Vice President (VP) of India, Jagdeep Dhankhar was on a three-day visit to Goa from May 20-22, 2025, focusing on infrastructure development, scientific research, and cultural heritage.
- During his visit, he inaugurated and dedicated various projects of the Goa based Mormugao Port Authority (MPA), statues of Acharya Charaka, and Sage Susruta at Raj Bhawan in Goa.
Highlights of the visit:
Visit of Mormugao Port:
During the visit, Jagdeep Dhankhar inaugurated and dedicated three projects with total financial outlay of Rs.300 crores at the Mormugao Port.
i.He inaugurated a 3 Megawatt (MW) Solar Power Plant, with a financial outlay of Rs.18 crores at the port in Goa, marking a major milestone towards sustainable maritime infrastructure.
- The plant, spanning over 28,000 Square metres (Sq.m) will generate over 4.5 million units of electricity annually.
- The project commenced in March 2024 and commissioned in May 2025.
- The plant is expected to save Rs.3.8 crore for the port, which is the current total expenditure on power.
- Goa Energy Development Agency (GEDA) will oversee the implementation.
ii.He also inaugurated the commercial operation of two advanced Liebherr mobile harbour cranes at berths 10 and 11 in the Mormugao Port.
- The two cranes are of a 120-tonne capacity each, is part of Rs.140 crore infrastructure upgradation under a 30-year lease, a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model between the MPA and Delta Ports Mormugao terminal Private Limited (DPMTPL).
iii.He also inaugurated the Covered Dome for Coal Handling at the Mormugao Port.
- The Mumbai (Maharashtra) based Jindal South West (JSW) company has constructed a covered dome structure in the port to curb coal pollution.
- The total investment of the project is Rs.160 crore
- It is a world-class facility with advanced dust control systems and has a storage capacity of 2 lakh metric tonnes (MT).
Unveiled Statues:
On May 22, 2025, VP Jagdeep Dhankher unveiled the bronze statues of Acharya Charaka and Sage Susruta at the Raj Bhawan in Goa to honor their contributions to Ayurveda and ancient surgical practices, documented in the Charaka Samhita and Sushruta Samhita.
i.Acharya Charaka, lived in 100-200 Before Common Era (BCE), was one of the fundamental contributors of the ancient art and science of Ayurveda.
- He is referred to as the “Father of Ayurveda”
ii.Sage Susruta is an ancient Indian surgeon and the author of the ‘Sushrutha Samhitha’ book.
- He is considered the ‘Father of Plastic Surgery’, who lived between 800 and 1000 BCE.
About Goa:
Chief Minister (CM) – Pramod Sawant
Governor – P. S. Sreedharan Pillai
Capital – Panaji
Wildlife Sanctuary (WLS) – Bhagwan Mahavir WLS
