Insure sportsmen and women
Chief Minister, Manohar Parrikar, has taken the rightdecision in forming the Goa Football Development Council (GFDC) in order topromote and raise the standard of football in Goa. The GFDC Chairman, Dr RubinoMonteiro, should set-up and work out an insurance scheme in the interest of allsportsmen and sportswomen to help them in the event of any serious injuriessustained while representing Goa in the national or international games. There have been heart-rendering incidents inthe past of former Olympians who represented India and lacked financial aid forspecial treatment. The insurance schemeshould cover all the players (Juniors and Seniors) representing the Goa StateTeam including the All India School level games.
The Government Sports Pension scheme, to be introduced,should include all players who are permanently or indefinitely incapacitatedfor service due to any serious injury while representing Goa State duringtraining or participation at the national or international competitions/gamesrecognised by the All India Football Federation.
Melson F M Louis, Margao
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Welcoming The Goan
I’m thrilled to get the first ever copy of The Goan. The headingitself gives praise to Goans and was such a great milestone for every Goanfamily. It has bold write ups andinterviews, which takes me back to my childhood and a paper titles TheBlade. The pages – Taluka, Region, Townand Country are very interesting and make for good reading. I think Saturdaywill be eagerly awaited from now on.
Thomas Gomes, Velsao Goa
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Volume 1, No 1
I actually bought two copies of the paper, due to the factthat I now own the first ever issue of this new paper. I am 45 years old andthis paper made me realize the depth of decadence in the last decade in Goa.You have a humongous responsibility on your shoulders and have set the bar highfrom the first issue itself. So many of us were perhaps not even aware ofissues such as the taxi gangs in Salcette and the Kavlekar story. I wish thishad happened a decade ago, perhaps, we might have been better off by a thousandcrores rupees, if not more.
This issue is a handful. By the time you finish reading, thenext one is on its way! Honestly, my initial impression was that I was payingten rupees for quantity, but, it’s a quality issue.
Rajesh Chheda, Panjim
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Anti-plastic drive
Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar has reportedly announcedthat there will be strict enforcement of the anti–plastic law in the state.This is a welcome decision by the government. But then it must be said that inorder to make Goa plastic-free the anti-plastic drive should be a people’smovement. It is for the people to resist accepting plastic bags when they goout shopping. They should insist that the goods they buy at the shop shouldeither be wrapped in paper or packed in an eco-friendly bag like a jute-baginstead of a plastic bag. The fight against the plastic menace should be amulti-pronged one. If the Government is to make plastic litter a cognizableoffence then it should also provide an alternative to plastic bags. Civicbodies and Panchayats should make available to the traders eco-friendly bags toreplace the plastic ones. This should be a mass movement. Various NGOs andenvironment-conscious individuals should take upon themselves the task to makepeople aware of the need to do away with plastic altogether.
Why does the government not lead by example by making milksupplied by it available in glass bottles instead of plastic pouches? We needto declare an unofficial war against plastic in order to save our environment.
Adelmo Fernandes, Vasco
