NEWS UPDATES
The Census of Population in Goa will be conducted from December 1, 2026 to January 4, 2027, with the revision round from January 5 to 9, 2027. Self-enumeration will be available from November 16 to 30, 2026. The reference date for Goa is January 5, 2027 • All Panchayats across Goa will remain open from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM on Sunday, September 6, exclusively to receive duly filled forms for the Goa Ujjwala Yojana: CMO • Mapusa JMFC Court dismisses the bail application of Mapusa Municipal Council Councillor Tarak Arolkar in the alleged Rs 40 lakh Assagao land fraud case. Arolkar was arrested by the Crime Branch after an investigation allegedly found forged sale deed documents in his name. He is accused of accepting payment for the land but failing to execute the official sale deed. • Accused Mercedes driver Vidhyadhar Prabhu was produced before the JMFC Court in Vasco following the fatal Sancoale crash. The court has granted Verna Police two days’ custody. Prabhu was arrested after 37-year-old motorcyclist Ashok Chavan died when his bike was allegedly rammed by the speeding Mercedes at Shindolim, Sancoale, and dragged for nearly 2 km before both vehicles caught fire. • GPCC Working President Sunil Kawthankar has questioned Goa’s law-and-order situation following the recent firing incident involving a casino director/businessman. Kawthankar said the incident occurred barely 100 metres from the North Goa SP’s office and near the Assembly complex, yet the shooter managed to escape. • Air India has sacked the pilot-in-command of the Phuket–Delhi flight after an AAIB preliminary report found his confirmatory dope test non-negative for a psychoactive substance; the Airbus A320 had suffered a rare failure of all three hydraulic systems, leaving 24 people injured and causing significant cabin damage. AAIB has urged DGCA to take priority action to prevent psychoactive substance abuse. • Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has directed the Director of Education (DoE) not to transfer lecture-based teachers from higher secondary schools where student protests are underway. Newly promoted teachers posted at these institutions will also continue. DoE has been asked to ensure that the student protests are brought to an end. • Air India Express has filed its Winter 2026 international network changes, with a key boost for Goa as the Goa-Dabolim–Dubai service is set to resume at 7 flights weekly. The airline has also announced several new routes, resumptions and frequency changes across its international network. The winter schedule remains subject to change and may evolve closer to the season. • Prashant Joshi has been elected Chairman of the Goa chapter of the Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations (FADA). He will head the Goa FADA chapter for a two-year tenure from 2026 to 2028 • Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant launched the Goa Ujjwala Scheme, under which eligible beneficiaries will receive financial assistance equivalent to the average cost of three domestic LPG refills per financial year.
The Census of Population in Goa will be conducted from December 1, 2026 to January 4, 2027, with the revision round from January 5 to 9, 2027. Self-enumeration will be available from November 16 to 30, 2026. The reference date for Goa is January 5, 2027 • All Panchayats across Goa will remain open from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM on Sunday, September 6, exclusively to receive duly filled forms for the Goa Ujjwala Yojana: CMO • Mapusa JMFC Court dismisses the bail application of Mapusa Municipal Council Councillor Tarak Arolkar in the alleged Rs 40 lakh Assagao land fraud case. Arolkar was arrested by the Crime Branch after an investigation allegedly found forged sale deed documents in his name. He is accused of accepting payment for the land but failing to execute the official sale deed. • Accused Mercedes driver Vidhyadhar Prabhu was produced before the JMFC Court in Vasco following the fatal Sancoale crash. The court has granted Verna Police two days’ custody. Prabhu was arrested after 37-year-old motorcyclist Ashok Chavan died when his bike was allegedly rammed by the speeding Mercedes at Shindolim, Sancoale, and dragged for nearly 2 km before both vehicles caught fire. • GPCC Working President Sunil Kawthankar has questioned Goa’s law-and-order situation following the recent firing incident involving a casino director/businessman. Kawthankar said the incident occurred barely 100 metres from the North Goa SP’s office and near the Assembly complex, yet the shooter managed to escape. • Air India has sacked the pilot-in-command of the Phuket–Delhi flight after an AAIB preliminary report found his confirmatory dope test non-negative for a psychoactive substance; the Airbus A320 had suffered a rare failure of all three hydraulic systems, leaving 24 people injured and causing significant cabin damage. AAIB has urged DGCA to take priority action to prevent psychoactive substance abuse. • Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has directed the Director of Education (DoE) not to transfer lecture-based teachers from higher secondary schools where student protests are underway. Newly promoted teachers posted at these institutions will also continue. DoE has been asked to ensure that the student protests are brought to an end. • Air India Express has filed its Winter 2026 international network changes, with a key boost for Goa as the Goa-Dabolim–Dubai service is set to resume at 7 flights weekly. The airline has also announced several new routes, resumptions and frequency changes across its international network. The winter schedule remains subject to change and may evolve closer to the season. • Prashant Joshi has been elected Chairman of the Goa chapter of the Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations (FADA). He will head the Goa FADA chapter for a two-year tenure from 2026 to 2028 • Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant launched the Goa Ujjwala Scheme, under which eligible beneficiaries will receive financial assistance equivalent to the average cost of three domestic LPG refills per financial year.
