Rajesh Prabhugaonkar has been appointed as the new chief of the Goa State Innovation Council, replacing Jose Manual Noronha. The 16-member council was recently announced by the state government. • ESG invites bids to develop and manage an Art Café and curated cultural space at the Multiplex Courtyard, ESG Complex, Panaji. The space will host art exhibitions, workshops, literary and cultural programmes, creative workspaces and IFFI-linked events. The licence will be valid for 3 years. • The Madgaon–Mangaluru Vande Bharat Express has been extended to Bengaluru as Train Nos. 26655/26656, Yesvantpur–Mangaluru–Madgaon Vande Bharat Express. The extension is set to boost rail connectivity between Goa and Karnataka, benefiting tourists, business travellers and daily passengers. • Cuncolim police arrests one person for allegedly sexually abusing a minor boy at Assolna after luring him with chocolates. A case has been registered under the Goa Children’s Act and POCSO Act. Further investigation is underway. • Goa ranks among India’s top three most-searched domestic destinations for the festive season, alongside Puri and Udaipur. Agoda data shows a 43% year-on-year rise in accommodation searches for stays between October 15 and November 30, 2026, reflecting strong interest in Goa as a holiday destination. • The Union Health Ministry approves a new medical college in Goa with 50 MBBS seats from A.Y. 2027–28. CM Pramod Sawant expresses heartfelt gratitude to PM Narendra Modi and Union Health Minister JP Nadda for this Navratri gift, bringing new hope to aspiring doctors in Goa. • GPCC President Girish Chodankar terms the SIR process and draft electoral roll illegal, fraudulent and unconstitutional. He demands restoration of 1,39,634 deleted voters in Goa and insists that elections be held using the last legally prepared electoral roll dated January 1, 2025, updated on January 6, 2025. • IMD warns of thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds (30–40 kmph) on October 16–17, followed by light rain/thundershowers till October 20 across Goa; Hot & humid conditions likely till October 16. • Archbishop of Goa and Daman Cardinal Filipe Neri Ferrão has urged the Catholic faithful across India to offer special prayers for Pope Leo XIV’s successful surgery, speedy recovery and good health. He has called for prayers during Holy Mass and the recitation of the Holy Rosary. • Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka have been remanded to five days of judicial custody for allegedly violating peace bonds and trespassing into Jantar Mantar, recently denotified as a designated protest site. Associate Ajinkya Shinde was allowed to walk out after signing a peace bond.
Rajesh Prabhugaonkar has been appointed as the new chief of the Goa State Innovation Council, replacing Jose Manual Noronha. The 16-member council was recently announced by the state government. • ESG invites bids to develop and manage an Art Café and curated cultural space at the Multiplex Courtyard, ESG Complex, Panaji. The space will host art exhibitions, workshops, literary and cultural programmes, creative workspaces and IFFI-linked events. The licence will be valid for 3 years. • The Madgaon–Mangaluru Vande Bharat Express has been extended to Bengaluru as Train Nos. 26655/26656, Yesvantpur–Mangaluru–Madgaon Vande Bharat Express. The extension is set to boost rail connectivity between Goa and Karnataka, benefiting tourists, business travellers and daily passengers. • Cuncolim police arrests one person for allegedly sexually abusing a minor boy at Assolna after luring him with chocolates. A case has been registered under the Goa Children’s Act and POCSO Act. Further investigation is underway. • Goa ranks among India’s top three most-searched domestic destinations for the festive season, alongside Puri and Udaipur. Agoda data shows a 43% year-on-year rise in accommodation searches for stays between October 15 and November 30, 2026, reflecting strong interest in Goa as a holiday destination. • The Union Health Ministry approves a new medical college in Goa with 50 MBBS seats from A.Y. 2027–28. CM Pramod Sawant expresses heartfelt gratitude to PM Narendra Modi and Union Health Minister JP Nadda for this Navratri gift, bringing new hope to aspiring doctors in Goa. • GPCC President Girish Chodankar terms the SIR process and draft electoral roll illegal, fraudulent and unconstitutional. He demands restoration of 1,39,634 deleted voters in Goa and insists that elections be held using the last legally prepared electoral roll dated January 1, 2025, updated on January 6, 2025. • IMD warns of thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds (30–40 kmph) on October 16–17, followed by light rain/thundershowers till October 20 across Goa; Hot & humid conditions likely till October 16. • Archbishop of Goa and Daman Cardinal Filipe Neri Ferrão has urged the Catholic faithful across India to offer special prayers for Pope Leo XIV’s successful surgery, speedy recovery and good health. He has called for prayers during Holy Mass and the recitation of the Holy Rosary. • Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka have been remanded to five days of judicial custody for allegedly violating peace bonds and trespassing into Jantar Mantar, recently denotified as a designated protest site. Associate Ajinkya Shinde was allowed to walk out after signing a peace bond.
