Only 'good tourists' welcome to Goa: Tourism Minister
Panaji, July 17 : Goa Tourism Minister Manohar Ajgaonkar on Tuesday urged tourists not to misbehave with women under the influence of alcohol while welcoming the Chief Minister's announcement of fines for drinking and littering in public.
Ajgaonkar also said that only those disciplined "good tourists" were welcome in Goa, who were willing to preserve the state's culture, natural beauty and the spirit of Goanness.
"We urge people and tourists to not misbehave with any girl or woman. Because our Goa is famous all over India and the world. People come here to see our culture and our natural beauty. Goa's discipline, culture and Goenkarponn (Goanness) should be preserved. There will be no compromise on anyone who is drunk and misbehaves," Ajgaonkar told reporters here.
On Monday, Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar announced that from August 15 onwards, those who drink alcohol in public would be fined Rs 2,500. Littering would also face steep fines, he said, adding that a notification would be issued shortly.
Ajgaonkar said the Rs 2,500 fine was less and should be hiked considerably.
"They should be fined as much as possible. We want good tourists, those who follow Goa's discipline and culture and Goenkarponn," he said.
Asked if the fine would deter tourists from visiting Goa, a state which has a liberal and a low excise regime on alcohol, Ajgaonkar said: "There is no question of it affecting tourists."
Goa is one of the top beach and nightlife tourism destinations in the country and attracts more than six million tourists every year.
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SC allows passive euthanasia for 32-year-old man in coma for over 12 years
New Delhi, Mar 11 (PTI): The Supreme Court on Wednesday allowed passive euthanasia for a 32-year-old man who has been in a comatose condition for more than 12 years, by withdrawing his artificial life support.
Passive euthanasia is the intentional act of letting a patient die by withholding or withdrawing life support or the treatment necessary to keep him alive.
Harish Rana suffered head injuries after falling from the fourth floor of a building in 2013 and has been in a coma for over a decade.
A bench of Justices J B Pardiwala and K V Viswanathan directed AIIMS to grant admission in palliative care to Rana so that the medical treatment can be withdrawn. It must be ensured that it is withdrawn with a tailored plan so that dignity is maintained, the bench said.
The top court earlier expressed its desire to meet the parents of the 32-year-old man. It had perused a report containing Rana's medical history filed by a secondary medical board of doctors from the AIIMS-Delhi and remarked that it was a "sad" report.
The primary medical board, after examining the patient's condition, had stressed the negligible chance of his recovery.
The top court had, on December 11, noted that according to the report of the primary medical board, the man is in a "pathetic condition".
According to the guidelines issued by the apex court in 2023, a primary and a secondary medical board will have to be formed for an expert opinion on the withdrawal of artificial life support for a patient in a vegetative state.
