TEAM HERALD
If you enjoyed reading this article, you can help support our journalism by adding OHeraldo as a preferred source.
PANJIM: Goa’s attempts at making a late foray into becoming an IT destination may be realized with the government planning to refloat tenders for reviving the Rajiv Gandhi IT Habitat at Dona Paula plateau shortly, Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar told the House Thursday.
‘The tender process would begin from this month,” he said while replying during Question Hour.
Parrikar said that based on Central Government policy on Information Technology (IT), leading IT and electronic industries can be invited to set up their units at the revamped Rajiv Gandhi IT Habitat, to generate employment for Goan youth.
Altogether 2,85,296 sq mt of land at the Dona Paula plateau was earmarked for the IT Habitat and Rs 22.74 crore was spent out of the total money collected. The government had canceled the allotted plots, and refunded around Rs 140 crore to the companies which were allotted plots in 2006-07.
The ambitious project at Dona Paula was formally inaugurated by Congress President, Sonia Gandhi in 2006. Thereafter, due to violent protests, work was stopped in December 2007.
Porvorim MLA Rohan Khunte pointing to the answer provided to the Legislative Assembly said that while thousands of students pass out every year from the four engineering colleges of Goa, the job placement ratio is not even half. “There has been large scale unemployment and consequent migration of students in search of IT jobs outside the state,” he said.
Parrikar said in reply that non placement does not mean unemployment. “There are large number of people who opt for post graduation, some join their family business while some go for IIT,” he said.
According to the reply, State has four engineering colleges and around 2800 students passed from these four colleges over the last three years, while 1350 have been offered placements.
