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Power Minister Sudin Dhavalikar said the land earmarked for the IIT project was acquired long ago during the GEC expansion, and the Katamgal Dada site will not be touched • SCERT Director Meghana Shetgaonkar said SCERT has prepared 41 textbooks for Classes 1-8 under NEP 2020 guidelines; "150 teachers & academicians were involved in compiling age appropriate content with the focus of curricular goals & competency; review committee will soon be constituted to proofread all 41 textbooks," Shetgaonkar • Power Minister Sudin Dhavalikar said the Electricity Department has corrected 7.5 lakh power bills so far and aims to complete the correction of all erroneous bills within a year. He added that excess load charges and penalties wrongly collected from consumers will be adjusted in future electricity bills. • The High Court has appointed a child psychologist to counsel four traumatised children rescued in a child-begging case in Goa. The psychologist will also conduct family reintegration sessions and submit a report to the court on July 6. • Hemant Shirodkar and Eknath Gawas, accused in the Taleigao assault case, were granted bail by the Mapusa JMFC Court. Panaji Police have booked four persons for attempt to murder after a 21-year-old youth was allegedly attacked with an iron rod and wooden stick over previous enmity. • Transport Minister Mauvin Godinho said Goa has recorded a decline in road accidents following improvements at accident black spots and stricter road safety measures. He said the ongoing awareness campaign will continue till July 15, after which the government will decide on installing CCTV cameras at key junctions. • Transport Minister Mauvin Godinho said the Goa government's decision on the Taxi Policy has been deferred as elections are approaching. He said this is not the right time to take a tough decision and noted that the proposed Digital Taxi Policy does not yet have broad consensus. The issue will be revisited after the elections. • Goa recorded 19.88 lakh tourist arrivals by rail between January and May 2026, marking a 6.8% increase over the same period last year, according to Goa Tourism. • The Centre told the Supreme Court that India's 20% ethanol blending programme is still an ongoing experiment, with clearer results expected by next year. The government said there is no conclusive evidence that E20 fuel damages vehicles and reaffirmed that the policy will continue, citing benefits for energy security, farmers, and the environment. Power Minister Sudin Dhavalikar said the land earmarked for the IIT project was acquired long ago during the GEC expansion, and the Katamgal Dada site will not be touched • SCERT Director Meghana Shetgaonkar said SCERT has prepared 41 textbooks for Classes 1-8 under NEP 2020 guidelines; "150 teachers & academicians were involved in compiling age appropriate content with the focus of curricular goals & competency; review committee will soon be constituted to proofread all 41 textbooks," Shetgaonkar • Power Minister Sudin Dhavalikar said the Electricity Department has corrected 7.5 lakh power bills so far and aims to complete the correction of all erroneous bills within a year. He added that excess load charges and penalties wrongly collected from consumers will be adjusted in future electricity bills. • The High Court has appointed a child psychologist to counsel four traumatised children rescued in a child-begging case in Goa. The psychologist will also conduct family reintegration sessions and submit a report to the court on July 6. • Hemant Shirodkar and Eknath Gawas, accused in the Taleigao assault case, were granted bail by the Mapusa JMFC Court. Panaji Police have booked four persons for attempt to murder after a 21-year-old youth was allegedly attacked with an iron rod and wooden stick over previous enmity. • Transport Minister Mauvin Godinho said Goa has recorded a decline in road accidents following improvements at accident black spots and stricter road safety measures. He said the ongoing awareness campaign will continue till July 15, after which the government will decide on installing CCTV cameras at key junctions. • Transport Minister Mauvin Godinho said the Goa government's decision on the Taxi Policy has been deferred as elections are approaching. He said this is not the right time to take a tough decision and noted that the proposed Digital Taxi Policy does not yet have broad consensus. The issue will be revisited after the elections. • Goa recorded 19.88 lakh tourist arrivals by rail between January and May 2026, marking a 6.8% increase over the same period last year, according to Goa Tourism. • The Centre told the Supreme Court that India's 20% ethanol blending programme is still an ongoing experiment, with clearer results expected by next year. The government said there is no conclusive evidence that E20 fuel damages vehicles and reaffirmed that the policy will continue, citing benefits for energy security, farmers, and the environment.

POLITICS

CM Sawant Says Rejecting IIT Project Would Be a Loss for Goa

The Goa government has reiterated its support for the proposed Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) project, with Chief Minister Pramod Sawa

30th Jun 2026 • Jun 30 • 2 views

The Goa government has reiterated its support for the proposed Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) project, with Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and Power Minister Sudin Dhavalikar asserting that the project will not affect the revered Katamgal Dada site.

Power Minister Sudin Dhavalikar clarified that the land earmarked for the IIT project was acquired several years ago during the expansion of the Goa Engineering College (GEC) and maintained that the Katamgal Dada site will not be touched.

Chief Minister Pramod Sawant also defended the project, saying that rejecting the proposed IIT over the Katamgal Dada issue would be a loss for Goa. While expressing respect for Katamgal Dada and the sentiments of devotees, the Chief Minister said he does not understand the opposition to establishing an IIT in the state.

Sawant said the government remains committed to protecting places of cultural and religious importance while also pursuing educational infrastructure that would benefit Goa's students and future generations.

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