Amidst fiscal crisis Goa BJP govt. organizes World Cup junket

[email protected] (CD Network)
June 12, 2014

Panaji, June 12: The opposition and civil society Thursday came down heavily on the Goa government's decision to organise a Rs.89 lakh junket for six ruling legislators, including three ministers, to witness the FIFA World Cup in Brazil.

bjp copyGoa's top football player and Arjuna award-winner Bruno Coutinho was disappointed as his name was dropped from the list in favour of a politician, even as ruling MLA Benjamin Silva put the onus on Sports Minister Ramesh Tawadkar and Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar for the decision to include only legislators on the junket.

"On one hand, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been openly advocating not to misuse public funds, but his party's chief minister in Goa has contradicted Modi's view by approving a junket for his MLAs," Congress spokesperson Durgadas Kamat said.

Tawadkar, Fisheries Minister Avertano Furtado, Power Minister Milind Naik and MLAs Carlos Almeida, Glen Ticlo (both from the BJP) and Benjamin Silva (Independent MLA supporting the state government) are part of the Goa government's junket which leaves for Brazil July 1 to watch the quarter-finals and semi-finals of the 2014 World Cup.

Financial sanction for the group, which includes neither officials, nor players or sports administrators was accorded first by the sports minister and subsequently by Parrikar himself, officials said.

"Parrikar should scrap the names of these ministers and MLAs and include some sports administrator or our Goan football stars who have and can bring value back home from an outing like this," Kamat said.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Goa too has criticized the junket.

"This (is) our own fault for trusting this CM (chief minister) and the party to do the right things. What a disgrace!" AAP's Valmiki Naik has posted on the party's official Facebook group.

Former Indian skipper and Sports Authority of Goa's Joint Director (training) Bruno Coutinho said he was shocked and hurt because his name was first included in the list and was later dropped.

"My name was there, but when the sports minister cleared the file, he did not put my name. I am hurt a bit. I am a football player. I was an India captain," Coutinho said.

While the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has not come on record on the issue, Silva, one of those on the junket said the file was cleared by the chief minister himself.

"The chief minister told us to go to Brazil and take a look," he said. Responding to a query on public funds being used for the junket, Silva said: "Public funds are used for everything."

The Goa government is currently facing a fiscal crisis because of more than one-year-long mining ban. While the ban was removed only a couple of months back, mining has still not resumed in the state.

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News Network
March 13,2020

Bengaluru, Mar 13: District administration in Kalaburagi, where the first death in India due to COVID-19 was reported, has identified over 25 people, who come close to the deceased and quarantined for observation, Minister for Health B Sreeramulu said on Friday.

In reply to a debate on the issue during Zero Hour of the Legislative Assembly, the Health Minister said that two members of the victim’s family and 23 others are suspected of COVID-19.

Mr. Sreeramulu said all the schools of the district have been as a preventive measure to contain the deadly virus.

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News Network
January 16,2020

Bengaluru, Jan 16: Senior Congress leader K J George on Thursday appeared before the Enforcement Directorate officials here in connection with a FEMA case.

The former minister is being investigated by the ED for probable violation of provisions of the Foreign Exchange Management Act.

The ED had recently issued summons to George.

Speaking to reporters after appearing before the ED, George said he has answered to the officials' queries and will cooperate further also.

"ED had issued me summons, as a law abiding citizen, I have answered and gave documents to whatever they asked.

Further also if they call me...I will cooperate and provide necessary documents," he said, without divulging any details.

George clarified that no summons has been issued by the ED to members of his family.

"If required they (ED officials) will call me again, and I'm ready to cooperate," the congress leader added.

Last year, the president of the Karnataka Rashtra Samithi Ravi Krishna Reddy had complained to the ED seeking a probe into the alleged money laundering and properties held by George and his family members in the United States.

Responding to a question about a defamation case filed by him against those who have levelled the allegations, George said "Just because ED has called me for questioning, I'm not proved guilty."

"Anyone can complain to agencies like the Income Tax or ED or Lokayukta, but my only objection is with going to the press to project someone as guilty," he said.

"...going to the press with an intention to do a propaganda against me..someone who is in public life-- to project me as guilty is wrong, so I have filed defamation case stating the allegations are false," he added.

George is the third senior Congress leader from Karnataka to face an ED probe after D K Shivakumar and B Z Zameer Ahmed Khan.

Shivakumar was arrested by the agency in a money laundering case and was kept in Tihar Jail, until he got bail in October, while Khan was summoned in connection with the multi-crore IMA group Ponzi scam case.

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News Network
April 16,2020

Bengaluru, Apr 16: A 66-year old man from the city, became the thirteenth COVID-19 related fatality in Karnataka, Health Department officials said on Thursday.

The elderly patient from Bengaluru, who was coronavirus positive died on April 15 at Victoria Hospital in the city, officials said.

"He was referred from a private hospital and was admitted in Victoria Hospital and was on ventilator support since April 10," they added.

A 80-year old woman in Belagavi and a 65-year old man from Chikkaballapura had also died on Wednesday.

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