The Navhind Times

Says no fees for consumers and small-time vendors New Delhi: Unified Payments Interface or UPI payments remain free for consumers, and any future merchant charges (MDR) will apply only to certain categories of merchant transactions, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said in the Rajya Sabha on Monday. Allaying apprehensions in certain sections that charges may be []

Mumbai: Maharashtra police have safeguarded more than Rs 1,700 crore of citizens money through timely intervention and freezing of funds before the money could reach cyber fraudsters, while over two lakh cybercrime complaints have been handled during the first seven months of 2026, officials said. Police have registered 803 proactive FIRs against persons and entities []

Vasco: Residents of Velsao on Monday removed construction material allegedly dumped on their traditional access road by a contractor engaged by Railway Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL), clearing the way to around 25 houses affected by ongoing double-tracking work. A large number of villagers, activists and political leaders gathered at the site following a request from []

Panaji: The Centres in-principle Stage-I forest clearance for the Tamnar transmission project is set to face further scrutiny from environmental activists over forest rights, wildlife protection and statutory compliance. Goa Foundation founder Claude Alvares said the clearance was expected. They will have to give because there is a Supreme Court order, he said, referring to []

Panaji: Stating that innovation and research provide practical solutions to real challenges, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Monday said research institutions can become valuable partners of the government. He appealed to researchers and students to undertake research and innovation in various sectors in the interest of the state during a programme at Goa University (GU) []

New Delhi: Former India batter VVS Laxman is emerging as the frontrunner to replace Ajit Agarkar as chairman of the BCCI selection committee after the latters extended tenure ends next month, according to a media report. Agarkar, whose original term ended in June, was given a three-month extension and was expected to continue until the []

They outclass FC Siolim 2-0 in the final; Joyson Gauncar shines with a brace Raia: Raia SC outclassed FC Siolim 2-0 to win the 53rd Custodio Memorial Cup, with Joyson Gauncar scoring both goals in the final. The hosts took the lead in the 15th minute when Joyson found the net with a neat finish []

Panaji: Goas International Master Ameya Audi produced a consistent run of performances during his European chess tour, registering three top-five finishes across tournaments in France and Spain. Ameya finished fifth with six points from nine rounds at the 400 Blows International Open in Montauban, France, and repeated the feat with six points at the 30th []

Open for coalition to defeat BJP: GPCC chief Panaji: Upset over the narrative that party chief and Fatorda MLA Vijai Sardesai was not cooperating with the Opposition MLAs, Political Affairs Committee (PAC) of Goa Forward Party (GFP) on Wednesday suspended alliance talks with the Congress. The Goa Forward Party clarified that it has not severed []

Panaji: Goas co-operative sector continues to face severe financial distress despite ongoing recovery efforts, with 44% of the states 5,611 primary co-operative societies identified by the Ministry of Cooperation as non-functional or under liquidation. Central ministry statistics presented in Parliament reveal that while 3,165 of the states total co-operative societies remain functional, 2,337 are non-functional []

Margao: Archbishop of Sindhudurg Agnelo Pinheiro urged the Catholic faithful to pursue lives of holiness and blamelessness that are acceptable to God. Pinheiro was the principal celebrant at the feast Mass of Nossa Senhora das Neves (Our Lady of Snows), popularly known as the Konnsache Fest, at Raia church on Wednesday. He delivered the homily []

Team to investigate alleged violations in Dodamarg, Sawantwadi Pernem: The Maharashtra government has ordered a probe into land transactions in the border talukas of Dodamarg and Sawantwadi following allegations of illegal land banking and violations of land and zoning regulations linked to the development of Manohar International Airport at Mopa. Speaking to reporters at Manohar []

New Delhi: Indias installed solar power capacity has surged by a massive 50-fold from a mere 3 GW in 2014 to scale the 162.15 GW mark till June 30, 2026, marking the dawn of a new era in renewable energy, according to a factsheet issued by the government on Sunday. The country added 37 GW []

Warns of designs of enemy nations New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday asked the countrys youth to take a pledge against substance abuse, saying drugs can give them a high for some time, but would make their entire career and personal life low. Launching the Nasha Mukt Yuva for Viksit Bharat Sankalp Abhiyan, []

On Parents Day, single parents share the challenges, choices, and realities of taking on two roles RAMANDEEP KAUR | NT NETWORK Single parents take on the role for different reasons. Some find themselves raising children alone after the death of a spouse, while others choose single parenthood or become single parents after leaving an unhappy []

PTI New Delhi Indias ancient Buddhist site of Sarnath in Uttar Pradesh was officially inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List on Saturday, becoming the countrys 45th world heritage site. The decision was finalised during the 48th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee held in Busan, South Korea. UNESCO announced the news on X []

PTI New Delhi The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) on Saturday called off its 36-day agitation after Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigned and the government accepted its other demands, a momentous win for the unprecedented youth-led movement that galvanised lakhs of people over irregularities in exams and the NEET paper leak. Pradhan announced his resignation []

NT Reporter Panaji Revolutionary Goans Party (RGP) has accused its MLA Viresh Borkar of attempting to seize control of the organisation and further declared that he holds no authorised position within the party. The RGP, in a communiqu, charged that a conspiracy to gain control of the party and split the organisation was planned during []

Amresh Parab Panaji In a crackdown on traffic violations, the Goa Traffic Police recommended the suspension of 11,731 driving licences to the transport department between January and June this year. Two-wheeler riders made up the vast majority of cases, with non-helmet compliance accounting for over 73% of the total recommendations. According to statistics compiled by []

Abdul Wahab Khan Panaji In a major leap forward for traditional healthcare and conservation, a survey has documented the rich medicinal potential of mangroves along North Goa and Maharashtras Konkan coast. By linking centuries-old ecological wisdom with modern research, the study fills a long-standing knowledge gap providing a vital baseline for future scientific research, drug []

NT Reporter Panaji The Scientific and Technical Terminology Commission of Delhi under the Union Ministry of Education and the Goa Konkani Akademi have undertaken a project to develop scientific and technical terminology in various subjects, with the Zoology Basic Vocabulary Project now completedafter review. A workshop on comprehensive zoology vocabulary has begun at the Konkani []

NT Reporter Mapusa Banana traders at the Mapusa Sub-Yard Market have commenced operations at the newly built artificial ripening chamberson Saturday. The 60-tonne facilityuses an FDA-approved ripening process and became operational on the occasion of Ashadhi Ekadashi. Traders inaugurated it by loading nearly two tonnes of green bananas into one of the four chambers. Former []

MITHIL FALDESAI The recent decision of 2025 Nobel laureate in Chemistry, Omar M. Yaghi to leave the United States and establish an Artificial Intelligence-assisted Materials Discovery Institute at Tsinghua University in Beijing has become one of the most discussed developments in the scientific community. Yaghi pioneered Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs), porous crystalline materials with remarkable applications []

NT Reporter Panaji/Mapusa Tension prevailed inPanaji on Saturday after police detained a youth during a celebration rally at Azad Maidan marking the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. The incident began around 6.30 pm when a youth, identified as Danish, was seen holding a placard that read Free Umar Khalid. Police intervened and detained []

NT Reporter Sankhali Thousands of Warkaris and devotees from Goa and neighbouring Maharashtra thronged the Shri Viththal-Rukmini Temple at Viththalapur in Sankhali, popularly known as Goas Prati Pandharpur, to celebrate Ashadhi Ekadashi. The temple premises echoed with chants of Dnyanoba Tukaram, Pundalik Varada Hari Viththal and Jai Jai Ram Krishna Hari as devotees gathered from []

NT Reporter Panaji Congratulating students on the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, an outcome of nationwide protests over the NEET-UG examination paper leak, Congress in Goa stressed theneed for education reforms and eradicating the corrupt system. Congress leader Yuri Alemao said Pradhans resignation is the victory of the youth of the country, who []

NT Reporter Panaji The Goa Forward Party has welcomed the resignation of the Union Education Minister, Dharmendra Pradhan, calling it a victory for Indias youth, students and parents who fought for fairness, transparency and accountability in the education system. The youth and students of our nation have won; their relentless struggle for accountability and fairness []

NT Reporter Verna A 30-year-old tanker cleaner from Chhattisgarh died after allegedly coming into contact with a live electric wire near Billa Cross, Verna, late on Saturday night. Verna police said the incident occurred when a tanker was travelling from Verna towards Bambolim. As the vehicle reached Billa Cross area, there was a power outage []

NT Reporter Margao The Goa Lokayukta has registered a complaint against Margao MunicipalCouncil (MMC) chief officer Madhu Guno Narvekar following a grievance filed by former chairperson and Congress leaderSavio Coutinho. The complaint, filed under the Goa Lokayukta Act, 2011, alleges corruption, maladministration and abuse of authority in issuing a no objection certificate (NOC) to a []

DR. LUIS DIAS The name Homer today is more likely to conjure the portly yellow bumbling protagonist of the American animated sitcom The Simpsons than the ancient Greek poet, widely credited as the author of The Iliad and The Odyssey, two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. A film adaptation of []

Dr. Nandkumar M. Kamat This article aims to investigate the biochemical basis of the strong craving observed among Goans willing to pay any price to taste local wild edible Termitomyces species or roen olmi. Every monsoon, the first serving of roen olmi leaves even experienced mushroom lovers wondering why this wild delicacy tastes so satisfying. []

Original Konkani story:Nirbhoi Nishpap Author: Datta Shripad Naik Translator: S.M. Borges Lying on the hospital bed, I was lost in thought. Some time back, a sparrow had hatched a few nestlings in our backyard; how big might they have grown today? A few days back, while leaving the house, I had seen the mother sparrow []

John Aguiar Goa has produced many sons and daughters who have served the nation with distinction. Among them is the inspiring story of Wing Commander Oswald de Abreu, a distinguished Indian Air Force fighter pilot whose life was defined by courage, professionalism and unwavering dedication to the nation. Born on November 29, 1970, and raised []

NT Reporter Panaji In a major decision, the Revolutionary Goans Party (RGP) dissolved all its existing state, district, block, taluka and ward level committees as well as other organisational committees with immediate effect and announced fresh elections for all the executive committees within45 days. The communication was issued on Friday by St Andre RGP legislator []

Roque Dias Margao In an effort to modernise Goas farming sector, the agriculture department has decided to commence a Digital Crop Survey (DCS) across the state during the kharif season starting August 1 to combine land records and crop information into onesimple system. This follows successful completion of a pilot project in the villages of []

Burn survivor, model and body positivity advocate Neha Baig from Ponda, who will speak at TEDx Panaji Salon today, tells NT BUZZ how she prevails despite the obstacles in her path and societys judgement CHRISTINE MACHADO | NT BUZZ Neha Baig has been on tenterhooks ever since she was chosen to give a Tedx Talk []

FILM REVIEW SACHIN CHATTE Film: Jan Neta Cast: Vijay, Bobby Deol, Mamitha Baiju Directed by: H. Vinoth Duration: 3 hours 3 minutes Rating: * 1 / 2 Jan Neta (originally Jan Nayagan in Tamil) is actor-turned-Chief Minister Vijays swan song. Its journey to the screen has been almost as dramatic as the film itself, with []

Maria Fernandes | NT Childhood cancer remains one of Indias most challenging yet often overlooked health concerns. Addressing this critical issue was medical oncologist at Goa Medical College Dr. Anupama Borker, the guest on the recent episode of The Navhind Times Talk from the Heart, which aired on Goa 365 channel. While childhood cancers are []

NT Reporter Ponda Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Friday said Goa is increasingly being recognised not only for its coastline but also for its temples, traditions and hinterland experiences, aligning with the state governments vision of promoting Tourism Beyond the Sea and Beaches. Inaugurating the three-day Chikhal Kalo Festival 2026 at the Devki Krishna Maidan []

London: British Prime Minister Andy Burnham began work from the new No 10 North in Manchester on Friday, which is designed to split the governments power base out of 10 Downing Street in London. The new northern England branch of the PMs office at Heron House in Manchester was declared open for business as Burnham []

A decade earlier in 2016, the Ministry of Civil Aviation under the Modi government rolled out the regional connectivity scheme, UDAN Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik. The architect of this policy, then a TDP MP and civil aviation minister, described its underlying ambition in clear terms: this policy will help India become one of []

NT Reporter Margao/Ponda Water Resources Minister Subhash Shirodkar, on Friday, stated that the government would implement a strategic water management plan for state dams to ensure that only the required quantity of water is released. Speaking to reporters at Arlem after inaugurating the Adharsh Auto Care Centre, Shirodkar said that the Salaulim dam reservoir was []

NT Reporter Mapusa Extending support to the ongoing student movement, hundreds of youths gathered at Lohia Garden in Mapusa on Friday evening for a peaceful solidarity protest against the NEET paper leaks, examination irregularities and police action against student protesters in Delhi. A large number of youths and others participated in the gathering, along with []

NT Reporter Panaji Goan industry bodies have welcomed the governments decision to finally allot land for the Goa campus of IIT at Farmagudiin Ponda. Industry associations, including the Goa Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI), Goa State Industries Association (GSIA), Madkai Industrial Estate Association (MIEA), and Kundaim Industrial Estate Association (KIEA), said the move brings []

NT Reporter Margao Former Delhi chief minister Atishi and Benaulim AAP MLA Venzy Viegas on Friday inaugurated an integrated VR Science Lab at Sacred Heart of Jesus High School, Carmona, set up using the MLAs funds. Viegas stated that every school in Benaulim would be provided with a similar laboratory as part of efforts to []

NT Reporter Panaji The Goa Forward Party (GFP) on Friday demanded that the state government publish a white paper within 10 days on a racing event held at Mopa earlier this year. The event was linked to a Chennai-based company. The party also alleged that the BJP-led government waived an electricity bill of Rs 2 []

NT Reporter Ponda The Ponda Block Congress Committee, along with a large group of students, on Friday organised a protest at Kranti Maidan against the alleged NEET paper leak and other examination irregularities, demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and comprehensive reforms to the national examination system. The protest, held under the []

NT Reporter Panaji The Goa Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) on Friday accused the BJP-led state government of turning governance into an event management exercise to facilitate corruption, alleging that nearly Rs 800 crore had been siphoned off through expenditure on public events, festivals and government programmes. The party demanded transparency in the utilisation of public []

NT BUZZ Dalgado Konkani Akademi in collaboration with the Konkani Department of Carmel College of Arts, Science and Commerce, Nuvem, Goa organised Buzvonn Boska a condolence meet to honour the memory of 40 prominent personalities who dedicated their lives to promote Romi Konkani. The programme started with a short prayer service by the students []

NT Reporter Mandrem St Anthony SC Siolim-Marna defeated Nerul SC via tie-breaker in the 4th Rosary Cup at Mandrem. Ayush Naik gave Nerul the lead while Akash Banaulikar doubled the advantage. St Anthony responded with a late surge as Preston Dias reduced the deficit and Brandon Pereira equalised in the final minutes. In the shootout, []