Worldwide Goans' convention on 29 in Goa

Sandesh Prabhudesai
20 December 2001  

The third worldwide Goans Convention will be held this year on 29 December, at Kala Academy complex in Panaji, to be inaugurated by Charles Correa, an eminent architect of the country.

Announcing a programme of the one-day convention, its president Tony Correia-Afonso said the theme for this year will be Goan Cultural Heritage.

Accordingly, besides Correa speaking on Architectural Heritage of Goa, eminent columnist George Menezes will speak on Goan Humour, Dr Manoharrai Sardesai on Linguistic Heritage and Mathany Saldhana on Goan Environment.

Churches of Goa, a book by Dr Jose Pereira and published by Oxford University Press and India and Portugal, edited by Dr Pereira and Dr Pratapditya Pal and published by Marg Publications will be released on the occasion.

Among other Goan luminaries and NRI delegates to participate, speaker and former chief minister Pratapsing Rane will also grace the occasion. The organisers have also organised a competition of art college students, based on the central theme, which will be displayed in the art gallery here.

Besides providing an opportunity to Goan expatriates and Goans here to come together and discuss their common problems, Corriea-Afonso said the convention has also succeeded in getting some of its problems solved through the government authorities.

The prime problem of providing single window system for the NRIs who wish to invest in the state, states the president, is expected to be resolved once the Economic Development Corporation commissions the NRI cell in the EDC House.

Elaborating on the issue, Adv Aires Rodrigues said chief minister Manohar Parrikar has already fulfilled his last year’s promise to set up the NRI cell. Though it has been set up last week, he said its actual commissioning will be postponed by three months, as the NRIs have still not been able to prepare the data bank needed for it.

Besides launching a website of the NRI cell, it will also provide the on-line registration facility to update its data bank regularly. He also informed that Parrikar has assured to provide facilities like insurance to those NRIs who die abroad while working or are being duped there by the agents, besides helping in solving their property problems here.

Adv Rodrigues was also thankful to the Goa University for solving their demand of the Kuwait-based educational institutions not recognising Goan degree. "It has been resolved now mutually", he added.

While appealing to attend the one-day convention from 9 am to 6 pm, Correia-Afonso has informed the no entry fee will be charged to anybody to attend the gathering.

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