NT NETWORK
PANAJI
The government will soon transfer Rs 37.1 crore worth 4,56,767 sq mt of land at Cuncolim, identified to set up the National Institute of Technology (NIT), Goa, to the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development, following the decision of the Ministry to reserve 40 per cent of the seats at this institute exclusively for Goan students. The construction work of the new NIT, Goa campus is expected to begin in 4 to 5 months’ time.
Coming out with information as regards the decision of the state cabinet about the land transfer, Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar informed the pressmen on Wednesday that the Union HRD Ministry has also agreed to reserve 10 per cent of the seats at the NIT, Goa for students from Union Territories like Daman, Diu, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep Islands, and furthermore, if any seat in this 10 per cent quota remains vacant then it will be transferred to the 40 per cent quota reserved for Goan students.
“The central government, following my requests to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar, made exception to its policy of not providing such reservation quotas, and that’s how Goan students will now get 40 per cent of the seats at the NIT reserved for them,” he said.
“As per the provision of an understanding between the state and the central governments, the land for the NIT, Goa has to be provided by the state government while the infrastructure and all other expenses are to be incurred by the government of India,” Parrikar briefed, hoping that the infrastructure building work of the institute will start by year-end.
The Chief Minister also mentioned that the apprehensions expressed by some residents of Loliem and Polem villages in Canacona taluka as regards locating the new campus of Indian Institute of Technology-Goa atop a plateau in that taluka has forced the government to identify other lands in the state for the purpose. “There are variety of related options before the government and efforts are being made to finalise a land for IIT-Goa by July 2017,” he mentioned, informing that Minister for Public Works Ramakrishna ‘Sudin’ Dhavalikar has suggested two plots of land in Ponda taluka, which are presently being studied, due to certain conditions such as absence of forest land in the plot and minimum size of the plot required to be 250 acres.
Maintaining that the government wants to brand Goa as a centre of educational excellence by creating an educational hub in the state through institutions such as Goa University, Goa Institute of Management, NIT, Goa and IIT-Goa, Parrikar, who also holds the education portfolio said that the government is further considering the prospects of using the land available on the Bhutkhamb Plateau, Keri-Ponda, for setting up the IIT-Goa.
“In fact, C and D Category manpower required in the IIT-Goa could be employed locally, besides generating direct and indirect economic activities through this prestigious institute,” he said, adding that IIT-Goa would largely help in generating locally available resources, which could be helpful for various tasks like say, validating drawings of a bridge being constructed in Goa.
The state cabinet also decided to amend the Goa Panchayat Raj Act by promulgating an Ordinance within next 2 to 3 days, so as to declare the day of village panchayat election in the state as a public holiday. The Ordinance will give power to the government to declare such a day as a paid holiday.
Furthermore, the cabinet approved Panaji Industrial Training Institute as a model ITI. The government had already approved Vasco ITI as a model ITI earlier.
“Once an ITI is declared model ITI, a society is constituted to support it with central government funding,” Parrikar said, informing that the Panaji ITI gives thrust on the hospitality industry and, therefore, Hotel Manoshanti has been selected as the industry partner for the particular ITI. “Any model ITI has more flexibility, besides its involvement with the industry, resulting in benefits like employment orientation and skill development,” he concluded.