Goa BJP govt gives nod for ganja cultivation, draws flak from opposition

Agencies
December 30, 2020

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Panaji, Dec 30: The law department of the Goa government has given approval to a proposal to allow cultivation of marijuana for medicinal purposes, a minister has said, a move which drew flak from opposition parties.

Law Minister Nilesh Cabral told reporters on Tuesday evening that his department has vetted and cleared the proposal to allow cultivation of marijuana (ganja or grass) for medicinal purposes in the tourist state.

The proposal was moved by the health department, he said.

We have cleared the file from legal perspective. Controlled farming of marijuana for medicinal purposes would be permitted, he said.

The plant was added to the list of banned substances under the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) in 1985, Cabral said.

Plantation of marijuana would be permitted so that the natural drug can be sold to pharmaceutical companies, he said.

Earlier on Tuesday, Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant had said a proposal has been moved before the government to allow cultivation of marijuana, but no approval has been granted in the matter.

Cabral's statement that his department has cleared the proposal to allow limited cultivation of marijuana in the state came hours later.

The move drew sharp criticism from opposition parties in the BJP-ruled state.

Goa Congress spokesman Amarnath Panjikar, addressing a press conference on Wednesday, said the BJP government has "stooped to the lowest possible level".

The actions of the state government are blatantly illegal. At a time when Goa is struggling to fight use of drugs, this move will further inject narcotics in the social system of the state, he said.

Panjikar demanded that the government immediately scrap the proposal.

The BJP has to admit that it is a party which supports narcotics trade, he said.

Independent MLA and former minister Rohan Khaunte also slammed the decision.

He tweeted, Cannabis Legalisation spells Doom! Shameful that @goacm supports this deadly proposal that will destroy Goan Youth by fostering Drug Culture, Crimes, Corruption, Social Degradation etc.

"Legality will lead to open misuse and destroy our peaceful society.

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News Network
October 26,2024

Bengaluru: Amid protests by farmers in Vijayapura who have been served notices by the Karnataka Board of Waqfs to vacate the land their ancestors had allegedly encroached, Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara on Saturday said the state government will review the situation. 

Speaking to reporters here, he said, "We will review it. The state government and the revenue department will review it. A decision will be taken based on old records." When asked that the Waqf Board had set a deadline to vacate the land, the minister said that is not a problem.

Meanwhile, in the district headquarter town of Vijayapura in North Karnataka bordering Maharashtra, the farmers staged a demonstration at the Deputy Commissioner’s office.

Holding the land records and registered land deeds, the farmers alleged that they were served notice soon after Housing and Waqf Minister B Z Zameer Ahmed Khan visited Vijayapura and directed the Deputy Commissioner to serve notices to the farmers who were sitting on Waqf land.

Farmer leaders alleged that without bringing the matter to their notice, the land records of farmers in Tenahalli village in Indi Taluk and Honvada village in Tikota Taluk were changed and made in favour of Waqf.

Bengaluru South BJP MP Tejasvi Surya on Friday said the Karnataka State Board of Waqfs has claimed its ownership over 1,500 acres of ancestral land of farmers in Honvada village.

Surya, who is also Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha president, said the farmers of Honvada village in Tikota Taluk were served notices declaring their lands as Waqf property "with no evidence or explanation provided".

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News Network
October 29,2024

Bengaluru: Following allegations by a section of farmers from Vijayapura district that their lands were marked as Waqf properties, Karnataka Chief Minister Sidddaramaiah on Tuesday said none of them will be evicted, and notices issued to them will be withdrawn.

"No farmer will be evicted from their land. Yesterday Revenue Minister (Krishna Byre Gowda), M B Patil (Industries and Vijayapura district in-charge Minister) and Waqf Minister Zameer Ahmed Khan have jointly said that no farmer from Vijayapura will be evicted from their land," Siddaramaiah said.

Speaking to reporters here, he said in case notices have been issued to farmers, they will be withdrawn.

Responding to a question that similar notices have been issued to farmers in Yadgir and Dharwad districts too, the CM said: "I will ask the Revenue Minister to look into it, nowhere farmers will be evicted."

Seeking to clarify "confusion" over 1,200 acres in Honavada of Tikota taluk being marked as Waqf property, M B Patil had recently said it was due to an “error” in the gazette notification.

He also had said only 11 acres out of the 1,200 acres are Waqf properties, and a task force headed by the Deputy Commissioner will be formed to resolve the issues.

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News Network
November 7,2024

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Mangaluru, Nov 7: In the quiet village of Tippunagar, Loretto Padavu, a heartbreaking accident claimed the life of three-year-old Aashika on Wednesday, leaving a family and community shattered.

Aashika, the beloved daughter of Unais from Pattanabailu near Farangipet, was simply enjoying a carefree moment, playing outside her grandmother’s house. It was then that an unimaginable tragedy struck: a parked goods tempo, owned by her uncle, unexpectedly rolled backward, trapping the innocent child beneath its wheels.

Despite her family’s desperate rush to get her to the hospital, little Aashika’s injuries proved too severe, and she was declared dead upon arrival. Her passing has cast a deep shadow over the close-knit community, who grieve alongside her family for the life taken too soon.

The Bantwal traffic police have registered a case and are investigating the incident, while the community mourns the loss of a precious young soul who had only just begun to experience life’s wonder.
 

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