SUNDAY, 30 AUGUST 2026
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Dug up and dumped: Why are Goans tolerating bad roads?

The entire stretch of the CHOGM road at Saligao (starting from Cross-Road Circle/Government Primary School and heading right up towards the Shivaji statue near the Calangute Police Station), which was dug up to lay some underground water pipeline and kept unattended for months thereafter, has been finally hot-mixed, but only where it was damaged, leaving the other side fully incomplete and looking very shabby.
A similar type of restoration work is seen in the heart of Panaji too, especially on the road near Azad Maidan/Main Panaji Police Station and many other important roads. 
Why? Doesn't the government have enough money to carry on the restoration work of all the dug-up roads in the State in a more professional manner? 
I think that the reason why our elected government is seen shabbily/partly restoring roads in such a manner in the State despite collecting numerous taxes from road users, is because it knows that most Goans are ‘susegad’ and will never complain even if their roads are kept unattended for years and restored shabbily. 
It is disheartening to see Goans still living with their same old ‘mhaka kiteak podlam’ (Why do I care?) attitude and doing nothing worthwhile to bring about any real change. Only sustained public pressure can compel the authorities to change course and treat basic civic infrastructure with the seriousness it deserves.

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Affordable healthcare: Goa can take a cue from Punjab

A F NAZARETH, Alto Porvorim
Published Jan 25, 2026, 1:09 AM IST
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As per reports, the Punjab government has rolled out an ambitious scheme for free medical treatment up to Rs 10 lakh for every family in the State. The USP of the scheme is that, irrespective of the type of illness, patients have only to produce their health card to avail of free cashless treatment in hospitals. In sharp contrast, Goa has the ‘Deen Dayal Swasthya Seva Yojana’ scheme for free medical treatment up to Rs 2.5-3 lakh per family of two or more, but limited to…

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