Goa is India's best state
New Delhi, May 10 (IANS) Goa is more than just a tourist paradise. It is India's best state in every way, according to a survey of states by top economists commissioned by a newsmagazine India Today.

SUMMER CAPERS FOR "MAIACHO MHOINO":
By: Joel D'Souza
With the heat increasing by the day in Goa, the weather is becoming very uncomfortable. Added to the plight is the question of water, which is becoming a scare commodity, and the situation appears worse that what it actually is. Of course, there are plenty of tropical fruits like mangoes, jackfruits, etc, available in plenty this year. The people are busy preparing for the aproaching monsoons and are engaged in getting the houses ready for the rains by retiling the roofs. Of course, the palm leaves have been replaced by plastic sheets wherever possible, and nowadays with modern equipment available the housewife is spared the trouble of gathering dry leaves to heat water for bath or store firewood. With foodstuff available at the innumerable general stores/cold storages, one need not also make the traditional "purument" of chilllies,
onions, dry fish, vinegar, etc for the rainy day. The Bombay crowd does come home for summer hols but now they have more options and quite a few head for the cooler hillstations elsewhere in the country. The traditional salt water bath too is becoming a thing of the past with the changing times. Weddings, Hindu as well as Catholic, besides feasts accompanied by dances, football matches and tiatr performance are, however, are celebrated virtually every alternate day of the week in Goa in the summer month of May. And weather one drinks or not, there is hardly any escape from hearing about the seasonal drink "Ur'rak" these days.

BULLET TRAIN COMING SOON:
The Konkan Railway Corporation's Bullet train, technically known as High Speed Train will run between Margao to Mumbai in the next one or two months, covering the two places within six hours. Announcing this at a press conference in Margao, Union Minister of State for Railways, Bangaru Dattaraya, said the trial run was completed successfully and the train has received clearance from the Commissioner of Railway Safety. "It's just a matter of time that the high speed train, running at 150 KMPH becomes a regular feature on the KRC tracts," the Minister said. Regarding the skybus proposal, Mr Dattatray said that the ball is in the court of the Goa government to pursue the issue with the Union Urban Development ministry. He said the KRC has put the proposal with the Railway minister for developing skybus in Goa.

O COQUEIRO'S GINES VIEGAS PASSES AWAY:
Mr Gines Viegas, owner of Goa's popular "O Coqueiro" restaurant in Porvorim, expired suddenly on May 13. Mr Viegas went to East Africa in 1940 and joined the East African Airways in Tanzania. He also started a thriving side business and commenced a driving school in Dar-e-Salaam called Viegas Driving School. He also took the lead in organizing cultural activities for Goans in Tanzania. He returned to Goa in 1972 and was staying at his ancestral house in Socolvaddo, Assagao. In course of time, Gines took over "O Coqueiro Bar and Restaurant" from Mr Pinto in October 1972, and converted it into one of the most popular eat-outs in Goa. Mr Viegas, a bachelor, was a fine host and a die-hard football lover, who would never miss World Cup Football matches. He had a large circle of friends. His date of his funeral is yet to be announced.

GOA ON TOP BUT.:
While Goa stands first in overall terms in the "India Today" survey on the quality of life, it ranks ninth in terms of law and order. This is down seven points from its number two position in a similar survey conducted by the magazine in 1991. In terms of agriculture, Goa has slipped to sixth position, 1 point down from 1991.

BEd STUDENTS PROTEST:
While students of both the BEd colleges in the State protested the Goa University's decision for a re-examination, the principals of both the colleges denied that they were "consulted" by the Goa University over the decision. The principal of Nirmala Institute of Education, Dr Rita Paes, refused to speak on the re-examination debacle stating that she would prefer "confidentiality" on the matter. She did express concern on the inconvenience that would cause to her students by way of re-examination. (H)

"YOUTH SHOULD TAKE TO AGRICULTURE":
Goan youth have to change their pre-conceived notion of feeling inferior in tilling one's own land and have to take to agriculture on a war footing to solve the unemployment problem, said Mr Prataprao Bhonsale, former president of Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee. Mr Bonsale, who was inaugurating a newly built public hall of Shantadurga Kunkallikarin Devastan at Fatorpa on Sunday, said that there is a misconception among the youth that only those who are uneducated should undertake agriculture and that agriculture is an unprofitable activity. (NT)

GOA STATE OF STATES
By: Joel D'Souza

Many Goans are glad that on Goa has been bestowed the rare honour of being the Best State among the country's 19 states, evaluated on 46 parameters including prosperity, law and order, health, education, infrastructure, agriculture and investment. The survey by top economists commissioned by Delhi-based magazine "India Today" assessed the performance of the various states from 1991 to 2001, and found Goa just a single berth behind Delhi in prosperity and budget. However, Goa bagged top honours in the sphere of education, health, infrastructure and for attracting the most investment.

Goa's Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar is obviously elated too and claims that "a dedicated master plan and judicious implementation are the hallmarks that keep Goa ahead of other States in terms of all round development". While in New Delhi, on May 11, he told PTI, "I had a master plan for the State even before I came into power which I have followed to the last detail with utmost sincerity in governance".

Finding that Parrikar and his BJP party was hogging all the credit for the honour, former MP Shantaram Naik of the Congress Party, which ruled the State during the period of assessment, claims that the real credit for the top status goes rightly to the Congress Party governments headed by Pratapsing Rane, Ravi Naik, Dr Wilfred de Souza and Luizinho Faleiro during their rule from 1991 to 2001. CM Parrikar subsequently thanked all the political leaders, his coalition colleagues, MLAs and the people of the State for having made it possible for Goa to emerge as the country's model state.

For India's top State, however, the hardships begin in the capital city of Panjim itself, which is reeling under a water scarcity, and the urban residents are far from happy in this connection. The power supply situation is not so bright either. In education, where Goa tops, the dust has hardly settled down on the recent SSC paper leak while reports state that the Goa University, has issued a notification asking BEd students to reappear for examinations in two papers. Another report depicts the pitiable conditions of Government Primary Schools in South Goa district. In the tourists' haven, people involved in the hospitality industry too are far from content in recent years, while drowning, holdups, thefts, etc make headlines quite frequently.

People point out a series of such drawbacks, avoidable or otherwise, not because we are generally given to pessimism but with a hope that the administration would tackle the problems and make our State really one to be emulated by the rest of country.