Ex-Minister Pins Goa's "Rs. 144,000 Crore" Mining Case On Manohar Parrikar
PANAJI, Sept 07: Former Goa chief minister Laxmikant Parsekar, who is facing an investigation in connection with the second renewal of 88 mining leases in the state, today claimed that the policy for it was formulated during Manohar Parrikar's previous tenure as chief minister.
The Goa Lokayukta had yesterday issued notices to Mr Parsekar and two senior government officers in connection with the second renewal of 88 mining leases in 2014-15, which was quashed by the Supreme Court in February this year.
The 61-year-old BJP leader has now demanded that the Lokayukta should fast track the case against him, so that the truth comes out quickly.
Goa Foundation, an NGO, that approached the Supreme Court against the renewal of 88 mining leases, had filed a petition before the state Lokayukta accusing Mr Parsekar and government officers - former mines secretary Pawan Kumar Sain and current mines and geology department director Prasanna Acharya - of being involved in the illegal renewals.
"How am I responsible for the renewal of the mining leases when they were done as per the state government's policy, which was given an approval by the Bombay High Court at Goa?" Mr Parsekar asked.
He claimed that the mining policy was formulated during the previous tenure of Manohar Parrikar as chief minister, based on the instructions of the high court.
"(Manohar) Parrikar had begun renewing the leases and during his tenure, eight or nine of them (leases) were already renewed," he claimed.
"When I took over, I followed (Manohar) Parrikar's track," said Mr Parsekar, who was the chief minister of Goa from November 2014 till March last year.
The former chief minister demanded that the Lokayukta fast track the case filed against him and not keep it pending for years. "I want the truth to come out. The accusation against me is of being involved in corruption worth Rs. 1,44,000 crore. It is not a small amount," he said.
The Supreme Court had in February this year quashed all 88 mining leases which were renewed from November 5, 2014 to January 12, 2015.
In view of the Supreme Court order, the extraction of iron ore was stopped in Goa from March 16.
Mr Parrikar was chief minister Goa from March 9, 2012 to November 8, 2014, after which he resigned to join the Union cabinet as the defence minister.
Mr Parsekar then headed the state government till March 14, 2017, when Manohar Parrikar again assumed the office, after the BJP-led coalition government came to power following the Assembly elections.
Mr Parsekar had lost from the Mandrem seat in North Goa district during the state polls last year.
Courtesy: www.ndtv.com
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PUC-2 pass percentage stands at 81.58 per cent in Karnataka
Bengaluru (PTI): Students across Karnataka scored high marks in the PUC-2 Examination-1 for 2026, to which the results were announced on Thursday. The overall pass percentage stood at 81.58 per cent.
The Karnataka School Examination and Assessment Board (KSEAB) released the combination-wise list of toppers for various streams.
The Pre-University College-2 (PUC-2) Exam-1 was conducted from February 28 to March 17 at 1,217 Examination Centers across the state.
A total of 6,94,545 students appeared for the examination this year, of whom 5,66,608 cleared it.
Girls outperformed boys, with a pass percentage of 88.70 per cent compared to 83.65 per cent among boys.
Among college categories, residential PU colleges topped with 93.99 per cent results, followed by unaided colleges at 90.73 per cent, aided colleges at 78.72 per cent, and government colleges trailing at 57.11 per cent.
In terms of categories, General and 3A segments recorded the highest pass percentages at 92.69 per cent and 92.22 per cent respectively, while SC and ST categories also saw marked improvement over the previous year.
Medium-wise results indicated that English medium students performed better with 90.63 per cent pass rate, compared to 76.41 per cent in Kannada medium.
A total of 1,70,529 students secured distinction (85 per cent and above), while 2,95,385 students passed in first class.
The Board said students can access their results on the official portal and through mobile applications.
The PUC-2 Examination-2 is scheduled to be held from April 30 to May 13, 2026, with online registration open till April 17.
The Board has also enabled online applications for scanned copies of answer scripts from April 10 to April 15, and revaluation applications between April 12 and April 17, with fees fixed at Rs 530 per subject for scanned copies and Rs 1,670 for revaluation.
