www.goa-world. com GULF-GOANS e-NEWSLETTER (since 1994) >>http://www.yahoogroups.com/group/gulf-goans/ http://www.colaco.net/ >>http://www.live365.com/index.liveBJP-led Parrikar govt misusing lobbying firm >>to suppress facts and truth about Goa Tourism: SGAF >Posted: 09 Mar 2013 05:27 AM PST >The Manohar Parrikar-led BJP government in Goa is misusing the services of a >PR and lobbying firm to suppress facts and the truth about the status of >tourism in Goa. Says Wilfred Fernandes of the South Goa Action Forum or SGAF, >“The state government had appointed a public relations company in February to >promote brand Goa at a cost of approximately Rs 7 lakh per month, not >including actuals and other incidental expenses. The total amount paid to the >agency per month is in access of Rs ten lakh and the annual amount could be in >the range of Rs 1.5 crore. >While there is no harm in appointing a PR agency to promote Goa in the >international tourism market, the Goa government and particularly the Tourism >Minister Dilip Parulekar has converted the PR agency into his own personal >mouth piece. The PR agency is also actively involved in suppressing negative >reports and the truth about the state of tourism in Goa, including the failure >and shortcoming of the state government machinery. >SGAF figures show that there is a 25 per cent reduction in tourism-related >business income in 2012-13 in south Goa, but journalists and media persons are >being influenced and cajoled to ignore such reports, which according to the >tourism minister are not good for the image of the state. In reality, the >tourism minister is trying to push under the carpet his own failure in spite >of a huge spend on promoting tourism in Goa. >The Goa tourism department has spent the maximum amount among other government >departments in the last one year with little or no results to show for the >expenditure involved. The Goa Toursim department and the Tourism Minister are >yet to account for the international road shows and other international >promotion on which huge amounts were spent with no noticeable results.” >According to the SGAF, the people of Goa have a right to know the true >statistics and facts about the status of tourism in the State and not just >over hyped PR releases, which are being dished out to the media in Goa and >published for the last one month. South Goa has had one of the worst seasons >for tourism this year. We have spoken and interacted with almost each small >hotel, shack and taxi and tourist operator in south Goa. After extensively >speaking and interacting with over 500 businesses in south Goa , we have >concluded that business has been really low this year. >The mining ban has also got something to do with this as quite a few locals >have put the brakes on their spending due to decreased income. However, the >government and the Tourism Ministry through the lobbying firm – which has a >budget of Rs 7 lakh per month – is proactively suppressing voices of dissent >from being published in the mainline media. Only the Tourism minister’s >version and those with a favorable and positive opinion are being projected,” >alleges Wilfred Fernandes of the SGAF. >The South Goa Action Forum is conducting a signature drive on a special >petition addressed to the Union Government at the Centre, the Prime Minister >Dr Manmohan Singh, the Congress President Ms Sonia Gandhi and the Congress >Vice President Rahul Gandhi to urgently intervene in the matter and give a >fillip to tourism in South Goa which has got step-motherly treatment from the >BJP-led government over the last one year. >About 30 percent increase in lifestyle diseases in Goa >Posted: 09 Mar 2013 05:25 AM PST >An almost 30 per cent increase in lifestyle diseases in the state of Goa has >been observed over the last 3 years, according to the Forum for Promoting >Employment and Entrepreneurship in Goa (FPEEG) which interacted with over 120 >GPs and other specialist doctors including doctors at the Goa Medical College. >The FPEEG inputs show that stress-related disorders are more rampant in south >Goa, while liver diseases have shown a noticeable increase in North Goa. >Stress, unemployment, incorrect eating habits, sedentary lifestyle and the >lack of proper exercise have contributed to a quantum jump in lifestyle >diseases, says Dr Dorland Martins MD, of the Vitanova Clinic in Margao. Out of >the approximately 10 to 15 deaths – not including accidents – recorded each >day in the state of Goa, a majority of them were due to cardio vascular >ailments, diabetes or alcohol-related liver diseases. >While pollution in the mining belt has come down over the last 6 months, the >lifestyle of thousands of unemployed workers has become more sedentary due to >lesser physical activity. That coupled with an oily, non-vegetarian diet and >lack of exercise is a sure killer, explains Dr Martins. >Cardio vascular diseases or commonly known as “Heart Attack” in the layman’s >parlance continues to be one of the biggest killers in Goa, followed by >infections, diabetes and alcohol-related liver diseases, according to the >FPEEG survey. >“The gross overuse or incorrect delivery of vaccinations, fever suppressants >and pain killers not to forget the overuse of antibiotics and steroids without >proper medical supervision and exposure to multiple chemical contaminants in >the environment are at the root cause of the declining immunity in the human >body,” opines Dr Martins, adding that the incidence of autism, arthritis, >cancers, hypertension, infertility, psoriasis and renal failures are fast >increasing in Goa. The rampant overdoses of vaccinations pumped into the >bodies of very young kids are probably the cause of an increase in autistic >cases reported in Goa. Dr Dorland Martins’ Vitanova Clinic makes use of the >principles of homeopathy in treating large number of cases where other systems >of medicine and therapeutics shudder in despair, making a patient believe that >the case is hopeless and incurable. “More and more people in Goa are turning >to homeopathy and other alternate forms of medicine for treatment of various disorders. We have seen a substantial increase in cases of diabetics and those suffering from liver diseases including renal failures and Thyroid disorders relying on homeopathy, over the last two years, says Dr Norland Martins. ________________________________________________________________________________THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: If you're still looking for that one person who can change your life, >take a look in the mirror.
