the lead-

HERALD NEWS DESK PANJIM, MARCH 27

Organic Chemistry

Change in Definition

HERALD CORRESPONDENT SANGUEM, MARCH 27

ers who were saying that Agnelo have the backing of only youth leaders while he campaigned for his first elections.

“I know what the youth force of today is. They can build a political future of any person and I have full faith in them. I hope they will back the Congress Party at the next elections,” he stated.

Fernandes also had a dig at the political leaders and others for objecting to the grants for English medium of instruction schools. He also called upon the youth to avail various government schemes available, especially the scheme meant for educated youth.

“I will try to get all the works done before the ensuing elections and whatever remains can be done after the elections,” he added.

Parra Sarpanch Benedict D’Souza and Ramkrishna Kerkar also spoke on the occasion.

Earlier, Parra Panch Claude Pacheco welcomed the PWD minister, Calangute MLA and other dignitaries for the meeting. Chandu Harmalkar proposed the vote of thanks.

Shree Devi Education Trust emphasises on quality education

Chemistry

Octane molecule

Sanguem farmers complain of damage to plantation

Carbon (IV) fluoride

atoms, while simultaneously forming strong bonds with other nonmetal atoms. When carbon atoms bond together, they can form chains consisting of thousands of atoms.

They can also form rings, spheres, and tubes.

Importance

Many individuals consider organic chemistry to be very complicated and unrelated to daily life.

Though the study of organic chemistry may be complex, it is very important to everyday life. In fact, organic compounds are a part of everything, from the foods we eat to the products we use. They are important in the creation of clothing, plastics, fibers, medications, insecticides, petroleum-derived chemicals, and a long list of products used to support life and to make it more convenient.

The study of organic chemistry is important, not only to those who are interested in science-related careers, but to every individual alive today and to those who will be born in the future. Organic chemistry is key in developing new products and improving those on which we’ve become dependent. Each year, organic chemists make discoveries that are helpful in improving medicines, aiding agricultural growth, understanding the human body, and performing countless tasks important to the average person.

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Email Junior Herald at junior@herald-goa.com or join our Facebook fan page http://www.facebook.com/Herald.Jr. Our readers are invited to rave, rant, chat or even contribute.

No message will go unanswered!

Shree Devi Education Trust based in Mangalore within easy access of surface and air transport, ever since its inception has established a number of colleges imparting quality education in a various fields.

Shree Devi Institute of Technology achieved 100 percent results in final year Bachelor of Engineering (BE) examination with 91 per cent distinction and 9 per cent first class. The MCA and MBA courses have also attained 100 percent results with 60 per cent students passing with distinction. Infosys has selected 37 engineering students through campus placement for the year 2011. More than 90% of the eligible candidates have

Nursing. The college offers training in its parent hospital Vinaya hospital & Research Centre and is also attached to GovtWenlock Hospital, Govt Lady Goshen OBG Hospital, Yenopoya Medical College Hospital.

Shree Devi College of Hotel Management has an in-house training and placement cell. It is manned by experienced people who are in constant correspondence with industr y professionals. The college has bagged the first rank in the Mangalore University examination 8 times including the year 2010.

Shree Devi College of Interior Design has bagged the first rank in the Mangalore University examination over last five years which is a reflection of competence of its faculty and efficacy

S H O RT TA K E S Big discount fest at Margao

PANJIM (HND): Big Discount shopping festival after covering Panjim & Mapusa has come to Margao for the benefit of the south customer. There are different types of product like imported jewellery, Lotus world furniture, wooden sofa sets, Kenya handicraft, electronics, melamine crockery sets, Singer sewing machine, Prestige cooker, Onxy stones from Pakistan, Werner aluminium ladder, home & office furniture, garden furniture, ladies fashion garments, imported watches, home appliances, toys, shower curtains, door mats, antique wall clocks, iron furniture, massage belts, herbal products, etc.

There is new Magic Mop which got good response of around 263 bookings till Saturday. The exhibition will be open till March 30, from 10.30 am to 9 pm.

Golden jubilee observed

Chief Minister Digambar Kamat being felicitated by P P Brahmeshanand Swamiji at Tapobhumi Gurupith, KundaimPonda.

Photo by Amresh Parab

MARCEL (HC): P P Padmanabh Shishya Sampradaya recently celebrated golden jubilee year of Goa’s Liberation and Shree Brahmeshanand Swami’s birthday at Tapobhumi Gurupith, Kundaim-Ponda.

On the occasion, Saints, Buddha Dharma Guru Ven Banagala Upatissa Nayaka Thero, President of Mahabodhi Society Sri Lanka and Sangha Nayaka - Japan and Hindu Dharmaguru Acharya Swami Dharmendraji Maharaj India, Shree Ram Samartha Panchkhanda Peethadhiswar from Jaipur-Rajasthan were honoured by P P Brahmeshanand Swamiji, states a press note.

The press note further stated that as a mark of respect to all the freedom fighters to their valuable sacrifice and pay homage to martyrs of the freedom struggle of Goa, two representatives of Goa Freedom Fighters Association Naguesh Karmali and Chandrakant Kenkre were honoured.

SSC students given send-off

COLLEM (HC): The SSC students of Abhinav Vidyamandir High School Mollem were given warm send-off.

The farewell party for the SSC students was given under the presidentship of school Headmaster Sharadchandra Khandeparkar.

P K Naik Sumeda Salelkar, Mangala Kelkar, Suvarna Kakodkar, Ranjeeta Maselkar, Yeshwant Bandodkar, R N Matkar also spoke on the occasion.

Earlier, teacher P K Patil welcomed the students and gave an introductory speech, headmaster Khandeparkar proposed the vote of thanks.

Anganwadi inaugurated

Anganwadi at Pissurlem-Sattari.

already been placed in reputed companies. Many students from Goa are pursuing their Engineering from this college.

Devi College of Physiotherapy, established in 1993, was one of the first colleges to start the Masters Degree in Physiotherapy.

The college bagged first rank in the MPT examination in 2010.

College runs its own free physiotherapy clinic where more than 50 patients are treated every day and uses the clinical facilities at Govt Wenlock Hospital which is 705-bedded hospital.

Shree Devi College of Pharmacy is housed in an independent building in 3.30 acre land with well equipped laboratories for training the students. The college offers MPharm in Pharmaceutics, Pharmacology and Quality Assurance.

Shree Devi College of Nursing offers BSc Nursing and MSc Nursing courses in OBG Nursing, Medical Surgical Nursing, Psychiatric Nursing, Pediatric Nursing and Community Health

of its teaching methods.

Shree Devi College of Fashion Design has attained 100% results in the Mangalore University examination and won the South India collegiate fashion show competition.

More than 3500 students are currently studying at Shree Devi Colleges and the teaching faculty strength is around 200.

GOA

Photo by Samir Umarye

BICHOLIM (HC): The Mineral Foundation of Goa (MFG) recently inaugurated an anganwadi at Pissurlem-Sattari.

The anganwadi, which would initially benefit over 20 students from Gaonkarwada and the entire village, was inaugurated by Pissurlem Sarpanch Sagun Wadkar, while panch Atmaram Parab, MFG CEO S Sridhar and others were present on the occasion.

Speaking on the occasion, Wadkar thanked MFG for building the anganwadi in the village and said that it would benefit children and would give them elementary education.

“We thank the MFG which has done a wonderful work in the community development and we are looking further for some more projects in the area,” said Wadkar.

MFG CEO S Sridhar gave details about the project and also asked the panchayat to forward any other community development project from the village so that it could bring about development in the area and help the people.

Ornaments stolen

MARGAO (HR): The Colva police registered a case of house breaking theft against unknown culprits for decamping gold ornaments valued around Rs 70,000. Police informed that the theft occurred in the house of one Filomena Fernandes between February 3 and 21 when the culprits affected entry into the house by cutting open the window grills. Two bangles, a gold chain, besides a pair of earrings were stolen.

People’s High School, Panjim, which emerged winners at the inter-school quiz competition organized by the Centre of Women Studies, Goa University, on the occasion of Women’s Day. Standing (left to right): Shekhar Amonkar (teacher), Shubham Tiwari, Pradnya Rane, Akash Kulkarni (students of std X), Maria Martins (headmistress), Sanjay Mandrekar (physical education teacher).

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GOA

opinionated Medium of Instruction - IV

English medium: Parents’ choice

By ANTHONy D’SiLvA

This is with respect to the ongoing opinion which has appeared in local dailies about the medium of instruction currently followed in schools.

One fails to understand as to where and why the problem has arisen, which has formed the core of a debate. It looks like it does not want to allow parents of students to decide the language in which they want their children to study, which obviously, they feel confident that their children will do well in, vis-à-vis their career and practical life, in and around the world.

As for the RTE act, it clearly states the child must preferably learn in their mother tongue. Being a matter of preference, it does not mean that they have to compulsorily learn in their mother tongue and least not in the state language, which is in dispute due to its dialect.

We are all proud of our state language Konkani and will commit ourselves for generations to come to protect it from any harm. It will remain a language which we will cherish forever. It also should be a subject in our curriculum throughout.

So what is the hustle all about, when parents have specifically given in writing that they wish that their children learn in English? This is an option given by the Education Act, which states that children should learn preferably in their mother tongue unless otherwise asked for specifically by parents in writing, which most people vouched for, which included those present at the Azad Maidan for the meeting.

Another point to be confined to the dustbin by some people’s opposition with respect to English medium or grants to English medium, is that parents are asking for an enforcement of English medium. This is absolute rubbish.

We only demand to give grants which are meant for the children’s education to schools which want to run using English as a medium of instruction. We haven’t made any mention of closing down any of the presently operational Konkani or Marathi medium schools by force, unless the PTAs take this in writing from a majority of the parents of these schools. We will be very happy to see people continuing to run the schools in Konkani or Marathi medium with equal grants. This reminds me of a saying that if you love a bird, set it free, if it returns to you, it’s yours, otherwise it never was.

Don’t force any school to operate in a particular medium just because the schools are provided grants. It’s like we give alms to the needy to prevent a disease and force them to eat what they don’t like, and then realise that the needy landed in hospitals instead of being healthy. The grants that we are asking, is our money, which is for better administration and routed through the departments. The grants we seek are not alms.

Secondly, one does not need to put a bone of a goat in one’s neck to prove that one eats mutton.

So, just by solely educating children in Konkani in all the subjects, this will not guarantee one’s love for Konkani. On the contrary, our children will come close to hating the same. They would, instead, love to have Konkani as one subject for life, in which they can major and continue to prove how beautiful the language of the state is.

As for the rock-like determination of Archbishop Raul Gonsalves, what he stood by was suitable for those years and for the generations and times in 1990. He never ever mentioned that this policy should not change for ever. If the Constitution can be amended time and again, why not the policy on the medium of instruction, and that too, when the majority wants it?

We need to change with time, or otherwise we will get stagnant and a day will come, when we will be extinct along with Konkani, whichever comes first.

Look at what was written in the OPinionatED article (Herald, 25 March) by Fr Mousinho Ataide about an excellent, free, a pre primary and primary school in Margao with lots of facilities, that is run by Konkani Bhasha Mandal in Margao.

It has mentioned that this school has no takers and has been plagued with dwindling numbers. It appears that all the so-called lovers of Konkani out to destroy what is little left of Konkani. Or is there another twist to the tale?

Then the statistics that Fr Mousinho Ataide mentioned of NCERT national talent search – 2009? He has been taking the examples of less than 10 per cent. What about the 90 per cent who don’t even make it to the first 10?

For example, I learnt in English medium with Konkani as the only subject in 12th standard Science and yet, I have made a mark, and can stand by in this world. So let us not look at those who have succeeded, but concentrate on those unsuccessful ones, because they comprise of massive proportions who could not make it during the last 20 years or so. I urge Fr Ataide to go to the villages and see the downhill effect caused by the usage of Konkani in the Devnagari script.

As per the divide factor, who divides whom? We are only asking what is due to us and not saying to refuse what is due to you.

The moment one says not to give what is due means that you divide. Whereas in the positive aspect there is only one concept, give it to Konkani, Marathi, English and all regional languages. After all, finally, it is a single India that everyone wants to see growing up.

As for the mushrooming of English schools, it is the result of the incorrect thrust of the Konkani medium. One is well aware that every forcible action has an equal and opposite reaction. This has been manifested in the form of depleting number of Konkani medium schools and student numbers over the past 20 years or so.

If we are all serious about making the whole of Goa and its young aspiring youngsters to learn through the Konkani medium, then the best option is close down all the English medium schools. Let the rich, the poor, the influential and the children of MLAs sit on the same benches where the medium of instruction is in Konkani.

By thrusting the medium of instruction down the throats of the young juveniles, a majority of children are deprived of their right to the choice of free education. Another point that deserves a mention is that some people who have opposed English as a medium of instruction have given examples of a clever few who have come out in flying colours and have ensured comfortable lives for themselves. But they have failed to mention of those duffers who could not even make it to the 10th standard, leave alone attaining graduation and successfully completing professional courses.

The best definition of poison, I know, is any thing that is in excess. One thing is very crystal clear; we want what we love, but only to the extent of our level of want. It should not reach a stage that it becomes a poison. We love Konkani, we want Konkani, but just as a single subject, for learning purposes. Of course, that does not diminish our love for our language and culture.

Konkani in Devnagiri is our state language, and is used in various dialects and scripts by different people. There is no Act that dictates that we should learn in our state language. Fr Ataide’s statistics of one plus one just don’t add up.

GOA, MONDAY, 28 MARCH, 2011

Bicholim Cong to oppose candidature of non-Congressmen HERALD CORRESPONDENT MAYEM, MARCH 27

Congress activists from Bicholim constituency have resolved not to accept the candidature of non-Congressmen, thereby sidelining the candidature of loyal Congress candidate in the forthcoming assembly election.

The resolution was taken at a special meeting of the Congress party, which was held at BMC Hall, Bicholim, on Saturday evening.

The activists also took to task GPCC President Subhash Shirodkar for neglecting the Bicholim constituency for the last seven years even as the State is ruled by the Congress party for the last four years.

The activists also came down heavily on Chief Minister Digambar Kamat and other ministers in the Congress cabinet for turning a nelson’s eye towards development of Bicholim.

“Top Congress leaders from Goa are keen to provide jobs to the candidates suggested by BJP MLA Rajesh Patnekar, but are neglecting the candidates which are referred by the loyal Congressmen including myself,” alleged Bicholim Block President Naresh Sawal.

Bicholim Women’s wing President Vidhya Parab cautioned the government about serious consequences likely to be faced if MLA Patnekar is allotted ticket of the Congress party, sidelining Congress leader Naresh Sawal.

In his speech, Vishram Mora-

Bicholim Congress Mahila President Vidhya Parab addresses the Congress workers at Bicholim.

Photo by Vishant Vaze

jkar accused the Congress government of not providing employment to the unemployed Congress youth from Bicholim constituency, who now cannot secure employment as they have crossed 40 years.

Councilors Riyaz Beig and Karuna Govekar also accused the Congress leaders for neglecting the Bicholim Constituency.

BMC Deputy Chairperson Shashikant Halarnkar expressed concern over negligent attitude of the Congress leaders in supporting the grass-root Congress activists. Dr Pramod Salgaonkar also addressed the gathering.

Addressing the activists, GPCC President Subhash Shirodkar stated that the Congress party has taken support of seven MLAs from other parties due to which party is not in a position to support Congressmen totally.

“Even after united efforts of the party leaders, it becomes difficult to control the situation due to certain problems which arises all of a sudden,” Shirodkar told the activists.

Under such circumstances, he called upon the activists to support the party wholeheartedly, forgetting the differences.

The meeting was attended by Central Youth Congress Committee Observer Anish Khan, GPCC president Subhash Shirodkar, Sumit Khanna, Congress leader from Bicholim Block Naresh Sawal, BMC Chairperson Anisha Vernekar, Deputy Chairperson Shashikant Halarnkar, Vishram Morajkar, Vighnesh Gaonkar, Councilors Riyaz Beig and Karuna Govekar, Women’s Wing President Vidhya Parab and Dr Pramod Salgaonkar, besides other Congress delegates.

Revellers throng Vasco Shigmo

A professional dance group from Maharashtra performs at the Shigmo float parade at Vasco.

Photo by M Prabhav HERALD REPORTER VASCO, MARCH 27

A large number of revellers thronged the port town to witness the Shigmo float parade on Friday evening.

A colourful cultural extravaganza was on display, which reverberated to the beats of the Dhol during the annual Murgao Nagrik Shigmostav float parade.

Over 60 participants depicting rich cultural heritage and mythology of Hindu religion took part in the float parade. Nearly 40 were mythological floats, while over half a dozen Romtamell dance groups, 15 folk dance and couple of fancy dress participants.

Earlier, the float parade commenced with the blessing of Lord Damodar, as Shigmostav Samiti Chairman Shekhar Khadapkar along with MMC Chairperson Suchita Shirodkar, Manesh Arolkar and Nitin Chopdekar offered Shrifal at Lord Damodar Temple.

Cultural groups from Maharashtra, Orissa, Rajashtan and Kerala sponsored by the Art and Culture Department presented folk dances of their respective states, followed by Goan traditional Fugadi dance.

Interestingly, a large number of women from Headland Sada presented ‘Romtamell’ dance with huge parallel line dancing on dhols, shamel, aptakil, chatri, akash Kadil, gudi, etc.

South Goa MP Francisco

Revenue Minister not invited HERALD REPORTER VASCO, MARCH 27

Claiming they were ignored at the Vasco Carnival parade, most ruling Vasco councillors retaliated by getting Murgao Nagrik Shigmostav Samiti (MNSS) to sideline Revenue Minister Jose Philip D’Souza at the Shigmo float parade on Friday and music fiesta ‘Hutashni’ at Tilak Maidan on Saturday.

The tussle had stemmed from the carnival parade, when none of the ruling councillors including MMC Chairperson Suchita Shirodkar, had featured at the carnival festivities in the port town.

The ruling panel, including Shirodkar, had accused D’Souza -- the guardian minister of Mormugao Taluka -- of deliberately sidelining them from the carnival festivities, since he had headed the Vasco Carnival Committee (VCC).

However, VCC member was quick to rubbish the claims and had stated that they had Sardinha was the chief guest at the function, while Mormugao MLA Milind Naik, industrialist and philanthropist Narayan Rajaram Bandekar, MMC Chairperson Suchita Shirodakar along with most of the councillors from the ruling group were present at the

invited all councillors, including Shirodkar.

Incidentally, MNSS Chairman Shekhar Khadapkar along with Treasurer Manesh Arolkar and MMC Chairperson Suchita Shriodkar claimed that it was decision of the MNSS -headed by most of ruling councilors -- to invite only one chief guest.

“The entire committee had decided that South Goa MP Francisco Sardinha should be the chief guest and hence, D’Souza did not figure in the list of guests,” said Khadapkar.

However, VCC Treasurer Ralf Trinidade alleged that the ruling councillors had violating the protocol by not inviting D’Souza, who is the Vasco MLA and guardian minister of Mormugao taluka.

Despite repeated efforts, Revenue Minister Jose Philip D’Souza could not be contacted for comments in the matter. prize distribution ceremony.

SP South Allen D’Sa along w i t h Va s c o D y S P M a h e s h Gaonkar, PI Jivba Dalvi, Rajan Nigle and Vasco Traffic PI Dharmesh Angle were also present during the float parade to maintain the law and order.

Belgaum police bust betting racket, arrest 5 bookies HERALD CORRESPONDENT BELGAUM, MARCH 27

In another cricket betting racket involving Belgaum, Kolhapur and Goa, the Belgaum police have arrested five bookies and recovered Rs. 2.9 lakh.

The police have also seized a TV set, Sumo vehicles and four mobile handsets from the accused.

Acting on a tip off, Khanapur police team raided a house near Jamboti Cross at Khanapur where the racket was being operated. The betting was on for the Pakistan West Indies match that was palyed on Tuesday. The

police have arrested Wajid Shamshuddin Kittur, Sarfraj Yusuf Saudagar both from Khanapur, Yaseen Rafeeq Patvegar, Shamsuddin Hussein Shaikh both from Londa and Ashok Sutar from Belgaum.

Whereas the mastermind of the racket who is believed to be fro Kolhapur is at large according to police. This is the second cricket booking racket busted by the Belgaum police since the beginning of the ICC Cricket World Cup. The police believe that crores of rupees are involved in this racket, which might have links with Goa. A

case is registered at Khanapur police station.

The extent of the racket could be ascertained by the fact as earlier, this month, Belgaum police had arrested four persons engaged in cricket betting.

SP Patil had stated that the links of the notorious network is far and wide reaching Hubli and other places in north Karnataka, south Maharashtra and Goa. Police has access to all the contact numbers called from the cell phones of the accused and is investigating the matter that is believed to have deeper roots.

Plaint against ore trucks for obstructing traffic HERALD REPORTER MARGAO, MARCH 27

The South Goa Tourist Coaches Owners Association has complained to the Director of Transport, besides the Superintendent of Police, South against ore carrying trucks parking their vehicles in the middle of the NH-4A and wrongfully restraining other road users.

The Association has also complained against overloaded sugar cane carrying trucks beyond the permissible limits, endangering the lives of other road users. The Association has further complained that the sugar cane trucks enter the state without paying the Goa tax, causing revenue loss to Goa to the tune of crores of rupees.

In his complaint, Association President Francis D’Silva pointed

out that ore transporting trucks literally hijack the NH 4A highway by parking the vehicles right in the middle of the road. “These trucks not only violate the Motor Vehicle Act, but also commit contempt of high court order”, he added.

Saying that the Transport department has turned a blind eye to this illegal activity, he said the officials are indulging in dereliction of their duties.

“Yesterday, I was threatened by the ore carrying truck drivers to eliminate me by causing a head on collision when I questioned them of parking the trucks on the road”, he said, while seeking action from the authorities.

Sewage water overflows from chamber at Fatorda HERALD REPORTER MARGAO, MARCH 27

Sewage waters overflowed from a sewage chamber at Fatorda since last night after it got choked by soil following work on an underground cable laying in the locality.

Sewerage officials rushed near the PWD office after residents complained of an overflowing sewage chamber, emanating foul odour. Investigations by the sewage officials led by Ganesh Velip revealed that the chamber was totally choked by soil during underground cabling work.

Velip informed that soil entered into the chamber when the underground cabling work was in progress around 10 days ago, stopping the flow of sewage waters in the underground line.

He said the PWD has cleared the chamber of the soil and will complete the work later tonight or early Saturday morning. “After we received complaint from the locals, we called the cable laying contractor since no permission was taken from the PWD before undertaking the cable laying work”, he said.

Fortunately, he said the underground sewage chamber did not suffer any major damage, and exuded confidence of restoring the underground sewage line

by Saturday morning.

Church-ASI row to be resolved amicably HERALD REPORTER PANJIM, MARCH 27

Ongoing dispute between Church authorities and the Archaeology Survey of India (ASI) in connection with the development activities carried out by the latter, at Bishops House in Old Goa, will be resolved amicably.

The Additional District Magistrate has written to both warring parties to have a joint meeting and settle the dispute amicably, Babush Monserrate, Minister for Archives and Archaeology told the House even as he clarified that his department has not received any complaint from church authorities.

He was replying a question tabled by Curtorim MLA Aleixo Lourenco during “Question Hour” on Friday.

The dispute has arisen because ASI has reported to have carried out its activities without informing the Diocesan Authorities.

Monserrate also told the House that the government is monitoring the situation and it will take steps to settle the issue amicably.

The Curtorim MLA insisted that the government should lay greater emphasis to this issue whereas Opposition Leader Manohar Parrikar pointed out that ASI has been arrogantly addressing the issue and therefore, the government should step in to work out a solution.

from Mr. GONZACO REBELLO Vice-Chairperson Of Margao Municipal Council

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O HERALD O

English: A must for secondary curriculum

Vol No CXI No: 086 Goa, Monday, 28 March, 2011

Let’s educate our children for posterity and not perpetuate the past, says fr roMuALd de souZA, sJ

Shigmo not a tourist draw?

I

I

f you look up the Tourism Department’s literature Goa’s festivals, Carnival features very prominently. Thousands of tourists come to Goa for the Carnival. That’s because since the ’80s, Carnival has been consistently and systematically promoted as a tourist attraction. But Carnival is just four days – a week at most, counting early arrivals and late departures – just as Goa’s ‘high peak season’ of Christmas-New Year is just three weeks. But the slogan of Goa Tourism – and it is an extremely well-conceived one – is ‘Go-Goa 365 days a year.

There are several reasons why Goa is a tourism success story, especially among domestic tourists, who comprise around 90 per cent of those who visit this state. Not the least of these is that the state has an effective eight-month tourist season. Most other tourist centres have a maximum season of four months or so. This is the reason why despite it being only third in terms of contribution to GDP in Goa, the tourism industry is the state’s top employer. Over half of Goa’s employment is directly or indirectly related to the tourism industry.

But even eight-month tourist seasons have their problems.

One of them is the ups and downs in the numbers of tourists coming in. Festivals like Carnival create mini high-peak seasons of their own, even if they are short. That is why the Tourism Department needs to promote (and even create) different kinds of festivals that can attract different kinds of tourists.

As the continuing draw of the Carnival shows (despite the falling quality of the parades), the initial investment into creating the attraction pays off, as once it gains critical mass, a word-of-mouth chain reaction keeps the momentum going.

Goa has popular festivals like Shigmo and Narkasur. Both these are very colourful, get enthusiastic local participation, and have huge spectator value. In fact, the Shigmo parades are far superior to the Carnival parades. There are no ugly sponsored floats showing commercial products, huge amounts of creativity goes into the colourful mythological scenes presented, and there are many more floats than for the Carnival parades. Narkasur, too, is unlike the Diwali celebrated anywhere else in the country. Why can’t these two festivals be promoted like Carnival, so that mini high-peak tourism seasons can be created around them?

Apart from everything else, it will balance out the image of Goa being an enclave of ‘western’ culture in India, which has been assiduously promoted by the Tourism Department, both at the state and the centre. But the numbers that can be drawn by this esoteric image is rapidly reaching saturation point. Now, we need to draw different kinds of tourists, who come out of other interests, and can open out new areas – both culturally and geographically – for tourism.

Both Shigmo and Narkasur are well-established festivals.

They require little organisation or extra investment. All they need is promotion. And, in this, the private sector is always willing to lend the government a helping hand. Few people realise how great a role advertising films made by the Taj Group of Hotels – which were shown in cinema theatres in all major cities of the country back in the ’80s – played in promoting Goa as a monsoon destination. The films, with wonderful imagery of Goa, not only promoted the group’s hotels, but also the concept of ‘Goa in the Monsoon’ as a destination. Surely similar synergies can be worked out today, as was seen in the Bollywood film ‘Dil Chahta Hai’ promoting Goa. But this needs out-of-the-box thinking, a keen appreciation of what Goa’s strengths are, and how they can be promoted.

Can we expect a more dynamic projection of the Narkasur festival this year and Shigmo next year?

Rename Goa to ‘Goem’ Adelmo Fernandes, Vasco There is a lot of debate going on as regards the medium of instruction to be adopted at the primary level. If the pro-regionallanguage lobby feels that it is necessary to teach the children in the mother-tongue to safeguard Goan identity, why do we have the name of the state as ‘Goa’ which does not have its origin in the Konkani language?

Why not change the name of Goa to ‘Goem’ in keeping with the trend adopted by other states?

Parents know to decide Alex Pinto, Margao I was quite amused to see the two antiCatholic community priests, Fr Mousinho de Athaide and Fr Jaime Couto accusing the parents, ABE and other like minded bodies for taking up the cause of English as a medium of instruction for our children from primary level.

To say that this move for English medium is causing a communal divide, is total nonsense and only shows the height of their frustration. The majority of students in the

Smile with Smitha

OPINION

n the last few days, the local newspapers have published several articles and letters against continuing with the mother tongue as the medium of instruction in Stds I to IV, as well as against extending it to Std V as recently proposed.

The Parents-Teachers Associations (PTAs) of a number of schools, in a sense of frustration resulting from their experience with this formula over a period of 20 years, have strongly opted for change and are petitioning the government to reconsider the ruling imposed on schools some 20 years ago, apparently on the strength of a UNESCO statement that a child learns more easily if taught in her mother tongue.

Imposing the mother tongue as the medium of instruction and supporting it with financial grants may have been a progressive step at that time. Today, in the fast changing and globalising world, finding and keeping employment is a matter of high competition. Since the government, the parents, and our young people are looking to ICT (Information and Communication Technology) as a major area of employment, and since mastery over language to the point of being able to express oneself creatively is essential to compete and succeed in the ICT business, I find it hard to understand why the government wants to continue with a policy that puts our students to disadvantage in global competition.

That our present language policy results in very real difficulties for students and teachers can only be known from the frustration experienced by teachers in secondary schools, and from the difficulties faced by the students themselves.

Why is it that not more than one third of the students who enter Std I are actually able to complete secondary education? Granted that a fair proportion of them, willingly or unwillingly, take up technical courses and the government is loath to class them as dropouts, yet the fact remains that over two-thirds of our population have not completed their secondary education. Where does this place Goa on the world’s knowledge economy map?

This question may not be that urgent as long as the tourist industry, even with its undesirable concomitant problems, continues to flourish, and

MediuM of insTrucTion the state continues to receive remittances from Goans resident and working abroad (NRGs). It would be fair to recognise that the ‘good life’ enjoyed in Goa is sustained by the toil of many who did not have an equal educational opportunity as those who could afford private schooling or coaching classes.

The government should take into account a couple of points before arriving at a decision.

The often quoted argument in favour of the mother tongue as the medium of instruction is that children learn more effectively when they are taught in their mother tongue. There are a whole lot of research papers whose findings are contrary to this belief.

The question we need to ask is, “What are the

Wise Counsel

That’s Life

S

ometimes I keep wondering what life is all about. Is life all about keeping score about how many friends you have or how many people call you or visit you? After all, life isn’t about who your family is or how much money you have or for that matter what kind of car you drive. It’s not about how beautiful or ugly you are and what clothes you wear, what shoes you have on, or what kind of music you listen to. It’s also not about if your hair is blonde, red, black, brown, or green. It’s not about how smart you are or how smart everyone else thinks you are. But life is about who you love and who you hurt. It’s about who you make happy or unhappy purposefully. It’s about keeping or betraying trust. It’s about friendship, used as sanctity or as a weapon. It’s about what you say and mean maybe hurtful, maybe heartening.

About starting rumours and contributing to petty gossip. It’s about what judgments you pass and why. And who your judgments are directed at? It’s about who you’ve ignored with full control and intention. It’s about jealousy, fear, pain, ignorance, and revenge.

It’s about carrying inner hate and love, letting it grow and spreading it. But most of all, it’s about using your life to touch or poison other people’s hearts in such a way that could never have occurred alone. Only you choose the way these hearts are affected and those choices are what life is all about.

What really matters is not how many people you know, but

ABE schools; are not the Catholics but the non-Catholics. Therefore this demand is not of the Catholic parents only but much more of the non-Catholic parents.

We know what to decide best for our children. We don’t need ghetto-minded celibates to decide our children’s future.

Medium of instruction Raison Almeida, Chairman, Green Goa Foundation, Margao The Green Goa Foundation (GGF) has been watching with keen interest the issue of medium of instruction unfurl in Goa. It is a matter of reality that all Goans speak Konkani and only Konkani at home.

If mother tongue is to be the medium of instruction, then all teaching at the primary level must be in Konkani only. Why has the Government released grants for other languages when no such grants are being released for Konkani in other states?

The GGF demands that the government immediately scraps its discriminate policy on release of grants which only benefits the private English medium schools who charge exorbitant fees for admissions to their institutions. The GGF shall start a

Smitha Bhandare Kamat

children supposed to be learning in the early years of primary schooling?” To prepare them for the higher standards, the child should, in the early years of schooling, acquire the fundamental skills they will need to successfully pursue further studies. The emphasis should be on learning skills and not ‘knowledge’. The basic skills the child should master in the early years of primary schooling are literacy and numeracy. The objective is to enable the child to read, write, compute, and communicate with facility, as they progress in school.

They have to learn that the letters are symbols representing sounds, that when several letters are put together they make words. To read efficiently and with speed as they progress, the child

must be able to recognise words by their shape; that is, to learn to read with their eyes and mind, and not just with lips. The text used for learning to read is not important, at least not in the early years of schooling. It might be stories or fables or any written matter that the child finds interesting. As skills, neither the acquiring of literacy nor of numeracy is made easy or difficult by any particular language, whether the mother tongue or any other.

As Jean Piaget, the world famous Swiss researcher in child development and an eminent educationist has pointed out, in its early years the child tries to get acquainted with the tangible world of things, and is not yet mentally ready to deal with symbols. Yet, our system of early education imparted in the mother tongue uses the Devanagari script. The child has to learn both the symbols and the sounds that go with them.

If simultaneously English is taught in the Roman script, the child has to associate two very distinct symbols for almost similar sounds. Only some lucky children are able to escape the resulting confusion caused in young minds. The medium of early formal instruction can be either a facilitator or a barrier to later educational development.

If the language in secondary school is going to be English, the child will obviously have the advantage if it starts with English from Std I. If the mother tongue and English are taught side by side, attention should be given to what the teachers of the secondary schools say. After using the mother tongue as the medium of instruction over several years, the teachers’ experience is that “children continue to leave primary schools with basic skills that do not equip them for the more demanding secondary curriculum.”

Let us educate our children for their future and not to perpetuate our past.

(The writer is a Jesuit priest and an eminent educationist, and was the Founder Director of the Goa Institute of Management (GIM). Earlier, he was Director of XLRI, Jamshedpur, and founder of the Xavier Institute of Management, Bhubaneswar. He is presently the Director of the Marian Institute of Healthcare Management. In 2010, he was awarded the Padma Shri for his contribution to education.)

how many will feel a lasting loss when you’re gone. Also, what will matter is not your memories but the memories that live in those who loved you, also what will matter is how long you will be remembered, by whom and for what. Living a life that matters doesn’t happen by accident. It’s not a matter of circumstance but of choice. Choose to live a life that matters. We should thank God for the simple blessings that we don’t think about every day.

Thank him for your feet that you are able to walk. Thank him for your hands that you are able to feed and groom yourself. Thank him for your eyes that you are able to see. Thank him for your ears that you are able to hear. Without these simple blessings that we take for granted, all the wealth of this world will not have any meaning and will not bring one ounce of joy. We should not focus so much on what we do for ourself, but rather focus on what we can do towards helping those who are not as fortunate as we are. Difficult times have helped many to understand better than before, how infinitely rich and beautiful life is in every way, and that so many things that one goes worrying about are of no importance whatsoever.

We should strive to do that which is right in the eyes of God and pleasing to him because ultimately our reward will come from the Lord himself. Don’t get caught up in what everyone else has and in what everyone else is doing. Try to be the best you can be

Catholics and Konkani

S Kashyap, by email

The impressive rally organised for English as a medium of instruction for government grants is perhaps the first indication that the Catholics are beginning to desert Konkani in Goa. The language agitation of 1986, spearheaded by Catholics, culminated in Konkani being made the sole official language of Goa. But the agitation was led mostly by Hindus, who made Devanagari the official script for Konkani. This put Catholics at a disadvantage.

Last year, another agitation was started by Catholics to get the Roman script recognized as an official script for Konkani. This fratricidal war over script has virtually divided Goans into two groups.

The misconception that Marathi is the language only of Maharashtra, and that giving official status to Marathi would facilitate the merger of Goa into Maharashtra was fed to gullible Catholics by these leaders. Though the Catholics fought to make Konkani the sole official language, the powerful but silent Marathi lobby ensured ‘equivalent status’ for Marathi.

The Catholics have finally seen through this game, as only Diocesan primary schools are teaching in Konkani. Marathi is flourishing in Goa, with more than 50 per cent of government primary schools being in Marathi.

Marathi does not need official patronage to survive in Goa. Despite Sahitya Academy recognition, most Marathi protagonists still believe that Konkani is a dialect of Marathi. Therefore, as and when the government gives grants to English medium schools, Konkani as a language will slowly be obliterated from Goa. Konkani will survive only as a spoken dialect.

Clergy on the wrong side Allwyn George, Carmona Fr Jaime and Fr Mousinho seem to be fishing in troubled waters for cheap publicity, but on the wrong side. The parents who attended the FORCE rally at Panjim demanding English as a medium of instruction did not belong to any particular religion nor they availed of any free transport. Being priests, they should limit their services in their respective churches and try to sell their ideology to their flock and stop interfering in matters solely to be decided by the parents. The concerned priests should support the struggle for English as the medium on instruction in schools, rather than attempt to defame it on a communal basis.

and allow the leading of the Holy Spirit to be an essential part of your day. You will find greater blessing in fulfilling God’s will for your life than trying to be someone who you’re not. However, the purpose of life is to be happy. I think the purpose of life is to be useful, responsible, to be honourable, to be compassionate and to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well as finally the purpose of life is to live a life of purpose. It is after all to matter, to count; to stand for something to have made some difference that you lived at all.

Finally, our time in this world is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life and don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. Most importantly, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become as many people overvalue what they are not and undervalue what they are. In the words of Oprah Winfrey “I’ve come to believe that each of us has a personal calling that’s as unique as a fingerprint - and that the best way to succeed is to discover what you love and then find a way to offer it to others in the form of service, working hard, and also allowing the energy of the universe to lead you.” – this quotation is so true in the context of our purpose of life.

I would like to end with an apt quote by Lou Erickso “Life is like a taxi. The meter just keeps ticking whether you are getting somewhere or just standing still.”

Letters to the Editor

Letter of the Day

drive to educate the parents on their rights in case the government fails to change its dubious policy.

By Arlette Azavedo

No communal colour please Mary Philomena Fernandes, Porvorim This has reference to the article ‘Konkani should be the Primary School Medium’ by Fr Mousinho de Ataide (Herald, 25 March).

I request Fr Ataide and the Catholic authorities not to add a communal colour to this issue in a state where people of different communities live in perfect harmony.

Let me point out that it was the upper class Catholic community who patronised Portuguese language during the Portuguese era and thereafter, and gave step-motherly treatment to Konkani. As a result, it is sad to note that it is only the Goan Catholics who feel shy to speak in Konkani.

Incorrect thinking Paul Carvalho, Curchorem This is in reference to the news item ‘Medium of instruction demand creating

communal divide’ (Herald, 25 March).

Fr Jaime Couto and Fr Mousinho de Ataide have written a letter to the Archbishop of Goa stating that the demand for English medium of instruction is creating a rift between the Hindu and Catholic communities. Are they trying to rake up communal feelings through newspapers? As per my experience, one can instigate people through such type of writings.

I do not think that demanding English as a medium of instruction will create any rift. I am not against their writing to any authority, but one must think twice before sending such information for publication.

Politicians & tiatrists Freddy Agnelo Fernandes, Dubai Well said Willie Severes (‘Tiatrists and Politicians’, Herald, 24 March). I too admire our Tiatrist fraternity. They have protected and projected our mother tongue Konkani.

Writing tiatrs and singing songs against corrupt politicians is good, but not good enough.

I pray to the Tiatrist fraternity to boycott all functions where politicians are invited as chief guests, even if it means a bit of a pinch in the pocket at first. That would prove beyond any doubt what they mean what they say.

Casual approach Rajendra Kakodkar, Curchorem Goa Economic Survey was announced on 16 March and the State Budget was tabled on 17 March 2011. But even after five days had lapsed, none of these documents were available on the internet. All such documents of other states be it in Gujarat or Bihar, are available within minutes of their presentation.

Unethical intervention Samir Khan, Mapusa The United Nations approval to conduct a direct military intervention in Libya by United States and other major imperialist powers under the pretence of bringing democracy and to protect civilian lives, is decidedly unethical.

The justifications given by UN and US

for the Libyan intervention are full of grotesque contradictions. US, which professes to be outraged over the killing of Libyan civilians and bent on saving lives, is itself responsible for the killing of hundreds of thousands in Iraq and Afghanistan and, on the very eve of the UN vote, carried out the cold-blooded murder of some 40 civilians in a drone attack in Pakistan. Libya seems to be another Iraq in the making.

Chopper tourism/garbage Ralph Fernandes, Margao This refers to the letter ‘Helicopter Tourism’

by Claudius Fernandes (Herald, 22 Mar).

The concept of helicopter tourism seems to be a good idea for starting this transport for tourists moving from one beach to another destination. Maybe, the tourists will appreciate this concept, considering our narrow roads and heavy traffic. What is needed is the construction of helipads on all beaches. The government has to plan it right now in this budget. It could also be used to transport garbage to a far distant and safe destination. Since everyone has been protesting illegal dumping of garbage at various locations approved by government, this is a solution worth implementing.

Absorb ‘reality’ mantra A F Desai and Marcus Desa, Porvorim The article on innovation mantra of Dr Mashelkar and Dr Abdul Kalam by Dr Joe D’Souza (Herald, 2 March) was very appropriate and realistic.

Churchill Alemao and others used their innovative impulse to subvert the anti-defection law enacted by late PM Rajiv Gandhi for the first time. Nearly all the politicians in Goa have amassed wealth disproportionate to their known sources of income and have stashed their black money in foreign banks.

Corruption is omnipresent in all sections of Goan society. Scams in mining, tourism and real estate sector has degraded average Goans lives.

The faithful have been exploited. Perversity has now percolated religious institutions.

Goans must stop dreaming of ‘innovations’ like Dr Mashelkar and become ‘realists’ to help redeem Goa from its imminent doom.

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INDIA

GOA, MONDAY 28 MARCH, 2011

Govt to ‘rationalise’ CRPF deployment PTI NEW DELHI, MARCH 27

Bollywood actress Preity Zinta and actor Salman Khan perform onset during television's new show ‘Guinness World Records - Ab India Todega’ in Mumbai on Saturday.

7 get death penalty for murder HERALD CORRESPONDENT BELGAUM, MARCH 27

Seven persons including five women from Chikkodi taluka in the district, accused in the murder of a resident of Halatti near Chikkodi, have been sentenced to life by a fast track court of Chikkodi.

The seven residents of Halatti, Bheemu Dhamannavar, Shankar Dhamannavar, Sumitra Kamble, Rupa Kamble, Mala Dhamannavar, Ratnava Dhamannavar and Pratibha Damannavar were sentenced to life for attacking Umesh and killing him brutally at their residence. Another accused is reported to be absconding.

It may be recalled that on Sep-

tember 17, 2009, the seven accused had together murdered Umesh Dhamannavar on the outskirts of Chikkodi.

All the seven accused attacked Umesh accusing him of teasing a woman and dragged him into their house at Halatti and beat him up with stones and sticks.

Umesh was first tied with ropes and beaten to death by them. Later, a complaint was lodged with Chikkodi Police alleging that the seven persons killed her son over a trivial issue.

The fast track court convicted the seven accused for murder and imposed a fine of Rs 3500 on each of them.

Indian sarpanch dazzles at UN meet PTI UNITED NATIONS, MARCH 27

There was a sense of disbelief among ministers and ambassadors from diverse nations when the chairperson of the 11th Info-Poverty World Conference held at the United Nations introduced the jeans-clad Chhavi Rajawat as head of a village in India.

For, from a distance one could easily mistake Rajawat, an articulate, computer-savvy woman, for a frontline model or at least a Bollywood actress.

But she is sarpanch of Soda village, 60 kilometres from Jaipur, in backward Rajasthan and the changing face of growing dynamic rural India.

30-year-old Rajawat, India’s youngest and the only MBA to become a village head — the position mostly occupied by elders, quit her senior management position with BhartiTele Ventures of Airtel Group to serve her beloved villagers as sarpanch.

Rajawat participated in a panel discussion at the twoday meet at the UN on March

24 and 25 on how civil society can implement its actions and spoke on the role of civil society in fighting poverty and promoting development.

It is necessary to re-think through various strategies of action that includes new technologies like e-services in achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in an era where resources have become limited, she told the delegates of the international conference.

“If India continues to make progress at the same pace as it has for the past 65 years since independence, it just won’t be good enough. We’ll be failing people who dream about having water, electricity, toilets, schools and jobs.

I am convinced we can do it differently and do it faster.

“In the past year alone, I and the villagers in Soda have brought about a radical change in the village purely through our own efforts. We have had no outside support - no NGO help, no public, nor private sector help,” she said.

SRK wants to make kids proud with upcoming film

PTI MUMBAI, MARCH 27

Bollywood actor Shahrukh Khan wants to make his children proud with his upcoming film 'Ra.one'. "'Ra.one' is a very special film I made for my kids. I hope I can make my children proud

and this country proud. I am trying my best to make it a very good film," Shahrukh said.

Directed by Anubhav Sinha 'Ra.one' is a sci-fi flick, starring Shahrukh, Arjun Rampal and Kareena Kapoor, who plays the love interest of Khan, and will be released on October 26.

King Khan has two children, 14-year-old son Aryan and 11year-old daughter Suhana, from wife Gauri.

"It is a kind of film, a genre that we haven't tried. You make a film with passion and love.

You want to make it right and want the world to watch it," Shahrukh said.

The 45-year-old actor also said he was inspired

by Hollywood actor Hugh Jackman to make this superhero film.

The government has decided to “rationalise and restrict” the deployment of CRPF on frequent requests of states in order to maintain the sanctity of the “reserve” component of the force by keeping troops under compulsory training and rest.

The decision will now make arbitrary requisitioning of CRPF contingents by states and Union Territories tough.

All requests by various states asking for battalions of the central paramilitary force are now being vetted on strong reasoning, jointly by the Union Home Ministry and CRPF headquarters, before detachments are sent.

There have been almost ten instances in the recent past have when the required number of CRPF contingents were rationalised and reduced by nearly 30 per cent before being sent for duties, sources said.

About 180 companies of the Central Reserve Police Force (about 18,000 personnel) have been placed under compulsory rotational training now and they will not be deployed for any internal security-related duty in the country till they finish their regime.

“It has now been made clear by the Union Home Ministry that the training companies of the force should be left untouched till they complete their

training period. Training of the companies and rest for the personnel had become a difficult task since the force was deployed very frequently for law and order related duties,” CRPF sources said.

The sanctity of training has to be respected, they added.

Union Home Minister P Chidambaram while officiating at a CRPF function last year had said that the word “Reserve” is no longer true for the force as it moves from one deployment to the next assignment on a short-notice to render “innumerable duties”.

According to the CRPF charter, the force was raised as an armed force with the basic role of “striking reserve” to assist the states and Union Territories in police operations to maintain law and order and contain insurgency. The force, since almost about a decade, has been involved in anti-naxal operations.

Unlike other paramilitary forces like BSF, ITBP and SSB having a specific role, the CRPF was the only force left to be called for tackling internal security and law and order problems. Lack of training and rest were resulting into tiredness and disorientation among the force personnel and hence this rule has been made now, sources said.

The Home Minister, last year, had also said that one company

in each battalion has to be on training essentially and to keep this as rule, rational and restricted deployment of force has to be done, they said.

“Today as I speak to you, out of the 186 executive battalions (of CRPF), 186 companies are under training. We have made it a rule that one company in any Battalion shall at any time be under training and be given rest and recuperation,” Chidambaram said on April 9 last year, while speaking at the Valour Day of the force here.

The CRPF, with almost 210

operational battalions (2.10 lakh personnel) now, is also fast expanding its training infrastructure to meet the demand of training the regular personnel and also to cater to new recruits.

Ten battalions of the force have also been earmarked as exclusive ‘law and order’ units and more such battalions would be identified looking at the extensive charter of duties of CRPF in this domain.

A separate lot of exclusive battalions to deal with Left Wing Extremism (LWE) is also proposed, sources added.

Best wishes to Milagres Fernandes (Proprietor) From Staff Of Wild Security Agency, Margao And Boys Of Madel, Margao.

NEWS

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Could leave power if given dignified exit: Saleh PTI DUBAI, MARCH 27

Cornered by relentless street protests against his regime, Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh has said he would not mind stepping down if allowed a dignified departure, but warned of a Somalia-like civil war in the absence of political dialogue.

Seeking to dispel the notion that he was trying to hold on to power, the embattled president said he was prepared to leave in "a few hours" but he had the responsibility to take the country to "safe shores".

"I could leave power ... even in a few hours, on condition of maintaining dignity and prestige," Saleh told Al Arabiya TV. "I will transfer power to the people, who are the source and owner of power," he said.

The conciliatory remarks came a day after he put a brave face to insist that his regime was unshaken by the course of events of the past two months.

Saleh's regime has been rocked by massive protests prompting several top military officials and tribal leaders to defect in open support of the protesters.

In power for over 30 years, Saleh is a key US ally in the region. An impoverished and tribally-divided country, Yemen has become a base for al-Qaeda and the government has launched a major operation against the network in the south of the country.

"I have to take the country to safe shores... I'm holding on to

power in order to hand it over peaceably... I'm not looking for a home in Jeddah or Paris," Saleh said.

However, he added that he would remain in charge of the ruling party even if stood down.

The President had earlier offered to step down by the end of the year, instead of in 2013 when the term of his government ends, but the protesters had rejected his offer demanding his immediate ouster.

Saleh asked his opponents to learn from the example of Somalia, warning that Yemen was a "time bomb" and could slide into a civil war like situation if the current crisis was not handled properly.

"If we do not act, along with good-willed and friendly countries, to close the rift and start a political dialogue, there will be a devastating civil war that will disturb the whole region," he said.

From Page 1 BJP backs might take a difference stand, because of their alliance with the Congress. But we are happy that both of us think alike,” he added.

The BJP has said that they are not against giving grants to English primary schools.

Parsekar claimed that the medium of instruction issue has been settled 20 years back. “Now the issue is being raked up for no reason. Suddenly out of the blue the issue has cropped up,” he said.

The BJP chief stated that the party will take decisions in favour of Goa and Goans.

Contractors pocketed against Emmar MGF. “The government of India/DDA may take appropriate action against Emaar MGF, project developer, for knowingly supplying incorrect information and for its various acts of omission and commission,” the report submitted by the committee to the prime minister’s office said.

In its third report, the panel chose 19 infrastructure projects worth over Rs 3,000 crore that included elevated roads, flyovers, street-lighting, streetscaping, bus parking areas, bus queue shelters and signages among others and noted there was no special preparation by the government of national capital territory of Delhi (GNCTD).

“All projects require a host of preparatory actions before start of the project on ground...These actions have to be initiated well in advance as they take considerably long time... the work should have started during the year 2005-06,” it said.

“It has also been observed that ‘undue gains’ of about Rs 254.10 crore to contractors in projects scrutinised by the high level committee are attributable to various acts of omission and commission of persons and officers involved in the process,” the panel pointed out.

The panel cited Press Trust of India stories in its report to highlight how deadlines were fixed and missed.

Strongly criticising the slow work by various agencies involved in infrastructure projects, the panel questioned the working of the Delhi chief minister.

“The committee is unable to fathom the reasons behind centralisation of powers by the the chief minister of Delhi. The chief executive should, as a rule, delegate as much power as possible to subordinates and focus on policy issues and monitoring and supervision of works. Here,unfortunately, the reverse happened and with not too great results,” the report said.

The Shunglu panel highlighted manipulative cost in various contracts. “In street lighting contracts, the contractors have received undue gains to the tune of Rs 63.20 crore. In streetscaping contracts, the contractors are estimated to have been unduly benefited to the extent of at least Rs 16 crore,” the report said.

“Detailed examination of the projects undertaken by the GNCTD, NDMC, MCD show that for certain ‘city image’ improvement projects (streetlighting, streetscaping, signage), NDMC and MCD acted as adjuncts of the GNCTD rather than as independent entities.

“The chief minister took personal interest in the planning and execution of these projects. While full credit must be given to the CM for the leadership provided, she also carries the responsibility for decisions taken including those relating to ‘city image’ improvement projects which cost the city dear,” it said.

It has named senior officials including K K Sharma, Principal Secretary, Public Works Department, R Subramanian, then Engineer-in-chief, PWD, Parimal Rai, Chairman, New Delhi Municipal Council, Ashok Kumar, Vice Chairman of Delhi Development Authority, Nand Lal, Member (Finance) and A K Bajaj, then Member (Engineering) of DDA, M Jayachandran, then Secretary, Ministry of Urban Development for alleged high valuation, corruption and delays in Games projects.

89-year-old predicts

DEATH Oswaldo J.P. Gomes Beloved Husband of Luceta, Father/Father-in-law of Valeriano Godwin (Royal Caribbean Cruise Liner) / Darlinda.

Darling Grandfather of Gary and Drisa.

Born : 22-02-1932 Died : 27-03-2011

Expired peacefully on 27/03/2011. Funeral cortege will leave his residence on 28/03/2011 (Today) at 10.00 a.m. to St. Stephen Church, Sto. Estevam for Eucharistic Celebration followed by burial.

Relatives and friends kindly accept this as the only intimation.

prophesies hidden in it. He says the world will end on May 21, because that will be 722,500 days from 1 April AD33, which he believes was the day of the crucifixion.

The figure of 722,500 is important because you get it by multiplying three holy numbers (five, 10 and 17) together twice. “When I found this out, I tell you, it blew my mind,” he said.

Recent events, such as earthquakes in Japan, New Zealand and Haiti, are harbingers of impending doom, he says, as are changing social values. “It was sent by God as a sign of the end,” he says.

Camping previously thought that the world was going to end on September 6, 1994, but discovered that he had made a mathematical error.

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Convert tax gains into higher FOBs accounted for 60% market investments: FM to cos PtI MUMBAI, MARCH 27

Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Sunday sought higher investments from companies in return for boosting their business margins through budget proposals like sparing any hike in excise duty rates.

He also sought help from Corporate India in pushing further the government’s economic growth and reforms agenda and said this support was necessary for him to meet their expectations.

“Just as I have to meet up to your expectations to get you to scale new heights of productivity and growth, you also have to meet my hopes, in the process strengthening my hands,” he said in opening remarks at post-budget conference organised by industry chamber Assocham here on Sunday.

“Reforms are not a one shot exercise; they have to be pursued continuously in keeping with the changing contexts and the growing aspirations of the

per cent for two reasons.”

“I would like to see improved business margins translated into higher investment rates. I would also like to stay my course towards GST,” he added.

Mukherjee said that he wanted to address some “topical and emerging concerns” through - FM Pranab Mukherjee his budget proposals.

“It is only then people. I can do more, when I have the space to do more. You that I could hope to bring a have to do your bit to create convergence in the expectations of our investors, entrethat space for me,” he added.

Speaking about this year’s preneurs and consumers on the budget proposals, Mukherjee macroeconomic prospects of said that he had “the option to the economy, and elicit the reroll back the central excise duty quired response from them,” to levels prevailing in Novem- he said.

He listed out five principal ber 2008. I have chosen not to do so and retain the rates at 10 objectives for this year’s

Reforms are not a one shot exercise; they have to be pursued continuously in keeping with the changing contexts and the growing aspirations of the people. I can do more, when I have the space to do more. You have to do your bit to create that space for me.

‘DGCA has no authority to control airfares’ GMR Aviation Security Summit which concluded here on Saturday.

He said the DGCA has an Aviation Tariff Monitoring cell through which it brought in a system of requiring the airlines submit their fare structure. The system was put in place when the airfares went up sharply last Diwali.

had directed the carriers to ensure transparency in ticketAirfares are determined by pricing by providing route market forces and Directorate and date-wise fare details.

General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) “During the last year itself has no authority to control the ATF prices went up by 45 to them, a top official said.

50 per cent. So this has a bearSpeaking at an event here, ing on tariff,” the DGCA said.

Bharat Bhushan, Director Earlier in his address at General of Civil Aviation also the summit, Bhushan said that capacity constrains blamed capacity constraint at major airports couat major airports that pled with increased is leading to wastage Tariff is a function of Air Turbine Fuel (ATF) of fuel and impacting demand and supply and cost is putting presfinancial position of unless there is extraordinary sure on airline compaairlines. nies.

“Presently capacity hike in fares, we will not be “I am afraid tariff is constraint is being exable to tell them that this is a function of demand perienced at major wrong. We have persuasive and supply and unless airports, which is leadthere is extraordinary ing to wastage of fuel. powers. But we have no hike in fares, we will An aircraft hovering authority to control fares. not be able to tell for an additional half them that this is - DGCA, Bharat Bhushan an hour due to delay wrong. We have perin landing permission suasive powers. But we have Following a large number consumes about 25 to 30 per no authority to control fares,” of complaints from passen- cent extra fuel thereby inBharat Bhushan told media gers of excessive fare that creasing the operational cost persons on the sidelines of time, the aviation regulator of the airline,” he said.

PtI HYDERABAD, MARCH 27

Airports told to implement new ground-handling policy PtI NEW DELHI, MARCH 27

In a bid to enhance safety, the Airport Authority of India (AAI) has asked all airports to take steps to implement new ground-handling policy from April 1 that bars airlines from outsourcing manpower for such jobs.

Airlines will now have to deploy full-time employees at airports for ground-handling jobs or hire the services of security-cleared ground handling agencies, an AAI statement said.

“This means airlines cannot deploy outsourced manpower for doing ground handling on their own,” it said.

Earlier this month, the Delhi High Court had rejected a plea by airlines to stay implementation of the policy.

However, airlines have approached the Supreme Court seeking a stay on the new ground-handling policy. The matter is expected to come before the apex Court on April 4.

Civil Aviation Secretary had met AAI officials and private airport operators to review the preparedness for implementation of the new ground handling policy recently.

AAI is expected to generate additional revenue of at least Rs 350 crore every year as the authorised ground-handling agencies nominated by it would start work at important airports like Chennai and Kolkata from April 1.

The authorised groundhandling agencies have been asked to hire only securitycleared employees, the AAI said adding that the move is

also expected to result in enhanced safety for passengers and prevent pilferage of baggage and cargo.

The civil aviation ministry had proposed to introduce the new ground handling policy from 2007, but implementation has been delayed due to resistance from airlines and manpower supplying agencies.

Authorised ground-handling agencies have assured the government that modern equipment will be deployed and standards set by International Air Travel Association (IATA) would be met, the AAI said.

This means replacement of diesel-engine vehicles and outdated equipment like agriculture tractors which are still in use at several airports to ferry luggage or cargo to the aircraft.

budget proposals, the first being stronger fiscal consolidation to enlarge the resource space for private enterprise.

“Secondly, improving the supply response of agriculture to the expanding domestic demand. Together with fiscal consolidation, it would help in addressing inflationary pressures in the medium term.

The third objective, he said, was to take forward the process of reforms including in the financial sector, and the fourth was a continued thrust on an inclusive development process.

Mukherjee said that the final objective was to undertake reforms for simplifying and placing the administrative procedures concerning taxation, trade and tariffs and subsidies on electronic interface, free of discretion and bureaucratic delays.

“This would also prepare the ground for the implementation of the DTC and hopefully the GST as well, from April 2012,” he said.

cap last year

PtI MUMBAI, MARCH 27

Even as business scandals and deceptive accounting systems rocked India Inc last year, family owned businesses (FOBs) emerged strong by accounting for 60 per cent of market cap among the top 500 companies in the country, a study said.

“Commitment and continuity are the two most important elements in shaping an organisation and can compensate for even low competence,” Bajaj Electricals’ Chairman and Managing Director, Shekhar Bajaj, told PTI. According to the study by ASK Investment Managers, FOBs comprise 17 per cent of the IT Industry, 10 per cent of refineries, 7 per cent of automobile and 6 per cent of telecom in India.

“FOBs’ ability to have significant compounding returns over a long period of time is attributed to their dominant operations mostly in sunrise industries. This dominance fur-

ther justifies their abilities in cost efficiencies,” ASK’s CEO, Sameer Kamdar, said.

The CAGR of the top 500 performers over last 5-years also illustrates the wealth-creating ability of entrepreneur firms.

While the PSUs posted a double-digit growth, FOBs have posted a staggering triple-digit growth.

“Entrepreneur firms, as against PSUs and MNCs, are speedy in decision-making.

PSUs tend to be rigid as they are over-regulated, bureaucratic and could often lack speed, while MNCs are usually driven by parent company priorities and hence slow in spotting opportunities in local markets,” Kamdar said.

Though FOBs are focused toward the interest of shareholders and investors, issues on succession planning, capital allocation, nepotism and corporate governance are getting addressed by Private Equity firms.

Mumbai realty robust despite small fall in flat sales in Feb year, the extent of fall is not that severe as is being made out to be by some,” Mantri said.

In 2010 (January-December), Mumbai clocked a total registration of 2,17,466 as compared to 1,94,885 in the previous year, MCHI data showed.

April 2010 topped the number of registrations by recording the highest 20,739 registrations as compared to 15,330 in the previous year, followed by July at 19,880

(18,583), March at 19,452 (15,002) and June at 19,154 (17,418).

On the overall trend in the Mumbai real estate market, Mantri said the “marginal drop in the flat registrations or sales could be attributed to various factors that include severe crunch of sand in the recent past, pending policy decisions from the Govenment of Maharashtra on carpet area, parking, and clearance of new projects by the BMC.” Sentiment in the realty market also remains affected by the increase in stamp duty and ready reckoner by the State Government this year, he added.

Neighbouring Thane city in February clocked 16,164 registrations as against 16,395 in the year-ago period, a decline of only 1.41 per cent.

Thane city recorded the highest flat registrations at 20,121 in March 2010 followed by 19,569 in December 2010, MCHI data said.

SBI planning rights issue after Q1 of FY12

MSMEs to get Rs 2,500 cr for modern tech

PtI MUMBAI, MARCH 27

Mumbai’s real estate market continues to be robust despite a minor blip in February when flat sales clocked a 2.40 per cent decline, a leading industry body said.

The city reported a marginal decline in flat registrations at 16,341 in February as against 16,743 registrations in the year-ago period, data from the Maharashtra Chamber of Housing Industry (MCHI) showed.

“There has been no sharp decline in Mumbai’s real estate market--there has only been a marginal decline in sales figures of residential apartments,” MCHI said in a statement here.

The decline in flat sales in the first two months of this year is not severe, MCHI’s President Sunil Mantri said, admitting, however, to a small dip in the same during the period.

“Although it is a fact that flat sales did decline in the first two-months of the current

AGENCIES NEW DELHI, MARCH 27

REutERS MUMBAI, MARCH 27

State Bank of India, India’s top lender, will launch its 200 billion rupee ($4.5 billion) rights equity issue after the first quarter of the fiscal year beginning in April, its chairman said on Sunday.

“For this financial year, it will be too late, so it will happen

next year. I don’t think it will be in the first quarter,” O.P. Bhatt, State Bank of India chairman, told reporters on the sidelines of an industry conference in Mumbai.

A failure to secure approvals from the federal government, which owns about 59 percent of the bank, delayed the launch of the issue, local media reported last month.

The government on Saturday said it will create a Rs 2,500crore corpus for technology modernisation of the micro, small and medium units by the next year.

At present, only textiles sector is availing these benefits under the Technology Upgradation Fund Scheme wherein the units get 5 per cent subsidy on loans, for upgrading technology, from the government.

“We are quite hopeful and confident that by this year or certainly by the next year,” Uday Varma, Secretary in the Ministry of micro, small and medium enterprises said.

East to house global mega cities by ’25: McKinsey PtI MUMBAI, MARCH 27

Global management consultancy McKinsey & Co says over the next 15 years, the centre of gravity of the urban world will be heading South in general, and to the Eastern regions in particular.

Today, 600 cities, mainly in the North and the West, generate about 60 percent of the economic output or gross domestic product. In 2025, the number of cities will remain same and will continue to account for the same share of global GDP, but this group of 600 cities will have a very different membership, says McKinsey Global Institute (MGI) – business and economics research arm of McKinsey & Co – in its report 'Urban world: Mapping economic power of cities'.

In 2007, half of global GDP came from 380 cities in the developed world, with 190 North

American cities alone contributing over 20 percent, while the 220 largest cities in the developing world contributed just 10 percent, report says.

"But by 2025, one-third of these developed market cities will no longer make the top 600 cities. Instead, 136 new cities are expected to enter the top 600, all of them from the developing world and overwhelmingly 100 new cities from China and 13 from India, including Hyderabad and Surat," it says.

The MGI has developed forecasts of demographic and economic data for over 2,000 of the leading metropolitan areas.

The resulting database builds on MGI urbanisation research on China, India, and Latin America and is one of the largest if its kind. Called the MGI Cityscope, it covers cities with population over 200,000 in emerging market nations

and cities with population of over 150,000 in the US and Western Europe. In India, this global large city database includes the 177 largest cities.

"Given how radically the profile of the urban world is changing, there's a pressing need for companies to look at the world's urban growth at a deeper level to identify where their most promising markets are likely to be," MGI director Richard Dobbs says.

Stating that contrary to popular belief, the world's largest cities are not driving global growth today, the report says in fact, most mega cities have

APPOINTMENTS

not grown faster than their host economies, and MGI expects this trend to continue.

Today's 23 mega cities, including Mumbai, Kolkata, and Delhi with populations of 10 million or more will contribute just over 10 per cent of global growth by 2025, below their 14 per cent share of global GDP, says the report, adding in contrast, "577 middleweights-cities with populations of between 150,000 and 10 million, will contribute half of global growth by 2025, gaining share from today's mega cities."

Across the world, 407 emerging middleweight cities are contributing nearly 40 percent of global growth – more than the entire developed world and emerging markets mega cities combined. Further, by 2025, 13 middleweights are likely to become mega cities, 12 of which are in emerging markets-seven in China; and in-

cluding Chennai from India.

Report also estimates that population of these top 600 cities will grow 1.6 times faster than the population of the world as a whole.

"By 2025, the top 600 cities will be home to an estimated 310 million more people of working age, which will be almost 35 percent of the potential global workforce expansion, and two-thirds of this is likely to be from the leading Chinese and Indian cities alone," says the report.

By 2025, there are also likely to be about 13 million more under-15 children in these 600 cities. Accordingly, Mumbai will have 4.8 million children by 2025, while Delhi will be home to 4.4 million kids.

Stating that ageing will not just be a developed country problem, report says by 2025, Mumbai will be home to around 3.5 million elderly,

while Delhi will have around 2.2 million.

The three cities that will witness the highest growth in housing demand will be Beijing, Shanghai, and Tokyo.

There will be more middleclass urban households in emerging market cities than in the developed ones with an estimated 235 million households earning over USD 20,000 a year from the developing region cities, compared to 210 million in the developed region cities.

To help companies looking for growth, policymakers must manage the increasing complexity of larger cities more effectively, the report says.

"Particularly, in India, the government must build urban infrastructure to meet the needs of its surging urban population or the country's economic growth could be at risk," says McKinsey & Co director, Shirish Sankhe.

Interviews from Mon to Fri at 9.30 - 12.30 & 3.30 - 5.30

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Fly With People in the Sky-III

E

ntrance Test Exam, as well as a physical and medical fitness test – must be cleared to secure admissions into any flying school in India or overseas. In addition to these, a candidate will also have to appear in the entrance exam and the viva session which are conducted by the month of February every year. After qualifying in the examinations and the viva voce, one can continue his training in the IGRUA institute and accordingly be eligible to avail the commercial pilot license on successful completion of his training period. After getting the commercial pilot license, there are many opportunities open for the candidates like that of joining the Indian Air Force, Private Airlines, and can also serve as a trainer in the various flying clubs to name a few among the other available options.

Even after becoming commercial pilot, they need regular medical check up, any problem in health can cause cancellation of the licence of the pilot.

Eligibility & Training 10+2 (Physics and Maths) and medical fitness certificate from AFCME or IAM. Age: 18 to 30 years.

Fees: Flying training is costly.

Approximately Rs. 1000 are charged per hour for flying. The overall cost is very high - around Rs 15- 20 lakh in India If you have trained abroad and intend to work in India, you required to take the Composite Examination conducted by DGCA. Job Qualifications * Although high-school graduates are occasionally employed by some small airlines, the vast majority of major airlines require no less than two years of college experience, and generally favour college graduates. Most civilian pilot applicants hold a college degree. Airlines also require pilots to pass psychological and aptitude tests, which help determine a pilot’s ability to make quick and accurate decisions in pressure situations. All pilot’s licenses remain valid as long as a pilot meets physical and flying-ability requirements as stipulated by Federal and company

T

regulations. These requirements are verified through periodic exams.

The Licence To Fly To become a Commercial Pilot in India, one has to first possess a: * Student Pilot License (SPL):To get the SPL those with 10+2 with science and aged at least 16 years, with a minimum height of 5 feet and eye sight 6/6, should register at a flying club which is recognized by Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), Government of India. Registration requires a medical certificate, security clearance and a bank guarantee.

A written examination in the following subjects is needed for getting the CPL: basics of Mathematics, knowledge of aircraft, engine and aerodynamics.

Air Regulations, Aviation , Meteorology, Air Navigation, Engine( Technical& Planning specifics) follows the registration. Successful completion of the examination entitles you for an SPL certificate. These exams are conducted six times a year.

This test will be of 100 marks and the applicant has to score 75 to clear the test. Selection of Candidates taking the SPL test have to appear in an oral examination on a fixed day every month on sub, candidates go through a medical test. Air Force Central Medical Establishment (AFCME), Subroto Park, New Delhi and Institute of Aviation Medicine(IAM), Vimanpura Bangalore, are the final authorities for medical fitness. After medical clearance the candidate gets the SPL. Candidates are also required to pass the Pilot Aptitude Test. * Private Pilot License/ Hobby License (PPL). After getting the SPL the candidate has to undergo training to secure this licence. PPL training includes 60 hours of flying (in which 40 hours with flying instructor where the instructor or trainer accompanies the learner to teach him the practical aspect of flying. Then the candidate gets his first independent flight and he has to complete 20 hours flying solo after rigorous training under the flying instructor. They

also have to complete five hours of cross-country flying. This makes them eligible for the PPL written exam, which consists of Air Regulation, Aviation Meteorology, Air Navigation, Aircraft Engines and Seamanship. This examination is conducted by the DGCA. This course generally takes two years to complete and make you eligible for PPL. Depending on the availability of a flying instructor and the weather conditions, the period of training may vary.

hours of flying (including 60 hours for the PPL) is necessary.

F l y i n g c l u b s i n I n d i a a re equipped to provide a practical complement of the training for the CPL. Actual flying experience required is – 250 or more hours of total flying time(150 hours of solo flights , 25 hours of cross country flights, 10 hours of instrument flying , 5 hours of night flying). Besides that pilots have to undergo a Medical Fitness Test which is held at New Delhi and a written examination which consists of Air Regulations, Aviation Meteo ro l o g y, Air Navigation, Engine

By Maria de Lima Pereira (technical and specific), and Communications in the form of The prescribed age for ap- Radio & Wireless Transmission. pearing for this exam is 17 years Further, aspiring candidates and an educational qualification have to undergo a medical fitof 10+2 along with a medical ness test conducted by a team Fitness Certificate issued by the of doctors approved by the Armed Forces Central Medical DGCA and the Central Medical Establishment (AFCME) or IAM. Establishment (CME) of the Air * A Commercial Pilot Licence Force unit. The average period may be obtained only after a of training for Commercial Pilot PPL has been acquired. To obtain is one year. a Commercial Pilot Licence(CPL) * In India the PPL and CPL trainthe candidate must be at least ing is carried out with the help 16 years of age register at a fly- of single engine aircraft like ing club which is recognized by Cessna and the Pushpak. The Directorate General of Civil Avi- acquisition of a CPL is not sufation (DGCA), Government of ficient. Before aspiring pilots fly India. Registration requires a a domestic flight, they must gain medical certificate, security experience of minimum 15 clearance and a bank guarantee. hours of solo flying in a multiThey also have to complete 250 engine aircraft. The pilot after

acquiring the CPL, are trained at Hyderabad with Indian Airlines. The duration of this training is six months to perfect the technical know-how and flying skills. Co-pilots must have the required numbers of flying hours and licence. With the CPL and training, a pilot can take up any professional assignment as a copilot. * Helicopter Pilots must have Commercial Helicopter Pilots Licence(CHPL). This licence can be acquired by two stages. The Private Helicopter Licence(PHPL) is granted after 40 hours of flying training (15 hours should be solo) and on clearing the written exams of aviation subjects. 60 hours of flying training has to be completed and a written exam has to cleared. Helicopter Pilots find employment with the commercial organisations, Public Sector organisation and other security/protective agencies. *The Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) conducts the examination and issues license for Assistant Flight Radio Telephone Operator (AFR-TO). *The highest among the category of licences is the Air Transport Pilot Licence (ATPL) which allows the pilot to fly any type of aircraft. Licence has to be constantly renewed through passing medical and other tests every six months. (to be contin-

Motivate Employees to Show Proper Office Etiquette Teach employees to have good manners when dealing with workplace issues

W

orkplace etiquette can have a great impact on the atmosphere of a office. A workplace where employees have poor etiquette can create a negative environment where employees are always in conflict with each other and productivity is low.

A workplace where employees practice good manners and etiquette can be a place where employees thrive professionally. Here's how to motivate employees to have proper etiquette when dealing with workplace issues.

Learn the ins and outs of workplace etiquette. You need to know exactly what workplace, or office etiquette is if you are going to expect your employees to practice it.

Workplace etiquette is a set of rules that employees are expected to follow where their behaviour conveys respect towards others and the work of the workplace. You need to decide on what rules you think are important and will aid you in creating a more positive environment. You can use your common sense and speak to other managers to help you decide what rules you want to uphold.

Set an example. You will need to follow these rules of etiquette for the office yourself or your employees will never follow them. You are an example to your employees and you need to treat them with respect so they will learn to treat you and their co-workers with respect.

Inform your employees of the changes. If you are implementing changes in general workplace etiquette, you need to inform your employees of the new workplace etiquette rules. You can do this in a couple of different ways. You

Fresher: If you are a fresher, you need to should consider talking about your achievements at school / college and professional courses undertaken. As a fresher you could talk about various college assignments and how you executed them and your role in those assignments or projects.

Experienced: For those with work experience, the situation becomes a little more tricky. Employers here are not interested in your achievements at school or college. They’ re more interested in projects/assignments at work and your execution style with the previous company you’ve worked at.

Always have this prepared and make sure that it does not sound rehearsed. Limit this to work related items unless instructed otherwise.

Reason for the question: Employers want a quick introduction from you, by which they are able to understand what you have to offer the or-

ganization. A lot of them judge your communication skills through this question.

2. Why do you wish to leave your current job?

This is the most difficult question that you will have to answer.

Did you resign? Get laid off?

Get fired? Storm out of the office in a huff, never to return?

Chances are, you'll have to explain it in an interview.

The most important point to remember when answering this question is: Stay Positive.

The biggest sign of a troublemaker is when someone trashes his or her former boss or company during an interview.

It doesn't matter if your boss was a jerk or if you hated your co workers - an interview is not the place to vent past frustrations.

Rather, the best way to answer this question is to stay positive and talk about your desire for growth opportunities.

This will paint you as a proactive employee who enjoys responsibility and challenges.

If You Were Fired: Be honest, but quick about explaining it.

Don't get into the political details. Rather, explain what you’ve learned from the experience and how it makes you an even stronger employee today. It's not a good idea to lie about your termination. When the interviewer calls your references, they will most likely find out that you were fired, anyway.

So be honest, and explain what you learned.

If You Were Laid Off: This is not nearly as taboo as it was even five years ago. So don't apologize or act defeated.

If a company goes bankrupt or had massive layoffs, simply explain, "Because of the economy, the company decided to eliminate six departments, including mine."

If You Quit: Again, be honest and stay positive. State that the work being offered wasn't challenging enough, that you are seeking higher levels of responsibility or simply that you are ready to make the next step on your career ladder - and that

judgmental of a way as possible.

If it's a bumpy road. If your new workplace etiquette rules aren't a hit around the office, then you may need to give them some additional time or reiterate to employees the importance of workplace etiquette and manners. There are also additional resources such as the book, Business Etiquette for Dummies by Sue Fox. Be sure to share your resources with your employees.

These business etiquette tips should help you encourage proper manners amongst your employees. You may experience resistance when encouraging workplace etiquette to your employees but they will thank you once these rules are enforced. The workplace will now be a place where everyone feels welcome and productive.

Make a Fresh Start Today

When Appearing for interviews... I

here will be many tough questions that will come up during a job interview.

The bad news is that these questions are difficult to answer since there is no standard way of answering and every interviewer expects an answer in his own style. The good news is that because these questions are so common, you can prepare for them well in advance and give a perfect answer without breaking into a sweat. And you will certainly need to answer those with skill, tact and confidence to get a job. Here are some common tough interview questions, which with that you can skilfully answer, if you are well prepared for them.

1. Tell me something about yourself?

Sometimes the most general question can be the hardest.

How do you sum up your entire life story in just a couple of minutes?

Depending on the years of experience that you have, you need to have a short statement prepared in your mind.

can hold a meeting or put out a memo on the new rules. You can elect to do this more casually by making sure you talk to each employee about the new etiquette rules. Most important, try to approach your employees with positive expectations. Be open to feedback and the possibility of making some adjustments to the new rules as a result of that feedback.

Help resolve conflict. After your employees are aware of the changes and you have workplace conflict situations, they need to be addressed immediately. You need to explain to your employees the importance of workplace etiquette and why it will benefit everyone. During each situation, explain to the employees involved what the proper way to handle the situation would have been. Do this in as non-

the job for which you are interviewing is the ideal next step.

The secret is to stay positive and discuss your desire for growth. Hiring managers warm up to applicants who actively seek responsibility.

Reason for the question: Employers need to understand your behavioural attitude towards your professional life. Interviewers tend to gauge your personality and attitude through this question. They test and judge your honesty with this question.

3. What are your career goals 3 - 5 years from now?

Again this is the question that gets on people's nerves if they are really not sure of what they want to do. This is what the interviewer wants to understand.

Many people just mention a designation? That’s not enough.

And the designation rarely helps. Just faking a designation or mentioning something is not enough, look at the next question, this could catch you unawares if you are faking.

The proper answer to this question is with you. Hence plan your career and know what you want, and be convinced about it. Have your own goals and desires; never fall in the trap of following the goals of other people.

Reason For the question: It's to understand how serious you are with your career, the kind of roles and responsibility that you would want to handle, and how much of planning is involved from your side to climb up. The answer to this question explains how dedicated you are to climb up the ladder. Employers like people who have a forward thinking and would like to accept challenges along their path towards growth.

4. How do you plan to achieve those goals?

This is usually a follow- up question to the above question.

Most of the people get stumped here. If you have prepared yourself for the question mentioned above, without really thinking about your career plan then this

thing in your present position, a new goal can give you something to look forward to.

So How Do Find A New Goal?

Follow These Four Steps: * Convince Yourself That You Want a New Goal: No goal is achieved without commitment. Have you ever observed someone pursuing a goal and said to yourself, "That person is a true believer." True believers are easy to spot because they are defined by their commitment. Are you a true believer in your goal? Are you committed? If not, shift your perspective. Don't allow yourself to be comfortable with circumstances that do not further your goal.

Want to know that you will succeed before you step out of your comfort zone? Guess what? You don't get this guarantee up front. The miracles in your career happen when you say "yes" and jump in.

question would set you on fire.

No matter what, always explain your plan in as much detailed as possible, but don't be tempted to stretch it too far.

The time limit could be 2 - 3 minutes, but in this time, be as detailed as possible and talk about important milestones that you will have to achieve to finally achieve your career goals within 3 - 5 years.

If you don't have an answer, be honest. But no matter what, don't fake. Don't underestimate the person interviewing you; they will surely understand that you are faking. To avoid this situation, start planning your career today and prepare yourself for this and the above mentioned question.

Reason For the question: To understand what you are planning to do to achieve your goals and the level of your determination. This question also helps to understand how motivated and committed you are towards a career growth.

A

A

re you caught up in the day to day doldrums of your career?

The New Year is here. This means, it's a perfect time to complete the previous year and start fresh. If you haven't been passionate about your career in

a while, capitalize on this time of the year to begin again.

If you've lost your "get up and go," maybe what's missing is a new goal. Something that gets you excited and motivated again. Whether it's a new job or a new way of doing some-

*Start Small Are you in one of these two places: 1. You have no idea what should be the next step in your career, 2. You do know, but haven't done anything about it yet.

Either way it doesn't matter.

Now is your time to move forward.

Start small. Small steps increase your confidence and lead to completing other small steps.

Small steps taken on a regular basis are more effective than larger steps taken inconsistently.

Slow and steady wins the race. *Create Your Game Plan Having a plan is vital to your success. With a plan, success is yours. Without a plan, you will be working far harder than you have to. A plan adds organization to your goal because it details specific actions and steps to get there.

Another reason to create a plan is that it will prevent your goal from becoming overwhelming. The temptation to feel overwhelmed is normal. Your plan will give you comfort and help you be successful. There is no right or wrong way to plan. Your plan can be formal and long, or uncomplicated and short. Here's how to create one: Take your career goal and break it into smaller pieces. Get out your calendar and write down the specific small pieces you will do and when you will do them.

Tweak and make changes as you implement your plan. Use your plan to encourage and guide you. After all, your plan's underlying goal is for you to have an exceptional year.

Intern at Any Age

re you between jobs? At a career crossroads?

Trying to transition to another field? An internship may be your best next step, even if you haven't seen the inside of a classroom in many years. No longer just for college students or recent graduates, internships can be a passport to success for professionals of any age.

You may feel sheepish about interning as an experienced professional. But you shouldn't.

While internships used to be optional for a college student, they are now almost essential. And even experienced workers can gain great benefits from taking the time to do a part- or full-time internship."

To w i t , e a r l i e r t h i s y e a r, m e d i a c o m p a n y WowOWow.com had four interns who were all north of 40. And, recently, more than 50 of New York City's laid-off finance workers (each of whom had an average of 15 years' experience, according to The New York Times), took on 10-week, unpaid internships at startup companies in and around Manhattan.

If you're interested in interning at any age but don't know where to start, read on to learn how to find one that's right for you and make the most of the opportunity.

Where to Look Finding an internship doesn't have to be hard work.

Given the economic downturn, many companies right now are looking at hiring interns for positions that

used to be full time. I would encourage more experienced candidates to ask their professional networking contacts about how to leverage their experience on short-term internships to keep current in their field.

Don't just look for internships that are being advertised.

Find companies that have the culture, goals, and values that resonate with who you are and where you are going. Take the initiative to call them and offer your services. In this type of environment, many companies would be happy for the extra help and are willing to invest in you."

Even if you've been out of school for a long time, your alma mater's career centre may be able to help you pursue internships. Further, your alumni directory may also help you find folks at target organizations that are willing to help fellow graduates with their careers.

How to Sell Yourself You're no longer a student so don't pretend to be.

Use your prior professional experience to your advantage. If a job seeker is not a college student, it can seem awkward to be looking for an internship. The key is to remember that you bring unique assets to the table that the younger intern does not."

Internships allow companies to evaluate potential candidates for future positions. In many cases, employers are willing to take a chance on a motivated in-

tern with strong transferable skills, but they won't take that same chance when they are hiring a full-time employee." Internships often lead to permanent hires as employers have an opportunity to gauge one's performance and commitment in real time.

What to Expect As soon as you start your internship, "Set clear expectations from the beginning. Make sure that both parties understand things like hours, length of time expected, what will be accomplished during the internship, and what happens when you do get another job."

Initially structure an internship around a specific project instead of routine tasks. She reveals, "Being able to say, 'Achieved fundraising goal of $100,000' sounds much more impressive than, 'Answered phones.'

This will also give a scope to your internship that will prove invaluable."

If It's Less Than You Expect Turning Generational Differences into a Competitive Advantage," doesn't think you should be too crestfallen if your internship doesn't lead to a job offer at the company. "If you intern at a company you don't wind up working for, you're still making contacts, staying on the market, and opening up doors to the places you want to be later on."

NIKE Showroom AGASSAIM Requires Sales Boys/Girls Fluent in English, Wanted Helper Walk in interviews Nike Showroom, Next to Delhi Darbar, MG Road, Panjim.

OHERALDO

Pg13

WORLD

GOA, MONDAY, 28 MARCH, 2011

Gaddafi’s planes bombed as rebels advance PTI

TRIPOLI, MARCH 27

Backed by air strikes from coalition forces, Libyan rebels today advanced westwards after recapturing the strategic towns of Ajdabiya and Brega, as French fighter jets destroyed five air force planes and two helicopters in an attack on forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi.

68-year-old Gaddafi's opponents had reportedly pressed onto the key town of Brega, 80 km to the west, after reclaiming Ajdabiya, amid indications that the tide may be turning against the embattled leader due to the aerial attacks by US-led coalition forces.

Al-Jazeera said that while it appeared that the rebels had taken over the town of Brega, it remained unclear who controlled the nearby oil port. Earlier, rebels celebrated on the streets of Ajdabiya after driving pro-Gaddafi forces out of the town.

Gaddafi's forces, who had been controlling the ring road that goes around Ajdabiya, have now been cleared from that position, the Arab channel said. But Libyan government officials claimed that the army had been withdrawn to save residents from more bloodshed.

In Misurata, shelling by Gaddafi's forces stopped last evening when western coalition planes appeared in the sky, a

Pak a ‘very dangerous’ country: Musharraf

PTI NEW YORK, MARCH 27

Armed Libyan rebels stand guard at a checkpoint outside the city of Brega on Sunday as rebels pushed westwards in hot pursuit of Moamer Kadhafi's forces, winning back control of the key Ras Lanuf oil site and pressing on towards Kadhafi's hometown of Sirte, a central coastal city.

rebel was quoted as saying.

According to the French armed forces, around 20 of their aircraft supported by an AWACS surveillance plane struck targets yesterday, including five Galeb fighter jets and two MI-35 helicopters on the ground outside Misurata.

Gaddafi's aircraft were caught on the ground at Misurata air

base preparing to launch attacks in an area of the rebel-held town.

France is one of the coalition countries enforcing a UN no-fly zone aimed at protecting civilians. British missile strikes also destroyed three armoured vehicles in Misurata and two more in Ajdabiya, the Royal Air Force said in a statement.

Libyan state TV said there

were more air strikes overnight at Sabha in central Libya, adding that military and civilian areas had been hit, but there was no independent confirmation. It also spoke of strikes near Gaddafi's power base of Sirte, on the Mediterranean coast east of Tripoli.

In Washington, US President Barack Obama asserted that the

forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi had been pushed back and a "humanitarian catastrophe" averted.

In his weekly radio address yesterday, Obama once again ruled out sending any American ground forces to the North African country and sought to project the campaign in Libya as a completely multilateral mission.

Ex-US official to visit Taiwan

AFP TAIPEI, MARCH 27

Former US deputy secretary of state Richard Armitage, an advocate of arms sales to Taiwan, will meet Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou this week, officials said Sunday.

Armitage, due to arrive late Sunday, will exchange views with Ma over Taipei's ties with Washington and fast warming relations between the island and China, the foreign ministry said in a statement.

"Armitage had been very supportive of the various cooperative projects with this country when he served the US government," it said.

Foreign ministry spokesman James Chang said Armitage would come as the former US deputy secretary of state while the other members of his delegation include academics from a thinktank on Asia-Pacific affairs.

Among them will be Randy Shriver, former US deputy assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific Affairs and now the head of the Project 2049 Institute think-tank.

Armitage will also visit Lai Shin-yuan, the chairwoman of Taiwan's China policy decision-

making body Mainland Affairs Council, before leaving Wednesday, it said.

The de facto US envoy to Taipei, William Stanton, made it clear earlier this month that Washington welcomed the increased dialogue between Taipei and Beijing.

Ties between Taipei and Beijing have improved markedly since Ma from the China-friendly Kuomintang party was elected president in May 2008, promising to improve trade with and tourism from the mainland.

Yet Beijing, which regards Taiwan as part of its territory, still declines to renounce the use of force against the island which has ruled itself since the end of a civil war in 1949.

In response, Taiwan has built up a defence force equipped with weapons acquired mostly from the United States, despite Washington switching diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing in 1979.

Last year Washington announced a weapons package for Taiwan that includes Patriot missiles, Black Hawk helicopters and equipment for Taiwan's F16 fleet, but no submarines or new fighter aircraft.

Pakistan is a "very dangerous" country, its former President Pervez Musharraf has admitted.

"It is very dangerous, yes, I will have to admit," Musharraf told Time magazine when asked during an interview whether Pakistan was the most dangerous country in the world.

The most dangerous country is Afghanistan, according to Musharraf, who is now living in exile in London and is planning to return home to run for the post of the President which he left in 2008. He is also wanted in his country in connection with the assassination of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto.

Asked which is more of a threat to Pakistan — extremism or India, he said, "At the moment, it's extremism and terrorism. But you can't compare. Let's not think this is a permanent situation.

"The orientation of 90 per cent of Indian troops is against Pakistan. We cannot ever ignore India, which poses an existential threat to Pakistan."

When pointed out that he had stepped down at the behest of people and the uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt saw their rulers being toppled, Musharraf said, "I would like to seriously

More deadly violence erupted in Syria as snipers killed two people and demonstrators torched an office of the ruling Baath party of President Bashar al-Assad.

The violence came on day 12 of dissent in a country renowned for its iron grip on security.

Authorities however freed 260 political detainees in a bid to appease increasingly angry protesters, who have put Assad under unprecedented domestic pressure since he came to power in 2000.

Officials have confirmed 27 deaths in clashes between demonstrators and security forces -- 20 of them protesters -- in cities including Homs, Sanamen, Daraa and Latakia since the rallies began on March 15.

Activists have put the death toll at more than 126, with upwards of 100 killed on Wednesday alone in a bloody crackdown on protests in Daraa, the southern tribal town that has become the symbol of the protests.

In Latakia, a port city 350 kilometres northwest of Damascus two people were killed by sniper fire and two more were

nActivists have put the death toll at more than 126, with upwards of 100 killed on Wednesday alone in a bloody crackdown on protests in Daraa, the southern tribal town that has become the symbol of the protests. wounded, a Syrian official told AFP. In Tafas, south of the capital, angry residents torched a police station and local headquarters of the Baath party, which has ruled Syria for nearly half a century.

In nearby Daraa, at the Jordanian border, some 300 barechested young men climbed on the rubble of a statue of the late president Hafez al - A s s a d , Bashar's father, shouting anti-regime slogans, witnesses said.

PTI TOKYO/FUKUSHIMA, MARCH 27

Japanese authorities today detected radioactivity 10 million times higher than normal in water in one of the six reactors at the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant forcing evacuation of workers, as the government warned that the crisis was far from over.

The plant's operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), said the radioactive materials tested 10 million times more than the usual level in water at the No.2 reactor complex, over two weeks after the devastating magnitude-9 quake and tsunami struck Japan's northeast leaving more than 27,000 people dead or unaccounted for.

TEPCO said it measured 2.9-billion becquerels of radiation per cubic cm of water from the basement of the turbine building attached to the Number 2 reactor, national broadcaster NHK reported.

The level of contamination is about 1,000 times that of the leaked water already found in the basements of the Number 1 and 3 reactor turbine buildings, it said.

Daraa demonstrators on Friday tore down the statue and burned the home of the governor, who was dismissed after demonstrations against him earlier this month.

The Assad government has announced a string of reforms to appease demonstrators, including the possibility of ending an emergency law in place since 1963.

But protesters have vowed to keep taking to the streets until their demands for more freedom are met. The authorities have accused "armed gangs" of pushing peaceful rallies into violence.

Rights groups yesterday said the political detainees were freed from the notorious Saydnaya prison, north of Damascus, in the biggest concession by the state yet.

"Syrian authorities have freed 260 detainees from Saydnaya prison, mainly Islamists but also including 14 Kurds, in a move that comes as part of the promises authorities made recently to boost freedom in Syria," Abdul Karim Rihawi, head of the Syrian League for the Defence of Human Rights told AFP.

Rare elephant dead in Indonesia AFP JAKARTA, MARCH 27

A rare Sumatran elephant has died in Indonesia after blocking a village street for a week, an official said Sunday.

The female elephant was in a "weak condition" after becoming separated from its herd about a week ago in Bengkalis district, Riau province, conservation agency official Adit Gunawan told AFP. “It was hungry. We gave it

food, water and medical attention. We tried our best to nurse it back to health but it wasn't getting better and died on Saturday evening,” he said.

An autopsy to determine the cause of death is being carried out, he said.

Antara state news agency reported that the elephant, along with her two calves, had been blocking a tarred road near a housing complex since last Monday. The elephant could have

object to the comparison. I left peacefully through my own volition. So please don't compare me to those two."

On what advise he would give to embattled Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, he said, "The

high radiation detected at Japan’s N-plant

More violence in Syria AFP DAMASCUS, MARCH 27

nAsked which is more of a threat to Pakistan — extremism or India, he said, "At the moment, it's extremism and terrorism. But you can't compare.

Let's not think this is a permanent situation.

will of the people should reign supreme. It's almost a civil war there. A political situation must be found."

To a question on his plans to return to Pakistan to run again for the Presidential post, Musharraf said, "For the sake of Pakistan. I am very comfortable.

I go around the world lecturing, and they pay me well.

"But there is a cause bigger than the self. I governed the country for nine years — successfully. So I don't have to reinvent the wheel. And I know Pakistan is suffering. I know there is a vacuum of leadership.

Therefore the cause of Pakistan pulls me toward my destiny.

Maybe it's a call of destiny much more for the nation than for myself."

On if he saw any good leadership in Pakistan that will shift the country from the grip of religious extremists, Musharraf replied, "That is why I want to go back."

Responding to a question on Pakistan's nuclear arsenal, he said, "...Yes, we have nuclear weapons, and we are proud of it. Nuclear weapons are the pride of every man, woman and child walking in the streets of Pakistan. Why are we nuclear?

Because of India."

been poisoned, the report added.

However Gunawan said there was only one calf, which would be taken to the agency's elephant training centre and "may be released to the wild again if conditions allow".

“I don't want to speculate the cause of death until we get the formal autopsy r e p o r t . I t might have died from stress, lack of food or poisoning,” he said.

TEPCO said the radioactive materials in water of the No 2 reactor included 2.9-billion becquerels of iodine-134, 13-million becquerels of iodine-131, and 2.3-million becquerels each for cesium 134 and 137. These substances are emitted during nuclear fission inside a reactor core.

Emergency workers trying to cool the nuclear plant were temporarily evacuated following the detection of extremely high radiation.Three workers at the No.3 reactor's turbine building were earlier exposed to the water containing radioactive materials 10,000 times the normal level on March 24.

As Japan battled to stabilise

the nuclear plant, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano conceded that the progress was slow.

"We'd like to be able to give a clear outline as to when this will be resolved, and those working at the site feel the same way," he told NHK. "But I can't be anymore optimistic than what the reality of it is."

Radiation levels 40 per cent higher than the yearly limit for the general public were also detected more than 30 km from the Fukushima power plant.

Earlier, Japan's nuclear agency had said that levels of radioactive iodine in the sea near the plant had risen to 1,850 times the normal level.

Pg 14 GOA, Monday, 28 March 2011

SPORTS

Verna win St Rock Super Soccer HERALD SPORTS DESK PANJIM, MARCH 27

Verna Sports Club defeated Betalbatim Sports Club to emerge champions in 22nd St Rock Super Soccer in memory of Nazario Dias organised by St Rock Youth Club, Calata-Majorda at St Rock ground, Majorda.

There was no score at the interval.

The teams began on a cautious note and shared equal ball possession. However, Verna made more attempts at the rival goalpost with striker Rickson Fernandes’ tries being saved by Betalbatim keeper Jeremy Fernandes.

Betalbatim came close to scoring but Denzil Rogtao was the culprit after he missed to head a fine cross from Allwick into an open goal.

Changing ends, Verna shot into the lead in the 50th minute when Rickson shot on target, beating the Betalbatim keeper hands down.

Betalbatim almost equalised, but Malcolm’s header off a corner kick taken by Dickson Rogtao missed the post by a few inches just before the final hooter.

Following individual prizes were awarded: Best half of the tournament: Ariston Fernan-

des (Betalbatim). Best forward: Rickson Fernandes (Verna).

Best goalkeeper: Jeremy Fernandes (Verna). Best defender: Ariston Fernandes (Betalbatim).

The winners pocketed Rs 30,000 while the runners-up were awarded Rs 20,000.

Mickky Pacheco, MLA was the chief guest and gave away the prizes in the presence of guest of honour, Adv. Radharao Gracias.

Remedious compered. Earlier, John Gonsalves, club president welcomed. Domnic Carvalho, club secretary proposed the vote of thanks.

Mickky Pacheco, MLA giving away the winners trophy and cash prize to the captain of Verna Sports Club in the presence of Adv. Radharao Gracias, John Gonsalves, Roque Dias, Anthony Joao Gonsalves and other officials.

Photo: Savio Dias.

Goa Police lift Nanda Lolyekar trophy HERALD CORRESPONDENT CANACONA, MARCH 27

The captain of Goa Police receiving the winners trophy from Prasad Fatarpekar in the presence of Amaresh Naik, Pranali Bhat, Daya Pagi and Urmila Lolyekar at Mashem on Sunday.

Cuncolim Municipal Council triumph HERALD CORRESPONDENT MARGAO, MARCH 27

Cuncolim Municipal Council beat Panjim Municipal Council by 9 runs to emerge champions in All-Goa inter-municipality tennis ball cricket tournament organised by Margao Municipal Council at SAG sports complex, Fatorda on Saturday.Batting first, Cuncolim scored 41 for 4 in 4 overs. Ankush top scored with 14 runs.

In reply, Panjim scored 32 for five in four overs.

Cuncolim were richer by Rs 25,000 and a trophy while Panjim had to be content with Rs 15,000 and a trophy.

Following individual prizes

were awarded: Best batsman: Rajesh (Panjim, Rs 2,000). Man of the series: Yogesh (Panjim, Rs 2,000). Best bowler: Ankush (Cuncolim, Rs 2,000). Best fielder: Laxmikant Kamat (Margao, Rs 2,000). Best disciplined team: Ponda Municipal Council (Rs 2,000).

MMC chairperson, Sushila Naik declared the tournament open. Chief Minister, Digambar Kamat was the chief guest and gave away the prizes in the presence of Sushila Naik.

Earlier, Damodar Shirodkar, MMC councilor, secretary of organising committee welcomed.

Later, Vaikunt Fondekar proposed the vote of thanks.

Goa Police beat Margao Cricket Club by 3 wickets in the finals of Nanda J Lolyekar 30th rolling trophy cricket tournament for the third consecutive year at Nirakar Maidan Dapot Mashem on Sunday.

Goa Police won the toss and elected to field. Margao set a target of 181 for 8 in 35 overs.

Damodar Redkar (67), Rahul Naik (32). Krishna Volvoikar 34 for 3, Hemant Khot 30 for 2, Ulhas Naik 26 for 2.

Goa Police secured the target

of 182 for 7 in 31.2 overs.

Vaibhav Kadkade (52), Ulhas Naik (38), Krishna Volvoikar (38).

Badal Singh 33 for 3, Anil Naik 28 for 2.

Following individual prizes were awarded: Man of the match: Krishna Volvoikar. Man of the tournament: Sandesh Naik.

Prasad Fatarpekar, GCA secretary was the chief guest and gave away the prizes in the prese n c e o f g u e s t o f h o n o u r, Amaresh Naik, GCA treasurer.

Pranali Bhat, sarpanch, Daya Pagi and Urmila Lolyekar were special invitees.

PCE Rego’s team tops HERALD SPORTS DESK PANJIM, MARCH 27

PCE Rego’s Team defeated Works Division IX of PWD by 27 runs to claim Vijai Sardessai Trophy in 1st inter-SD/WD/CO tennis ball cricket tournament organised by PWD’s Sports and Recreation Club, in association with SAG at open football ground near swimming pool, Fatorda, Margao.

The winners walked away with Rs 10,000 while the run-

ners-up had to be content with Rs 5,000. The semi-finalists were Rs 3,000.

Vijai Sardessai was the chief guest and gave away the prizes in the presence of Minister for PWD, Churchill Alemao.

Principal Chief Engineer, Joseph Rego collected the winners trophy and commended the efforts of sports secretary, Gomakant Mahambrey.

Following individual prizes

were awarded: Man of the series and man of the finals: Samir Chodankar (PCE). Highest run rate: Shailesh Naik (WD XIV).

Best batsman: Someshwar Adpaikar (PCE). Best bowler: Narayanrao Dasari (SDII/WDIII). Best fielder: Sanjivkumar Nipanikar (WD II).

Highest wicket taker: Uday Kundaikar (WD V).

Treasurer of PWD Sports and Recreation Club, Nitin Neurenkar proposed the vote of thanks.

Churchill Bros face Lajong in IFA semis HERALD SPORTS REPORTER PANJIM, MARCJ 27

Churchill Bros will clash with Shillong Lajong FC in the semifinals of 115th IFA Shield at Salt Lake Stadium, Kolkata on Monday.

Shillong beat Pune FC 2-1 in the final Group B encounter on Saturday.

Needing a point to qualify, Pune FC ended their campaign

finishing third in the group with six points. Lajong, who needed a win, thus made it to the last four as they finish second - behind Mohun Bagan with identical finally tally of eight points.

Shillong Lajong take on Churchill Brothers in the first semi-final while Mohun Bagan will meet Southern Samity in second semi-final, both of which will be played on March 28.

St Mathew’s pip Manar Boys HERALD SPORTS DESK PANJIM, MARCH 27

St Mathews, Azossim beat Mannar Boys, Siolim 5-4 via the tiebreaker in Villagers of Goa Velha Super soccer at Goa Velha ground on Sunday. There was no score at the lemon break.

Vicky put St Mathew ahead with a power packed shot. However, their joy was short-lived when Shubert equalised for Siolim when his shot deflected off a Azossim defender into his own goal. In the tie-breaker, St

Vijai Sardessai handing over the winners trophy to PCE Rego's Team.

Gomantak Vid clinch Sanguem U-14 title HERALD CORRESPONDENT COLLEM, MARCH 27

Gomantak Vidyalaya of Pilium, Dharbandoda clinched the Sanguem Taluka Level U-14 years and U-16 girls volleyball championship recently.

Team: Shutika Pavaskar, Pradnya Gaikwad, Priya Naik, Anusha Naik, Leela Thapa, Diya Gauns, Swarupa Samant, Sweta Naik, Reshma Naik, Manjula Pujari, Siddi Mardolkar and Sonali Chavhan.

Chandrank Naik and Shamu Samant, PE teachers of the school trained the students.

Headmaster, Ajit Kerkar and chairman of BBS Saunstha P R Nadkarni congratulated the team for their achievement.

In the finals, Gomantak Vidyalaya defeated Government Secondary School, Kalay at sports ground, Sanguem.

Tennis ball cricket at Campal

PANJIM (HSD) -- Sparkling Cricketers will organise their 2nd All-Goa 1-day invitational hard tennis ball cricket tournament on April 4 at Campal ground, Panjim. The winners will walk away with Rs 25,000 while the runners-up will have to be content with Rs 15,000.

Individual prizes will also be awarded. Only 16 teams will be eligible on first come first serve basis. The last date to submit entries is March 29. Details may be obtained from Anand on 9765981381 or Siddesh on 9823797999.

Chatur stars for Goa Velha HERALD CORRESPONDENT MARGAO, MARCH 27

A splendid hat-trick by striker Chatur Naik enabled Goa Velha drub Pax of Nagoa SC 5-1 to march into the quarter-finals of All-Goa SWC Cup inter-village football tournament organised

by SWC of Zaino at Zaino ground, Velim on Sunday. Goa Velha led 4-0 at half time.

Striker Chatur Naik, who was a thorn in the rival defence, struck early to put Goa Velha in front. Goa Velha mounted pressure on the rival citadel with

striker Chatur who single handedly demolished the rival defence and struck a second time to give his team a 2-0 cushion.

Chatur completed his hattrick as he slotted past the rival keeper with a snap shot.

Kumal Rodrigues added his

name on the scorer list when he punished the rival keeper with a deft placement.

Goa Velha made it 5-0 when Milroy D’Silva bulged the net.

Pax scored their consolation goal in the dying minutes through Vallanko Franco.

Mathews proved to be better shooters than Mannar Boys.

Russi Davar Rolling Trophy inter-village football inaugural: Football Club of Siolim and PVC Association, Parra, Saligao Sporting Club ground, 4.30 p.m.

Villagers of Goa Velha Super soccer: Superstars, Batim v.

United Boys of Ponda, Goa Velha ground, 4 p.m.

SWC Cup soccer: United Club of Nerul v. St Rock’s YC, Majorda, Zaino ground, Velim, 4.45 p.m.

Goa Hockey League champs - Margao United. Standing - Melchior, Boris, Volusiano (capt), Inacio, John, Gavin, Eishad, Prestely. Squatting Clive, Agustine, Sanford, Glen, Naveen, Rakesh, Cypriano.

Check associations’ recognition, urges SAG

By JOVITO LOPES PANJIM, MARCH 27

The Government has recognised 42 sports and games in the State with the Sports Authority of Goa (SAG) being the sole regulatory body to accord affiliation and keep track of the activities being conducted by their respective State level associations and also recommend merit marks as per the Sports Policy, which is already in force.

V M Prabhudesai, SAG’s Executive Director, told Herald that anyone seeking merit marks under the Sports Policy should verify if the State level association has the SAG recognition.

“There are a few games/sports where there is more than one association conducting championships, but there is only

one association which is recognized by SAG” the top SAG official disclosed.

“Often, students participate in events conducted by non-recognised associations and come to know about it only when they approach the SAG for counterchecking the certificates. The parents then create a big noise and uproar, since their ward has already participated in the event, but cannot get the benefit of merit marks,” remarked Prabhudesai.

Following are the recognized sports and games with the name of the State level association in brackets.

Athletics (Goa Athletic Association, Goa Masters Athletic Association), archery (Amateur Archery Association of Goa), atya patya (Atya Patya Association of Goa), baseball (Goa Baseball Association), badminton (Goa Badminton

Association), basketball (Goa Basketball Association), boxing (Goa Amateur Boxing Association), bridge (Goa Bridge Association), body building (Goa State Body Building Association), carrom (Goa Carrom Association), chess (Goa State Chess Association), cricket (Goa Cricket Association), football (Goa Football Association), go-karting (Go-Karting Association of Goa), hiking (Goa Hiking Association), handball (Goa Handball Association), hockey (Goa Women Hockey Association), judo (Goa Judo Association), kho kho (Goa Kho Kho Association), kabaddi (Goa Kabaddi Association), karate (All Goa Karate-do Association), mallakhambh (Goa Mallakhambh Association), motor sport (Goa Motor Sports Association), netball (Netball Association of Goa), roller skating (Roller Skating

Association of Goa), rifle shooting (Rifle Shooting Association of Goa), state tennis (Goa State Tennis Association), sepak takraw (Goa Sepak Takraw Association), shooting ball (Shooting Ball Association of Goa), swimming (Goa Swimming Association), softball (Goa Softball Associa t i o n ) , t a e k w o n d o ( Ta e k w o n d o Association of Goa), table tennis (Goa Table Tennis Association), tennis ball cricket (Goa Tennis Ball Cricket Association), throwball (Throw Ball Association of Goa), tennikoit (Goa Tenni-koit Association), tug-of-war (Goa Tug of War Association), volleyball (Goa Volleyball Association), wrestling (Goa Wrestling Association), weightlifting (Weightlifting Association of Goa), yachting (Goa Yatching Association), yoga (Goa Yoga Association).

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GOA, MONDAY, 28 MARCH, 2011

Underdogs tag suits us: Taylor stage, the Kiwis made a statement of sorts by knocking South Africa out of the tournament in their quarter-final match.

"We've got lot of momentum in our camp. We're very happy the way we have fielded and hopefully we can continue with that and put Sri Lanka under pressure," said Taylor, whose unbeaten century in the 110-run win over Pakistan in the group stage helped the Kiwis into the knockout round.

Sri L anka thrashed New Zealand by 112 runs in a Group A match at Mumbai, where Muttiah Muralitharan took 4-25, giving New Zealand enough indication of what could be on offer during the semi-final at the R Premadasa wicket.

H o w e v e r, t h e good news for the Kiwis is that the wily off-spinner is under an injury cloud ahead of the big game.

"Obviously it's a sudden-death game. We are taking lot of confidence from our last game against South Africa. We've got an advantage that we've played against Sri Lanka in the pool match and we did a few things wrong and hopefully we will rectify that in the match come Tuesday."

Muralitharan finished with figures of 2-54 in his team's crushing 10-wicket win over England yesterday, but it could have been much better had two regulation catches not been dropped off his bowling.

Jonathan Trott top-scored for England with a defiant 86 and was the only English batsman who looked comfortable against Muralitharan.

"I thought the way Trott bat-

ted was something that we can take a leaf out of. (Particularly), the way they played Murali because obviously Murali was a big factor in the way Sri Lanka beat us in the last match," Taylor said.

The batsman is New Zealand's leading scorer in the tournament with 288 runs from seven matches.

"The main thing is to score runs and help the team win whether its scoring 40 or 140.

Getting a score and putting press u re ( o n t h e o p p o s i t i o n ) whether you are batting first or second."

Tuesday's match will be a repeat of the 2007 World Cup semi-final between the two countries when Sri Lanka defeated the Kiwis by 81 runs at Jamaica.

It will be New Zealand's sixth World Cup semi-final appearance.

They have lost on all five previous occasions, but Taylor said now is the time to take the next step.

"We are proud of our history of making it to the semi-finals.

But this team want to make history and go one step further and make the final, we generally believe we can do that and we want to show that on Tuesday," Taylor said.

New Zealand's build-up to the quadrennial extravaganza has been disastrous, with 0-4 and 05 ODI series defeats in Bangladesh and India respectively.

Taylor felt other teams might have underestimated them after the poor build-up, which included an 11-match losing streak.

"I don't think a lot of other people gave us a chance, which probably made other teams take us a little bit lighter then they would normally do. That played into our hands."

Bopanna-Qureshi in pre-quarters

New captain for England again

PTI COLOMBO, MARCH 27

The underdogs tag suits New Zealand just fine and it works to their advantage even more in crunch matches, says big-hitting batsman Ross Taylor.

"Most of the times when New Zealand play we are the underdogs. It's something that we almost enjoy," Taylor said here today.

New Zealand play Sri Lanka, one of the title favourites, in the first semi-final of the World Cup here on Tuesday.

"A lot of teams expect to beat us and we enjoy the underdogs tag and we expect to beat them as well."

While Sri Lanka were expected to make the last-four

l Nadal, Federer, Wozniacki up PTI MIAMI, MARCH 27

Rohan Bopanna and his Pakistani partner Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi warded off late resistance from the German-American pair of Philipp Kohlschreiber and Rajeev Ram to enter the pre-quarterfinals of the Sony Ericsson Open here.

The seventh-seeded Indo-Pakistani pair beat the unseeded rival team 6-3 7-6(5).

Top seeds Rafael Nadal and Caroline Wozniacki lived up to expectations as both advanced with ease at the $9 million Miami WTA and ATP Masters tournament.

Nadal, on the quest for his first trophy since October in Tokyo, overpowered Japan's Kei Nishikori 6-4, 6-4 while Wozni-

acki beat Daniela Hantuchova 6-1, 7-6 (9/7).

World number three Federer notched another match win and another career milestone through a straight-sets win over Radek Stepanek.

The third-seeded Swiss defeated the Czech 6-3, 6-3 to reach the third round.

In women's action, fourth seed Samantha Stosur put out Lucie Safarova 6-0, 7-6 (7-1) while sixth seed Jelena Jankovic defeated Klara Zakopalova 7-5, 6-1.

There was also an opening victory for 16th seed Maria Sharapova, a winner over German Sabine Lisicki 6-2, 6-0.

China's Peng Shuai upset 11th seed Svetlana Kuznetsova, hammering the Russian 6-3, 6-1.

AFP LONDON, MARCH 27

England coach Fabio Capello will have to choose another captain for Tuesday's friendly with Ghana as he released John Terry for the match because he has Champions League commitments the week after.

Terry's Chelsea team-mates Ashley Cole and Frank Lampard a scorer in the 2-0 win over Wales in their Euro 2012 qualifier on Saturday - Spurs central defender Michael Dawson and Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney were also allowed to leave.

All five players played in the Wales game, but Capello has retained Dawson's Spurs teammates Peter Crouch, Jermain Defoe and Aaron Lennon as they didn't make an appearance.

Capello, who attracted severe criticism in the manner he handled the reappointment of Terry in place of Rio Ferdinand as skipper, is likely to field a completely different line-up.

Vettel starts with a bang AFP MELBOURNE, MARCH 27

World champion Sebastian Vettel sounded a warning to his rivals with a dominating victory in his flying Red Bull in the season-opening Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne on Sunday.

The German whiz, who at 23 became the youngest world champion last year, led his rivals a merry dance around the Albert Park street circuit, beating McLaren's 2008 world champion Lewis Hamilton by more than 22 seconds with Russian Vitaly

Sebastian Vettel celebrates with champagne on the podium after winning Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne on Sunday.

Petrov third in a Lotus Renault.

Ferrari's Fernando Alonso missed out on the podium in fourth place, while Vettel's Australian team-mate Mark Webber finished fifth for the third time in his home GP. There was jubilation in the Lotus Renault garage with Petrov's first podium finish in 20 GPs. Vettel safely negotiated his way off the pole and headed off Hamilton and Webber to the notorious first right-hander, which claimed seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher, who was forced to pit before eventually retiring after 19 laps.

The German made his first pit stop to change the faster-wearing Pirelli tyres on the 15th lap and again on lap 36, while teamm-mate Webber made three stops.

Vettel comfortably held Hamilton at bay as he cruised to the chequered flag underlining Red Bull's dominance in the early stages of the new Formula One season. The next stop on the F1 circuit is Sepang in Malaysia on April 10.

Adrian Sutil and Paul di Resta finished outside the points bracket as Force India Formula One team returned emptyhanded. Sutil ended the race 11th while di Resta finished 12th.

SA lacked composure, admits coach AFP JOHANNESBURG, MARCH 27

Coach Corrie van Zyl admitted Sunday that South Africa lacked the composure to go all the way after a shock 2011 Cricket World Cup quarter-finals loss to New Zealand.

'Choker' headlines littered weekend Johannesburg newspapers.

'Horrible! Super chokers do it again', 'What a choke' and 'Chokers' made painful reading for the likes of all-rounder Jacques Kallis, who queried whether journalists knew the meaning of the word before the World Cup. "We did not have the composure to go all the way," said Van Zyl, who steps down as caretaker coach as his contract expired with the World Cup defeat by the Kiwis.

But he refused to be despondent about the future during a media conference at OR Tambo airport east of Johannesburg, saying he believed the national team would go all the way at the World Cup soon.

"There is no question that this team will win the World Cup. It is important to keep the core of the team together," he stressed.

Ponting hopes for Sachin-sort rebirth

l To decide future in ‘next few days’ PTI MELBOURNE, MARCH 27

Australian captain Ricky Ponting is hoping for a "Sachin-sort rebirth" after his century against India in the World Cup quarter-final in Ahmedabad last Thursday.

"I guess with even making some runs in this last game that I've played and getting that really good feeling back about my batting again, hopefully it might be a bit of a kick-start for a Sachin-sort rebirth, if you like," Ponting told AAP today, on his arrival from India.

Sachin Tendulkar has scored 379 World Cup runs, the third highest aggregate of the tournament, at an average of 54. He averaged 81 in his most recent Test series against South Africa in a battle between the world's top two ranked nations.

Amidst lot of critcism, the star batsmen who had led Australia to back-to-back World Cup triumphs feels that he still has a lot to contribute.

Ponting said the next couple of days would be crucial for him in determining the way forward

for both himself and the team.

"I see myself as a leader around the group, simple as that, whether I'm captain or not I still think I've got a lot to offer as far as leadership qualities go."

Though heartened by the recent support of senior officials, Ponting said he was "absolutely" prepared to drop down the order and not continue as captain, "if that's what they (Cricket Australia,) and I believe is the best way forward."

He admitted the quantity of runs he scored in recent months had been "a lot shorter" than what he wanted.

But Ponting stressed he had no imminent retirement date in mind.

"I'll know the right time that it's time for me to not be playing any more and I haven't found that time just yet," Ponting said.

The skipper feels that the upcoming review of Australian cricket needed to examine the game from the bottom up.

"Starting at grassroot level and junior cricket, right the way through the elite teams and their performances, we have to

turn that upside down and inside out," Ponting said.

Questioned about Australia's reliance on the pace trio of Brett Lee, Shaun Tait a n d Mitchell Johnson at the World Cup, Po n t i n g s a i d pre-tournament injuries to spinners Nathan Hauritz and Xavier Doherty robbed him of alternatives.

"You look at the other teams that are left in the tournament now, they are probably doing it a slightly different way than what we did," Ponting said.

"A lot of them are only playing their two quicks and having a lot of spinning options, but unfortunately for us we never had that luxury."

He expected CA to send the strongest available side to Bangladesh for next month's

take wickets and on top of that there are a few young players who must now be developed," he said.

Smith singled out Faf du Plessis for his valiant effort in

trying to rescue the Proteas on Friday a 38-run knock.

"It was very encouraging to see how (Du Plessis) batted under tremendous pressure, and Dale (Steyn) and Morne (Morkel) also showed that that they are going from strength to strength as fast bowlers.

Smith had some advice regarding the "big decisions" that now had to be taken such as who would take over from him as captain and the replacement for coach Corrie van Zyl. Like Smith, Van Zyl has stepped down after the World Cup. "It's important that the new coach be appointed as quickly as possible, because there is a lot of work to be done," said Smith.

"Also, the next captain has to be given the chance to put his stamp on the side," he added.

Smith said he still had a role to play in

three-match one-day series and said he definitely wanted to be part of that squad.

Ponting said his injured finger was OK, despite taking another knock on it in the quarter-final.

"I'll probably have it looked at again some time in the next few days before we depart for Bangladesh," Ponting said.

Immediate future for Proteas is bleak: Smith PTI JOHANNESBURG, MARCH 27

Outgoing South African cricket captain Graeme Smith feels the immediate future of the team is bleak in the wake of its shock World Cup ouster and a lot of work lay ahead for the new skipper and coach.

New Zealand beat the South Africans by 49 runs in the World Cup quarterfinals, a match in which the last eight Proteas wickets fell for just 64.

It was a rude shock for Smith's men, who won five of their games leading up to the quarter-finals, including a nail-biting encounter against India in Nagpur.

"We played a few outstanding games and there were various highlights which we can look back on, but for now it is going to be difficult for the team and the immediate future looks bleak," Smith told the Afrikaans weekly 'Rapport' after the squad returned home late last night.

"I know that the team will emerge stronger from this setback, but none of us can shy away from the reality. We had an exceptional chance of winning the World Cup and we can only blame ourselves for the defeat," he said.

But Smith also held out some hope for the future.

"All is definitely not lost and the country's cricket is now entering a very exciting era," Smith said after what was his last game at the helm.

Smith had earlier announced that he would retire from the one-day captaincy after the World Cup. He was full of praise for the spinners in the team.

"The way Imran (Tahir) Robbie (Peterson) and Botes (Johan Botha) bowled forebodes lots of good things for the side.

We now have three spin bowlers who can

the national squad.

"I am still only 30 and I believe that I still have a lot to offer the Proteas. I would like to continue contributing as a senior player and batsman," he said.

n Smith had some advice regarding the "big decisions" that now had to be taken such as who would take over from him as captain and the replacement for coach Corrie van Zyl. Like Smith, Van Zyl has stepped down after the World Cup.

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Pakistan-india tie: an engrossing Battle of Wits

Dhoni v. Afridi, clash of unpredictables nDhoni needs to intelligently use his limited bowling resources again as he has so far not seriously felt the absence of a fifth specialist bowler, thanks to part-time spinner Yuvraj Singh’s 11 wickets in seven matches.

AFP NEW DELHI, MARCH 27

India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and his Pakistan counterpart Shahid Afridi will be involved in an engrossing battle of wits in the eagerly-awaited World Cup semi-final in Mohali on Wednesday.

Afridi's team ended Australia's unbeaten 34-match streak at the World Cup with a win in a league match, while Dhoni's side knocked the defending champions out of the tournament in the quarter-finals.

Dhoni and Afridi have so far proved adept at reading the situations and did not hesitate embracing unorthodoxy, like opening the attack with a spinner in a bid to wrong-foot the opposition.

The Indian captain opened the bowling with off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin in the quarter-final against Australia on a slow Ahmedabad track and the move paid off as the spinner removed in-form Shane Watson (25) in the 10th over.

Dhoni needs to intelligently use his limited bowling resources again as he has so far not seriously felt the absence of a fifth specialist bowler, thanks to part-time spinner Yuvraj Singh's 11 wickets in seven matches.

The Indian captain was also proved right when he included Suresh Raina in place of hard-hitting Yusuf Pathan against Australia.

Excitement builds up

Raina did not let his captain down as he was involved in a match-winning stand of 74 with Yuvraj.

"I prefer to go by instinct (in some situations)," said Dhoni.

India have so far lost just one game, against South Africa when their last nine wickets fell for 29 runs, and Dhoni was quick to remind his batsmen not to play for the galler y but for the team.

Pakistan have so far looked a disciplined and well-knit unit, thanks to Afridi's leadership qualities.

Afridi may not have shown his batting prowess, but has done well as a leg-spinner and fielder. He is the tournament's leading bowler with 21 wickets in seven matches.

He has persisted with wicketkeeper-batsman Kamran Akmal, who had an off-day against New Zealand when he let off Ross Taylor early in the innings. The New Zealander went on to score a century in his team's victory.

It was the only defeat suffered by Pakistan, but Afridi did not regret his decision as Akmal grew in confidence with each game and was involved a century stand in his team's quarter-final win over the West Indies.

Afridi's moves to promote Akmal as an opener, bring Asad Shafiq in the middle order and playing off-spinner Saeed Ajmal against the West Indies have also paid off.

REUTERS KARACHI, MARCH 27

As they eagerly await the "mother of all battles" in the World Cup semifinals, Pakistani fans are hoping that the high-voltage cricket clash against India would also lead to an improvement in bilateral ties between the two countries.

"It is not just about the cricket. The team that plays well will obviously win. But what is more important is that the match produces an overall feel-good effect in both countries so that the distrust and misunderstandings can be reduced," said Iqbal Haider of the Pakistan Human Rights Commission and an active campaigner for better IndoPak ties.

Haider pointed out that so far the Pakistan team had got a very good reception in India.

"The cricket will be tense but let us hope it paves the way for better relations. The Indian Prime Minister has taken the first step by inviting our President and Prime Minister to watch the match," Haider said.

Chairman of the Pakistan Senate Farooq Naik apparently, has been nominated by the government to represent them at the match as premier Yousuf Raza Gillani is already committed to a personal issue.

Even on the streets of Karachi, it is apparent that the people don't just see the semi-final as just a cricket match.

Imran Ayub, a student leader at the Karachi University, points out that everyone wants Pakistan to win but everyone is also praying that the match goes off smoothly and there are no untoward incidents. "...obviously who doesn't want Pakistan to win they are playing in India after nearly four years," he said with a smile.

n Afridi may not have shown his batting prowess, but has done well as a leg-spinner and fielder. He is the tournament's leading bowler with 21 wickets in seven matches.

Mind games begin in Asia super show AFP NEW DELHI, MARCH 27

India and Pakistan kicked-off the mind games ahead of their World Cup semi-final blockbuster on Sunday while New Zealand attempted to halt a three-pronged Asian assault on the title.

Pakistan, the 1992 champions, insist all the pressure will be on India in Mohali on Wednesday where the hosts' status as tournament favourites will come under scrutiny from a 30,000 crowd made up almost entirely of home support.

"If India were going to win the World Cup, this is their best chance," said Imran Khan, who captained the 1992 Pakistan title-winning team.

"I am not trying to play mind games, but the fact that they are favourites and are playing

n Pakistan are keen to ramp up the psychological battle, fully aware of the significance of the first meeting of the two rivals on Indian soil since the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks.

at home will means they are under more pressure.

"My advice to the Indian team is to take sleeping pills, otherwise they won't be able to sleep," added Imran in his Hindustan Times column.

Pakistan are keen to ramp up the psychological battle, fully aware of the significance of the first meeting of the two rivals on Indian soil since the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks.

They also know that the number of Pakistan fans inside the PCA stadium will be limited to a trickle of VIPs, including Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, and cricket officials.

Pakistan manager Intikhab Alam, a former Test skipper and coach, has appealed for calm between the two sets of fans ahead of the game.

"Let it remain as cricket and don't make us feel as if we are standing on a war front," he said.

Sri Lanka will hope to make it an all-subcontinent final when they tackle New Zealand in the first semi-final in Colombo on Tuesday.

Sri Lanka, the 1996 champions, made the last four with a 10-wicket rout of England while the Black Caps defied all expectations by defeating

South Africa.

New Zealand will be playing in a sixth semi-final.

"It is important to be confident but we should be realistic.

New Zealand will be hungry for a place in the final and so are we," said Sri Lanka skipper Kumar Sangakkara.

Sri Lanka defeated New Zealand by 112 runs in the group stages in a bad-tempered affair where former captain Mahela Jayawardene refused to walk despite claims of a clean catch by Nathan McCullum.

New Zealand's mood was not helped when the decision remained not out even after a TV review.

The Kiwis have lost in the World Cup semi-finals to the West Indies (1975), England (1979), Pakistan (1992 and 1999) and Sri Lanka (2007) but top batsman Ross Taylor feels the current team has the ability to go one step further.

"We are proud of our history of making it to the semi-finals," the 27-year-old said Sunday.

"But this team want to make history and go one step further and make the final. We believe we can do that and we want to show it on Tuesday."

Indians enjoy light training session PTI MOHALI, MARCH 27

With high-voltage semi-final clash between India and Pakistan scheduled on Wednesday, Indian team had a light training session playing football and volleyball while Pakistani players enjoyed an extensive net session at the PCA stadium, here today.

Indian team led by skipper M S Dhoni reached the stadium late in the afternoon as captain coach Gary Kirsten straightaway went to have a look at the pitch.

While the two were having a close look, pitch curator Daljit Singh was also around. Off-spinner Harbhajan Singh, who was away to his hometown Jalandhar yesterday, about 150 km from here, joined his teammates in the evening when they were playing volleyball.

Thereafter, a friendly football match was played for nearly 90 minutes between Dhoni's camp that included Virat Kohli, S Sreesanth, Ashish Nehra and Virender Sehwag as goalkeeper on one side and opposite team that had Sachin Tendulkar, Yuvraj Singh, Yusuf Pathan and Gautam Gambhir as goalkeeper.

Initially, Tendulkar kept knocking at one end while other teammates were playing football, but he joined his mates soon.

Virender Sehwag didn't take part in the football match as he didn't think it would be right to aggravate his knee injury before such a crucial encounter.

Later, the team did some fielding practice. After the session was over, Dhoni, Nehra, Munaf and few others including Harbhajan Singh played volleyball for a while before winding up.

Earlier today, Pakistani team led by Shahid Afridi played football, did some warm-up exercises while some teammates including Afridi and Misbah-ul-Haq could be seen wearing boxing gloves and exchanging punches.

Blame it on hectic schedule: Strauss PTI COLOMBO, MARCH 27

An exhausted England cricket captain Andrew Strauss blamed his team's quarter-final exit from the World Cup on the hectic international schedule that has kept the side on the road for nearly six months now.

"It's a huge amount to ask players to go to Australia for three months (for the Ashes), into the highest intensity atmosphere you can get for an English team, and then go straight into a World Cup without players spending time at home," said Strauss after the 10-wicket loss to Sri Lanka in the quarter-finals.

"This certainly is no good.

It didn't give us the best chance, but that's not the only reason for not doing well here.

You still have got to go out and play," he added.

Since October, England have been travelling and the tiredness began to show in the team's roller-coaster group stage campaign. England tied a match against India, beat South Africa but lost to Ireland and Bangladesh.

Strauss said despite the exhaustion that his team has endured, he does not want to cite it as a reason for the World Cup ouster.

"I think you could cite tiredness, but that would be running away from the issue," he said.

"We haven't played good enough cricket. Generally English teams in the subcontinent haven't played well enough to compete day in, day out. We have got to be better than that," he added.

England lost important players such as Kevin Pietersen

and Stuart Broad to injury while all-rounder Michael Yardy quit the event due to depression.

Looking back at the past five months, Strauss said winning the Ashes has been the highlight of his career.

"The Ashes was certainly my proudest moment in cricket.

It was probably one of English cricket's proudest moments for a long time. No one will ever take that away. We were very fortunate to be part of that," said the captain.

"Since then things have been tough, there is no doubt about that. We have had injuries, we have had people who have lost form, and we were not good enough in one-dayers in either Australia or this World Cup. "I think we scrapped hard, and showed some fight, which is great, but didn't h a v e e n o u g h quality to go

on and win this tournament.

That's the reality."

England were bowled out for 229 in the match last night and Sri Lanka chased it down with more 10 overs in hand.

"We were thoroughly outplayed. We can't hide away from that," said Strauss.

"We thought it was a good toss to win. On a pretty flat wicket probably 260-270 was more like the par score if could get off to a fast start.

We l o s t a c o u p l e o f wickets, had to rebuild, but then weren't able to go through the gears in the last few overs," he added.