Special Correspondent
Panaji
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Monday said that the recruitment process at the Cuncolim-based National Institute of Technology (NIT)-Goa will be restructured to maximise employment opportunities for Goans.
Sawant said that he has interacted with Union Minister for Education Dharmendra Pradhan regarding the recruitment-related concerns at the institution and the issue of recruitment drive held at the institution, urging the Centre to review the process to ensure that locals receive a greater share of employment opportunities.
“The government will now work on restructuring the process to ensure maximum employment opportunities to Goans,” Sawant said. Presently, the existing recruitment process under which jobs were allegedly awarded to non-Goans has been temporarily put on hold. Concerns had been raised over representation of Goans at the state NIT campus, where locals reportedly make up only about 12% of the workforce. The debate started after it was noticed that 108 teaching and non-teaching posts were filled recently at the institute; however, only 14 of those appointed were Goans. This sparked criticism over recruitment patterns and alleged lack of local preference.
Maintaining that the move to keep the recruitment process on hold would provide an opportunity to examine the same and explore ways to enhance local participation in future recruitments, Sawant said that the state government has consistently maintained that institutions operating in Goa should create maximum opportunities for qualified local candidates while maintaining merit and institutional standards.
He said that discussions with the Union Education Ministry are continuing and expressed hope that the revised recruitment process would better address the aspirations of Goan youth.
The Chief Minister also announced that the Electronics Manufacturing Cluster (EMC) at Tuem will be inaugurated soon, describing it as a major initiative that will boost investment, industrial development and job creation in the state.
He further reiterated the government’s commitment to both, welfare of tribal communities and creation of employment opportunities for the people of Goa through sustained engagement with the central government and ongoing development projects.
Meanwhile, the Chief Minister also said that the demand for political reservation for Scheduled Tribes (STs) in Goa has moved forward after a delegation under him met Minister for Home Affairs Amit Shah in New Delhi on June 7.
“The delegation was assured of active and positive legal steps to expedite the related process and secure the right for the ST community,” he said.
Stating that the ST political reservation will become a reality soon, as the Centre has begun the legal exercise, the Chief Minister, who has since returned to Goa, said that the meeting with Shah was constructive, and he received an assurance of full cooperation from the Centre in advancing the matter.
