log on to thegoan.net @thegoanonline SUNDAY JUNE 2, 2024 Facebook.com/thegoan The Goan E-Paper (Playstore/IOS) Instagram.com/thegoanonline 16 pages PRICE ` 10 PANAJI MARGAO GOA VOLUME IX, NO.346 RNI: GOAENG/2015/65729 MOVIES »PAGE 16 GOOD LIFE »PAGE 12 LIVE SMART »PAGE 14 EAT, SLEEP, CRUISE, REPEAT Red flags for insulin resistance Fashion forward Elevate your style with detachable sleeves and trendy gloves SPORTS »PAGE 8 India wins by 60 runs against Bangladesh in warm-up match Kirron Kher, Ayushmann, Gul Panag cast votes for LS elections Discover how cycling is changing lives of the urban population in India Ghazals: Flavour of the month Boxing Qualifier: Jaismine one win away from Olympic quota Ranveer lifts Orry, dances to Randhawa’s songs at Anant-Radhika’s cruise party >> SEE PG 3 DEEP DIVE INTO STONE QUARRY ISSUE MAGAZINE MAGAZ Seed Bombing: A monsoon revolution in reforestation efforts 9 Landmark judicial precedents against rampant hill cutting 10 Beauty trends this summer Putting the spotlight on cataract awareness, care and cure 11 Flavour haven: Café India stands the test of time 2024 TVS IQUBE: Go further with more power and more range IN SHORT >> Insulin regulation is important for avoiding health problems like diabetes Exit polls predict hat-trick for Modi  FORECAST BIG WIN FOR BJP-LED NDA RULING ALLIANCE PROJECTED TO OPEN ACCOUNT IN TN & KERALA, SWEEP K’TAKA SOURCE ABP News-C Voter NDTV Poll of Polls News 24- Chanakya Times Now-ETG India Today Axis My India India TV CNX Dainik Bhaskar India News- D-Dynamics 371 Jan Ki Baat News Nation Republic Bharat-Matrize Republic TV - P MARQ PTI NEW DELHI Exit polls on Saturday predicted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will retain power for a third straight term, with the BJP-led NDA expected to win a big majority in the Lok Sabha polls. While India Today-Axis My India has forecast 361-401 seats for the BJP-led alliance and 131-166 seats for the opposition INDIA bloc in the 543-member Lok Sabha, the ABP-C Voter predicted 353-383 seats for the ruling alliance and 152-182 seats for the INDIA bloc. Today’’s Chanakya gave a much higher tally for the BJP and its alliance than the 2019 polls. It predicted 335 seats to the BJP and 400 to the NDA, with a margin of 15 seats either way. It gave 107 seats to the opposition alliance with a possibility of its tally going up or down by 11 seats. The BJP had given the slogan of ‘’400 paar’’ for its alliance in the Lok Sabha polls. If the exit polls hold true, Modi will equal the record of the country’s first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, in leading his party to victory at the polls for a third straight term. The Times Now-ETG Research’s exit poll gave 358 and 152 seats to the NDA and the INDIA bloc respectively. Many pollsters said the NDA may surpass its 2019 tally of 353 seats. The BJP had won 303 seats in the election. The Congress had bagged 53 seats and its allies 38. The ‘’INDIA’’ bloc was PONDA: A couple was injured after a fire broke out in their house at Pratapnagar-Dharbandora following a leakage of a domestic gas cylinder. While Rosario Dias (65) and his wife Milagres (55) sustained injuries in the incident, household goods worth Rs 50,000 were destroyed in the fire.  >> See pg 5 NEW DELHI: With his threeweek temporary bail for poll campaign ending, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal will be back in Tihar Jail on Sunday as a court put off till June 5 its order on his plea seeking interim bail on medical grounds. RAIN PAIN: Motorists travel through a flooded street in Kerala after heavy showers lashed the State on Saturday. Heavy rain triggers landslides in Kerala, red alert sounded PTI THIRUVANANTHAPURAM With Southwest monsoon intensifying in Kerala two days after its onset, heavy downpours lashed several parts of the state, especially in south and central districts triggering landslides, uprooting trees and water-logging. Continuous rains for hours caused widespread destruc- tion in the high-range areas of Kottayam and Idukki districts, while intense rains caused severe waterlogging and traffic snarls in the low-lying areas of Thrissur district. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) updated its weather warning, placing the central district of Thrissur and northern districts of Malappuram and Kozhikode under red alert on Saturday. T20 World Cup: India-Pak tickets @ `8.3L per seat AGENCIES NEW DELHI The T20 World Cup is back with some promising matchups between the top cricketing nations from across the world. The showpiece event is set to make its debut in the United States of America – co-hosting the competition alongside the West Indies. The arch-rivals are set to lock horns in a newly established facility in Nassau County with a capacity of 34,000 spectators. With eight days left for the mouth-watering India vs Pakistan game, the ticket prices are skyrocketing with each passing day. OTH 4-12 33 36 33 8-20 28-38 33-49 47 10-20 21-23 43-48 30 BJP delighted, Tanavade says will win both seats THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI Buoyed by the huge majority indicated by most exit polls for the BJP-led NDA, BJP State President Sadanand Shet Tanavade confidently declared that the BJP will secure both seats in Goa. “We are winning both seats. It’s a 100 percent victory in North and South Goa for the BJP,” he asserted. Tanavade’s statement reflects the party’s optimism and strong belief in their campaign efforts and voter support. The positive projections from the exit polls have further bolstered the party’s morale as they look forward to the official election results. Calls to Congress leaders went unanswered. to the opposition alliance. India Today-Axis My India has forecast 322-340 seats for the BJP, 60-76 seats for the Congress and 71-90 seats for Congress allies. The Republic TV-P Marq poll claimed that the ruling alliance will win up to 359 seats and the opposition INDIA bloc will bag 154 seats in the 543-member Lok Sabha. The Republic TV-Matrize poll gave 353-368 seats to the NDA and 118-133 seats to the opposition. The Jan Ki Baat poll gave 362-392 seats to the ruling NDA and 141-161 to the opposition alliance. The India TVCNX gave them 371-401 and 109-139 seats respectively, while the corresponding tally predicted by News Nation was 342-378 and 153-169. After the seventh and last phase of voting ended on Saturday, Modi said people have voted in record numbers to re-elect NDA government and said the “opportunistic INDI Alliance” failed to strike a chord with the voters. French, Portuguese languages thrive despite worry over NEP THE GOAN I NETWORK Power failure leaves Anjuna in darkness Kejriwal to be back in jail today I.N.D.I.A 152-182 144 107 152 131-166 109-139 145-201 125 141-161 153-169 118-133 154 (India Today exit poll) Mandrem police bust int’l sex trafficking racket formed by opposition parties to take on the BJP-led NDA in the Lok Sabha elections. The NDA in all likelihood will open its account in Tamil Nadu and Kerala and sweep Karnataka but may see a fall in its tally in states like Bihar, Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Haryana, while UP is expected to remain a BJP bastion, according to most pollsters. News 18 predicted BJP on its own will get 306-315 seats while its alliance will bag 355370 seats. It gave 125-140 seats Couple hurt in fire as cylinder leaks MAPUSA: A failure of the 33 KV power line to the Anjuna power substation caused a power outage in Anjuna-Caisua and Assagao villages on Friday night. A 33 KV underground line connecting the Mapusa power substation to the Anjuna substation suddenly broke down and power supply was disrupted.   >> See pg 2 NDA 353-383 366 400 358 361-401 371-401 281-350 371 362-392 342-378 353-368 359 GOA: BJP 1, CONGRESS 1 As per the official ICC website, there are 6 hospitality packages available at the New York venue -- Diamond Club, Cabanas, Premium Club Lounges, Corner Club, Pavilion Club and Boundary Club. But for the India-Pak game, only three packages are now available. DIAMOND CLUB: The most expensive package is the Dia- mond Club. As stated by ICC, the Diamond Club is the ‘jewel’ of Nassau County International Cricket Stadium. The seats are positioned directly behind the wicket offering the most premium view of a World Cup game. It will feature best-in-class food and beverage and experiences within a fully enclosed, air-conditioned dedicated club. The guests will have access to catch up with cricketing legends and enjoy pre-match field access, among other facilities. The pricing as per ICC website is $10,000 or Rs 8,34,323. >Continued on P6 An orange alert was sounded in Idukki, Palakkad and Wayanad and a yellow alert was issued in six districts. Landslides and trees getting uprooted were reported at Poochapra and Kolappra areas, located in the interior of the hill district Idukki on Friday night. Some houses and vehicles were damaged in landslip, but no casualties were reported. PERNEM An international sex trafficking ring operating between Uganda and India has been busted by the Mandrem Police with the assistance of the NGO ‘Arz’. According to North SP Akshat Kaushal, economically weak and young single mothers from Uganda were falsely promised jobs of employment at restaurants and cafes in Goa. After being brought to India, the traffickers threaten the young women and thereafter seize their passports and visas, forcing them into prostitution under threat of violence and imposing a debt of lakhs of rupees. The racket, a close-knit group involving the trafficker Jojo Nakintu operated largely online, leverage escort websites to solicit clients as well as offline standing on the beach and roads at Arambol. Pernem SDPO Jivba Dalvi said one of the victims contacted the embassy and >Continued on P6 Polling process concludes, 60% exercise franchise in last phase NEW DELHI: The marathon polling process to elect the 18th Lok Sabha ended Saturday with the seventh phase of elections witnessing an approximate voter turnout of nearly 60 per cent but was marred by incidents of violence between TMC and BJP supporters in Sandeshkhali region and some other parts of West Bengal. Polling was conducted in seven states and the Union Territory of Chandigarh for 57 constituencies, including Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh from where Narendra Modi is seeking a third consecutive term. PROFESSORS HIGHLIGHT INTEREST AMONG STUDENTS THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI While there are concerns about the phase-out of foreign languages in high schools with the implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, the landscape appears optimistic for higher education particularly in French and Portuguese. The rollout of the NEP in Class IX has sparked curiosity about the fate of foreign language education including that of its teachers. Despite these worries, the demand among students to specialize in these languages at the college level seems to hold strong amidst the uncertainties. Professor and Dean of the Shenoi Goembab School of Languages and Literature at Goa University Anuradha Wagle highlighted a growing interest among students to specialize in Portuguese and French. However, concerns loom over the EMBRACING OPPORTUNITIES Students are showing enthusiasm to refine their skills in French and Portuguese despite uncertainties. — Prof Anuradha Wagle The decision to waive requirement of prior knowledge in Portuguese boosted student enrolment. — Prof Dhruv Usgaonkar Demand for French remains strong…we welcome students without prior exposure to French and impart them with added language build-up. — Prof Irene Silveira future of teachers not only in Goa but across the nation. “Students are showing enthusiasm to refine their skills in French and Portuguese despite uncertainties. Yet, there’s anxiety among teachers nationwide as many have obtained master’s degrees and pursued further education, honing their skills to get into teaching. They are waiting for clarity, yet hopeful,” Wagle said, speaking to The Goan. GU is the only university in the country to offer BA, MA and even PhD in Portuguese and French. Despite comparatively modest enrolment figures in these languages compared to optional Indian subjects, the GU has witnessed a steady influx of students including from other States. Assistant Professor Dhruv Usgaonkar of Department of Portuguese and >Continued on P6 Hawk-eyed watch on dengue hotspots across State THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI head of the high transmission monsoon and post monsoon season, the leadership in the Directorate of Health Services has decided to tweak strategy a bit and keep a hawk-eyed watch on the dengue situation in at least half-a-dozen vulnerable hot-spots across the State. In some of these hotspots like Zuarinagar-Sancoale and parts of the Mormugao port city, besides Candolim-Calangute and Chimbel, the DHS teams are already working on the strategy which involves mapping every confirmed as well as ‘suspected cases’ and following up on treatment. Additionally, the DHS teams in these hotspots will also visit A PLAN OF ACTION: THE ROAD AHEAD „„DHS teams to map confirmed as well as ‘suspected cases’ and follow up on treatment „„Teams to visit localities where cases are detected and check for potential mosquito breeding sites localities where cases are detected and check for potential breeding sites and also create awareness among neighbours on the do’s and don’ts related to dengue prevention. “We are enlisting the support of local bodies, panchayats and municipalities in the campaign. They have been helping us by providing „„Create awareness among neighbours on do’s and don’ts related to us manpower. Local representatives are also assisting in holding awareness activities,’ said Dr Kalpana Mahatme. Mahatme, who heads the DHS’s cell responsible for the National Vector-borne Disease Control Programme, said some crucial do’s and don’ts at the house-hold level must be followed meticulously if dengue dengue prevention „„To enlist support of local bodies, panchayats and municipalities in the campaign „„Teams to stress on crucial do’s and don’ts at house-hold level is to be eliminated. “Just empty anything that holds water in your house every week. Whether it’s water-storage tanks, buckets, money-plant vases or dishes kept under vases to prevent leaking water from messing up the floor, all need to be emptied of the water before the seventh day,” she said. Mahatme also advocates local communities joining the fight against dengue and must keep a tab on accumulation of water in troughs in courtyards and also articles such as discarded containers, tyres, etc, “Mosquito breeds in such accumulated water. Local communities (people) must take the onus to rid their surroundings of such potential breeding sites,” Mahatme said. In semi-urban and rural areas where water supply is erratic and people tend to keep barrels to store water they must ensure these are completely emptied every seventh day. Over the last two-three years, Goa has been witnessing a steady rise in dengue numbers including a handful of deaths due to the disease.