Ref: No. 7/17/2013-14/GSDB/meet/007/232 dt. 21 Oct. 2013
LITERATURE ON BIODIVERSITY ACT TO BE PUBLISHED IN DEVNAGRI SCRIPT AND NOT IN ROMAN SCRIPT: ORDERS ALINA SALDANHA It is understood that the meeting was held on 20th Sept, 2013 at the Dept. of Science and Technology, at Saligao under the Chairperson Mrs Alina Saldanha, Hon. Minister of Environment and Forest, Govt of Goa. This was the XVIII GSDB meeting, on which Translation of Biological Diversity Act, 2002 and Biological Diversity Rules-2004, was accepted to be translated into Devnagri Konkani from its English text. It is strange that the translation of the above material into Romi script was not considered at the above meeting. Why the Chairman disallowed the printing over 100 pages into Romi script is a matter of grave concern. This way thousand of rupees will be siphoned off in the printing of these literature in Devnagri Konkani, which some may read but majority of Goans would read the text in Marathi and the minority community which consist to 30% of Goa i.e. mainly in Salcete, Bardez and Tiswadi Taluka would be unable to take benefits of Diversity Act and Rules flowing out through the activities of the GSDB as information to them in Romi Konkani script will be denied. I would wish all the protagonists of Romi Konkani script to challenge the Chairperson of GSDB as to why she (Alina Saldanha) has refused to serve the interest of the minority community by suppressing information to the down trodden and poor Goans of the OBC community who are familiar only in Roman Konkani. This discrimination of Alina against the minority should be addressed to the Chairman of National Biodiversity Board, India by all right thinking Goans. Is Alina digging her own political grave by her discriminatory attitude against the poor minority? Stephen Dias D.Paula
