Goa tourism dept issues notice to Yuvraj Singh over his villa
Panaji, Nov 22: The Goa tourism department has issued a notice to cricketer Yuvraj Singh for allegedly putting up his villa at Morjim for homestay online without registering it with relevant authorities in the state, and called him for a hearing on December 8.
Registration of a homestay with the tourism department is mandated under the Goa Registration of Tourist Trade Act, 1982.
Deputy Director of Tourism Rajesh Kale, in the November 18 notice addressed to the cricketer-owned villa, 'Casa Singh', located at Morjim in North Goa, directed the allrounder to appear before him on December 8 at 11 am for personal hearing in the matter.
The notice asks the 40-year-old cricketer why penal action (a fine up to Rs one lakh) should not be initiated against him for not registering the property under the Tourist Trade Act.
"It has come to the notice of the undersigned that your residential premises located at Varchewada, Morjim, Pernem, Goa is allegedly functioning as a homestay and is being marked on online platforms like Airbnb," said the notice.
The department has also quoted a tweet by Singh wherein he has said he would be hosting an exclusive stay at his Goa home for a group of six, only on @Airbnb.
"This is where I spent time with my loved ones and the home is filled with memories of my years on the pitch," the tweet had mentioned.
The notice issued by the department stated that "every person intending to operate a Hotel/Guest House before operating it, has to apply for registration to the Prescribed Authority in the Prescribed manner."
"Therefore, a notice is hereby given to you as to why penal action should not be initiated against you for default in registration under the Goa Registration of Tourist Trade Act, 1982," it said.
Asking Singh to appear for hearing, the officer has said if no reply is received within the said date (December 8), "it will be assumed that the grounds mentioned in the notice are correct and on such assumption under Section 22 or in violation of any of the provisions of the Act, you shall be punishable with a fine which may extend up to Rs one lakh".
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Melinda French Gates resigns as Gates Foundation co-chair, 3 years after her divorce from Bill Gates
New York, May 13: Melinda French Gates will step down as co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the nonprofit she and her ex-husband Bill Gates founded and built into one of the world's largest philanthropic organisations over the past 20 years.
“This is not a decision I came to lightly,” French Gates posted on the X platform on Monday. “I am immensely proud of the foundation that Bill and I built together and of the extraordinary work it is doing to address inequities around the world.”
She praised the foundation's CEO, Mark Suzman, and the foundation's board of trustees, which was significantly expanded after the couple announced their divorce in May 2021.
“The time is right for me to move forward into the next chapter of my philanthropy,” French Gates wrote in her statement. She organises some of her investments and philanthropic gifts through her organisation, Pivotal Ventures, which is not a nonprofit.
Bill Gates thanked French Gates for her “critical” contributions to the foundations in a statement, saying, “I am sorry to see her leave, but I am sure she will have a huge impact in her future philanthropic work.”
French Gates will receive $12.5 billion as part of her agreement with Gates, which she said would commit to future work focused on women and families.
The Gates Foundation did not immediately return a request for comment about whether those assets would come from the foundation itself. In an emailed statement, the foundation said that Suzman announced the decision to employees on Monday.
“After a difficult few years watching women's rights rolled back in the US and around the world, she wants to use this next chapter to focus specifically on altering that trajectory,” Suzman said of French Gates.
Suzman said he knew many had joined the foundation in part because of their admiration for her advocacy, especially around gender equity.
“I know how beloved Melinda is here,” Suzman wrote.
The Gates Foundation holds $75.2 billion in its endowment as of December 2023, and announced in January, it planned to spend $8.6 billion through the course of its work in 2024.
The Associated Press receives financial support for news coverage in Africa from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and for news coverage of women in the workforce from Pivotal Ventures.
