NRC may not be required at all, says Goa CM Pramod Sawant
Panaji: Amid nationwide protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC), Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has said that the latter may "not be required" at all in the state.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a function in North Goa district on Sunday, Sawant asked the people of Goa to not fear CAA even as the Congress accused the BJP-led coalition government of putting the fate of thousands of Goans holding a Portuguese passport in jeopardy.
If Portuguese passport holders want to "convert" their existing citizenship into Indian citizenship, there are existing procedures for the same, Sawant said.
When asked if the NRC would be implemented in Goa, the Chief Minister said that it may "not be required at all".
Speaking on the issue of the National Population Register which is being seen as the precursor to the implementation of the NRC and is scheduled to begin from April 2020, the Goa Chief Minister said that he would make a statement on the issue only after reading the gazette notification. "I am not making any statement... I will go through the new notification and then I will make a statement," he said.
The coastal state of Goa, a Portuguese colony for over 450 years gained independence from Portuguese rule in 1961. The departing Portuguese, however, had offered Goan natives of choosing Portuguese citizenship. The privilege of availing of Portuguese citizenship was later granted to Goans who had lived in Portuguese-ruled Goa, as well as their off-springs up to three generations down the line.
Thousands of Goans have used the opportunity to migrate to Portugal and subsequently to the UK, thanks to the easy access across countries under the aegis of the European Union. A significant number of expat Goans have also availed of the 'Bilhete de Identidade', the Portuguese national identity card, which takes the applicant a step closer towards obtaining the Portuguese passport. Rough estimates suggest that up to 30,000 Goans are living in the United Kingdom, using the Portuguese citizenship route.
Courtesy: www.news18.com
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Man arrested with Rs 2.54-crore heroin in Mumbai
Mumbai (PTI): Police have arrested a man and seized over 500 grams of heroin worth Rs 2.54 crore in the illicit market from him in Mumbai, officials said on Friday.
The police's Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC) made the drug seizure in Santacruz in the western suburbs. The operation was conducted by the Kandivali unit of the ANC on Thursday as part of a special crackdown against drug trafficking in the area, they said.
Acting on specific inputs, an ANC team conducted a raid in Santacruz (East) and intercepted a man. During a search, the team recovered 508 grams of high-grade heroin from his possession, an official said.
The seized contraband, a highly addictive, opioid drug derived from morphine, is estimated to be worth Rs 2.54 crore in the international market, he informed.
Following the seizure, a case was registered against the man under relevant sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, and he was formally placed under arrest in the early hours of Friday.
The police are currently investigating the source of the drug and trying to identify the intended recipients of the consignment, he said.
