[Goanet] Ministers and email
-- | Wishing all Goanetters | | a Prosperous | | and | | Happy New Year - 2006 | |Goanet - http://www.goanet.org | -- Has anyone sent an email to any current minister in the Goa govt. and received a reply? I have sent more than 20 emails to Rane and Narvekar over the last 5 months, and not received a single reply. Now I have doubts whether these guys are capable of reading their email. Cajetan Rego, Tivim Goa __ Yahoo! DSL Something to write home about. Just $16.99/mo. or less. dsl.yahoo.com -- |Goa - 2005 Santosh Trophy Champions | || | Support Soccer Activities at the grassroots in our villages | | Vacationing in Goa this year-end - Carry and distribute Soccer Balls | --
[Goanet] First Funds to open call centre in Goa
-- | Add your name to the CLEAN GOA INITIATIVE | || | by visiting this link and following the instructions therein | || | http://shire.symonds.net/pipermail/goanet/2005-October/033926.html | -- New York-based First Funds plans to start its state-of-the-art call centre in Goa soon. First Funds has teamed up with Connekt Inc, a player in the IT and IT-enabled services segment, for this purpose. Speaking to Business Standard, Greg Kular, chief executive officer of First Funds, said, Infrastructure required to commence operations is now available in Goa. A large pool of English-speaking workforce has spurred us plan our operations here. India has emerged as a preferred destination for setting up customer relationship management centre due to advantages such as a virtual 12-hour time zone difference with the US, Kular noted. Armando Noronha, director of Connekt Inc, said, With the first multinational call centre deciding to start operations in the state, this is the first step towards making Goa an IT destination. I am looking forward to partnership with First Funds with regards to implementation of their new technologies. Of late, call centres have become a sunrise field with preferred destination being metros in the country. In Goa, like elsewhere, it is expected to generate booming business and employment opportunities. First Funds cash-advance programme targets mainstream businesses in the US market. The company is targetting small and medium enterprises, merchants and retailers which accept Visa and Master Cards for payments for their products or services. The product that First Funds provides to qualified businesses, is an emergency infusion of cash for working capital to small and medium business owners. We have established ourselves as an alternative source of funding for business owners, who know how important it is to maintain a fluid cash flow, Kular explained. As a lender of convenience, First Funds offers unsecured cash advances to their clients by leveraging an asset which most business owners have never thought about - their future Visa and Master Card sales. The company caters to clients in the US and now sees itself expanding operations to Canada and the UK. From the time it started operations - in February - Connekt has been growing exponentially. It has done work in the telecommunications, financial services and the automobile sectors. And now, it is venturing into cash advances with First Funds. Yahoo! FareChase - Search multiple travel sites in one click.
[Goanet]Goa's prospered the last few years...
http://goenkar.com/node/680#comment-1365 So why exactly did Goans reject Parrikar's government? Does anyone think the present govt will do any better? -Cajetan Rego Coprem, Tivim Goa __ Do you Yahoo!? Read only the mail you want - Yahoo! Mail SpamGuard. http://promotions.yahoo.com/new_mail
[Goanet]Inviting suggestions for SEZ
This website, sezindia.nic.in/, is all about SEZs. I must confess, reading this website I was not able to see a difference between an industrial estate and an SEZ. But this could just be a gap in my knowledge and understanding. Another Hong-Kong website highlights the meaning of Special:http://www.shenzhenwindow.net/sez/SEZ.htm An encyclopedia has given a few examples: http://www.nationmaster.com/encyclopedia/Special-Economic-Zone SEZ or not, let us just assume that the Goa government is doing something to attract industries to the state. We cannot let such an initiative fail. Hence, on a large forum like Goanet, we should collect our ideas and get them incorporated in this effort. Cajetan Rego Yahoo! Sports Rekindle the Rivalries. Sign up for Fantasy Football http://football.fantasysports.yahoo.com
[Goanet]Re: Goa SEZ and my views............
Dr. Barad, I agree with most of your views except one. You say that Goans will be given altu faltu jobs. What do business establishments stand to gain by doing this? Are educated Goans not employed outside Goa?. It is unlikely that a software engineer will be asked to become a security guard. I don't think it should matter whether the industries that start in Goa are Goan or non-Goan, as long as they provide job opportunities to goans. With a lot of industries around, at least goans will not have to migrate to other states. Also, think of how many goans are enterprising enough to start businesses. If non-goan companies are going to provide jobs to goans and pay taxes to the govt, I don't think they will be a burden on the state exchequer. Cajetan Rego Coprem, Tivim Goa - Original Message - From: Dr. U. G. Barad (M. Pharm., Ph. D.) Goa SEZ: Boon or Disaster!! SEZ for Goa can be a boon as well as a total disaster. Goans are already witnessing dying industries in decaying industrial estates existing in Goa.
[Goanet]Sorry State of the Goan Press
Here is a post from Rajan Parrikar on http://groups-beta.google.com/group/soc.culture.indian.goa?hl=en A couple of weeks ago I wrote to Shri Sujay Gupta, Editor of Gomantak Times and one of ex-CM Manohar Parrikar's vociferous and strident critics. All these months Shri Gupta's diatribes against Manohar Parrikar have been shrill and bereft of substance. In my email, I expressed the opinion that a vigilant and free press was crucial to the functioning of a healthy democratic government, and that I did not consider Manohar Parrikar or his government to be beyond the ambit of criticism. That a responsible press ought to hold the government's feet to the fire. But the press should not be exempt from criticism either, particularly when an editor masquerades as a dispassonate critic when in truth he is a partisan blowhard and an intolerant hack. Gupta's screed in the Gomantak Times has struck me as juvenile, and his lack of knowledge and historical perspective of the Goan political landscape appalling. I proposed to Shri Gupta that I would organise a public debate between him and Manohar Parrikar in Panjim in the month of July when I will be in Goa, at a place and time of his (Gupta's) choosing. I suggested that this would preferably be an unmoderated forum, but if he so desired we could have 2 moderators, one named by Shri Gupta and the other nominated by Manohar Parrikar. The idea was to make it a fair level playing field where (hopefully) a substantive exchange of ideas and opinions would be registered. The only stipulation was that this be a civil, dignified affair, without personal attacks or smears. My role would be that of an organiser, with responsibility for arranging the entire event and defraying all expenses related to it. All Gupta had to do was show up at the auditorium (likewise for Manohar Parrikar). Sujay Gupta wrote back to me and we exchanged 2 or 3 emails. After the initial round of hemming and hawing, he questioned my secular credentials, then called me a stooge of Manohar Parrikar. I pointed out that secular is itself a Christian notion and that I was proud to be non-secular on that count. Manohar Parrikar comes from the collateral branch of our family, his father and my father were very good friends, but I have only a passing acquaintance with Manohar-bab. We have met just once, 2 years ago at an airport, and our interaction was limited to exchanging pleasantries. I presented this information to Shri Gupta and asked whether he had any evidence that I wasn't aware of to prove that I was Manohar Parrikar's stooge. I asked him if he, an editor of a major Goan daily, would similarly smear every Goan supporter and voter of the BJP as a stooge of Manohar Parrikar. It was abundantly clear that Shri Gupta, who is a tiger behind his Editor's desk, had suddenly turned chicken when called upon to publicly account for the bilge he has been pouring out in newsprint for a while now. My invitation to him still stands: debate Manohar Parrikar in public. If July is uncomfortably close, let us schedule an event later this year in December. I am attaching my final email to Sujay Gupta below. I will soon be getting in touch with Manohar Parrikar and telling him about Gupta, the Chicken-in-Chief of Gomantak Times. Warm regards, r -- Dear Shri Gupta, Thank you for your response. Your continued name-calling and wild assertions lay bare the poverty of your case. You have no arguments to offer; the best you can do is call me a stooge of Manohar Parrikar. Are all the people who support and vote for Mr. Parrikar and the BJP his stooges as well? You are no less intolerant than the people you love to despise. With each email, you have strenghtened my charge that you have NOTHING on Mr. Parrikar, but only ad hominems to offer your readers. The current strength in the Goa Assembly is 21-19. In other words, a couple of seats can swing the tide either way. Is this your idea of a wipe-out? If you study the recent election results, you will understand that the aggregate votes the BJP received remain unchanged (I don't have the figures handy right now, but you can find them easily) and the core BJP vote-bank remains undiminished. It is not Parrikar's arrogance that lead to the BJP defeat, as your simplistic 'analysis' has it. There are a host of other factors. But far be it from me to stand in the way of you and your woolly fantasies. Finally: you cannot call me a stooge and at the same time claim that you have nothing personal against me. It is clear that you are intolerant of people who hold and express political views different than the ones you cherish. This says more about YOU than it does about ME. In summation, as I mentioned earlier, you want to hide behind the safety of your editorial desk (I mean
[Goanet]Inviting suggestions for SEZ
It is customary for all political parties to add the line 'We will eradicate unemployment' in their manifestos. How much of this is actually achieved, is what counts. The present government has got a Godsend gift in the form of the Finance Minister's offer to make Goa an SEZ. It is their chance to prove themselves and not waste the opportunity like they have in the past. It is high time we retain our intellectual workforce and not lose it to other states. As sons of the soil, it is also our responsibility to provide suggestions to the government regarding its implementation. I hereby request all Goanet members to enlist their suggestions and post them to Goanet so that we can compile them together and forward them to the government. I would also suggest that if the Goa-Suraj party can take this initiative, they should also publish the suggestions on all local dailies so that there is greater awareness and so that the government does not get a chance to turn a blind eye. Cajetan Rego Coprem, Tivim-Goa Yahoo! Sports Rekindle the Rivalries. Sign up for Fantasy Football http://football.fantasysports.yahoo.com
[Goanet]IT scenario in Goa
Goa's IT scenario has always remained dull thanks to the lethargy of the Governments in finalizing an IT policy and offering the right incentives to the industry. The software park was started as early as in 1997. Bu the governments kept themselves busy in toppling games rather than seriously giving a headstart to the IT sector. Till now, only a handful of IT companies exist in Goa. Almost the entire batch of graduates from Goa has to migrate to other states like Karnataka and Maharastra for better job prospects, leaving behind their parents and their birth place. I know a lot of Goans working in Bangalore and Pune and none of them is unwilling to work in Goa if they get the right opportunities. Instead of Goa earning precious revenue from large IT corporates, it has continuously been loosing its intellectual workforce, while spending crores of rupees on their education. Goa had an excellent opportunity when Patni and Wipro had chosen to setup their centres here. Every Goan software professional was looking forward to the Wipro centre. However the series of unfortunate political events made them turn their backs towards Goa. Corporates fear that a change in government will lead to the change in IT policy and will affect them. I don't see a reason why the current government is planning the IT industrial estate in Soccoro as if the previous government's plans for Taleigaon plateau were wrong. There is still a ray of hope with the central governement encouraging Goa to setup the SEZ. It is high time the new governement starts tracking all companies that are planning to expand in India, and making business proposals to them with generous incentives, including free land to companies that start in Goa within the next two years. That is the only way we can make a mark in the booming IT industry. Cajetan Rego Coprem, Tivim-Goa __ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail - You care about security. So do we. http://promotions.yahoo.com/new_mail
[Goanet]Correcting Goa's politics
I would like to express my opinion on a few points people have raised on this topic. Whether we should choose the Goa Suraj party: How can we be sure that the Goa Suraj Party will get rid of all Goa's problems? The people who actually do the work are the beaureucrats and Govt. servants. How will Goa Suraj change their lethargic attitude? Sack everyone who does not perform? If they do it, virtually all Govt servants will be sacked. If our health services are not upto the mark, what can Goa Suraj do that other parties could not? How will they attract industires to the state? How will they improve Goa's roads? I am sure some members of the party are active on Goanet. I request them to elaborate on how exactly they would bring about a change in Goa. The party's website does not detail out their manifesto. Will Christians be disenfranchised? I think we are simply overreacting by saying that Christians will be disenfranchised by the BJP. This is Goa as against Gujarat where explicit official orders were issued to burn houses. Just because such a thing happened there, it does not mean that it will happen here. Disenfranchising Christians is just not practical in a high-literacy state where the Christian population is significant. A few incidents here and there caused by overzealous people cannot be generalized as an assault on any religion. Not bringing Parrikar back to power, just because of this hypothetical fear, we will be depriving ourselves of an efficient Government. If we cannot appreciate the development Parrikar achieved for Goa, I think we don't deserve any development at all. I am not a BJP activist or party worker and had thought Goa would be ruined when Parrikar came to power 4 years ago. My attitude towards his rule has since changed after seeing his developmental efforts and efficiency. We need an educated and non-corrupt person as the CM. Rather than going with a general hate wave, I would request all readers to apply their mind and elect a progressive Government. Cajetan Rego Comprem, Tivim Goa __ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com
[Goanet]Re: Correcting Goa's politics
I don't disagree when people say that govt jobs were given to party cadres. But did this not happen during the congress rule? And do you think it will not happen if any other party(MGP, UGDP,...) comes to power? Don't you realize that things we complain about, happened even during the congress rule? Don't you remember that we complained about the same things during the congress rule? Don't you see the development that has happened in Goa? Should we elect the non-BJP parties and let Goa plunge into instability out of their perennial infighting? Should we let Goa have a new CM every 6 months and get branded as a politically instable state so that no industry finds us attractive enough to invest in? It is true that there are problems in the state as regards sanitation, power supply, lack of jobs, etc. But should we not give the BJP a chance to solve them? Do we expect them to get rid of problems in the four years of their rule? Think, would Goa have been branded as India's number one state if the Parrikar govt had been a bad choice? Saffronisation: Parrikar did not put all of us in a gas chamber and blow us up. Did he not have Christians in his ministry? The problem is with the way we see things. If a Christian officer gets replaced by a Hindu for any reason, it gets branded as an attempt to 'saffronise' the state. Nobody worries about the actual reason why the officer had to be replaced. If somebody comes out with a VCD showing anything anti-Christian, even though it is history and irrelevant in the present context, it is saffronisation. When Hindu mythological floats were shown at the carnival, instead of counting it as a display of communal harmony, somebody wrote in a local newspaper calling it saffronisation. When are we going to mature? When we had an IIT engineer as our CM, we had too many expectations out of him. Unfortunately he could not live up to all of them in four years. However considering all the progress Goa made, I think he deserves another chance. At the time of elections, should we refrain from voting thinking that all are equaly bad? It is again a choice, we have to make and choose the best among the rest. I have justified why I consider the Parrikar-led govt to be my choice in my posting: http://www.goanet.org/pipermail/goanet/2005-April/026572.html and if anyone disagrees, I request them to justify their disagreement before stamping abuses. Cajetan Rego Comprem, Tivim Goa --- Gabe Menezes [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: On 4/9/05, floriano [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Looks like a Parrikar tootsie is at work here. It is a fact that Congress, NCP, UGDP, MGP have been and are 'SCREW-BALLS' But what you don't realise is that the BJP is 'CASTRATED BALLS'. And you call yourself a Goan? Floriano - Original Message - From: Cajetan Rego [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: goanet@goanet.org Sent: Friday, April 08, 2005 1:23 PM Subject: [Goanet]Correcting Goa's politics Just imagine the hell Goa will turn into if the Congress comes in power... .. A Goan RESPONSE: For sure the writer is a Parrikar tootsie, as mentioned by Floriano. Can't see Saffron and does not have the courage to post their residency. Agreed that the previous political parties were no better; do Goans have just two choices, bad and worse? The BJP, if they return to power in Goa, will in time disenfranchise the Catholic minority and it will be too late and there will be sack cloth and gnashing of teeth. Goans have already had a fore taste of this. -- Cheers, Gabe Menezes. London, England __ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Small Business - Try our new resources site! http://smallbusiness.yahoo.com/resources/
[Goanet]Correcting Goa's politics
In January 2005,though things were not completely perfect, there was no crisis in the state. Goa ranked as the No.1 state in India. The Parrikar Government had received praises for the efficient organization of the IFFI. Goa is among the top tourist destinations in the world. There is surplus electricity. A stable and efficient administration had led industries to look at Goa as an investment destination. Wipro and Patni were all set to start their units in Goa. The River Princess was about to be removed. There were plans of an International airport. The sky bus was successfully tested. Panjim now looks like a European city. Goa has the smooth roads rarely to be found in India. There is no communal tension. Goa University has tied up with the prestigious IITs. Government schools in Goa have been upgraded. And all this fast track development had been achieved in four years' time under the leadership of a well-educated and sincere politician, Manohar Parrikar. Just when, the people of Goa thought they had a stable and progressive government, Parrikar was tempted to dismiss a corrupt minister. This minister had always been using the government machinery at his own pleasure. He was indeed a filmi 'goonda'. Parrikar had inducted him in the government because he had no other option when he came to power. Without his support Parrikar could not have pulled Goa out of political instability and power would have fallen in wrong hands. Throughout his tenure, Parrikar did a tightrope-balancing act, tolerating the whims and fancies of someone he eagerly wanted to evict. Eventually the tantrums went out of control and Parrikar had to dismiss him. In a couple of days, the entire numerical alignment in the legislative assembly changed. Those who had sung praises for Parrikar, turned into foes overnight. A smooth sailing government a few weeks before, now went into turbulence only after one member had been dismissed. If there had been something seriously wrong in the Governments functioning, or if there was a state crisis, or if the government was found to be indulging in criminal activities, the Governor would have been justified in overthrowing the government. But in Goa, only an MLA had been disqualified from voting at a trial of strength. This does not give the governor enough reason to dismiss a government, the praises of which he himself had been singing until few weeks before the entire fiasco. All of Goa knows this story. Take your memory back to the days when power was in the hands of an inherently unstable Congress. The chief ministers changed every now and then. There was absolutely no development in the state. Goa would be in the news only when the government would get toppled. Parrikar had broken this legacy and given Goa a stable government. The chief minister is supposed to be the mastermind behind the administration of the state. Issues related to health care, finance, industry, infrastructure, are guided by the CM. Every shuffle in the leadership causes the previous governments policies to be reversed. This is the main reason why Goa had not seen sufficient industrial investment. Wipro who had earlier shown interest are now rethinking their plans. There is no doubt that a Congress government will lead Goa into political turmoil. Just a day after coming into power, there was a mad rush for ministerial berths. Questions were raised about whether this government would last for over a week. If they come to power, you are sure to witness several side switches and musical chairs. These people who pretend to be united are the same people who have toppled each other. There is still intense rivalry between them, and they will give vent to it when the time comes. Just imagine the hell Goa will turn into if the Congress comes in power. After the elections, the numerical alignment will change even further and the same politicians with criminal background will lobby for cabinet berths. They include semi-literate people who have not even finished their primary education. So sorry has been the state of Goan politics that even a smuggler once became the chief minister. These people have no sense of duty or patriotism. They live flashy lifestyles, evident from the expensive birthday parties they throw and the cars they travel in. Contrast this with the lifestyle of Parrikar. He explicitly asks people not to issue greetings on the newspapers for his birthday. His attire is that of a common man. His simplicity makes him stand apart from other politicians. He has excellent contacts with some of the top industrialists of the country. His visions for Goa have always been progressive. The cyberage scheme has made Goa the most computer-literate state paving the way for E-governance in the future. The social security scheme and medical insurance scheme are similar to ones existing in many foreign countries. He got rid of the infamous slums in Baina. He gets criticized for
