Chief Minister Dr. Pramod Sawant on Monday encouraged Class 12 students to actively make use of the CM Scholarship Portal to secure admissions into professional colleges, assuring that financial constraints will not hinder their higher education.
Dr. Sawant, addressing students, highlighted that the state government has developed the single-window scholarship platform to simplify the process. Students from categories such as OBC, SC, ST, EWS, as well as those whose parents work in the private sector, can directly benefit from the scheme, including fee reimbursements through the Labour Scholarship component.
“Financial condition should not be a barrier to professional education. The government is fully prepared to support students, and the portal is open to all eligible applicants,” he said, urging students to scan the posters displayed at higher secondary schools to directly access the portal and fill in the forms.
In a major boost to local medical and paramedical education, the Chief Minister announced that Goa now has 400 nursing seats available, ensuring that aspiring nurses within the state no longer need to pursue their courses outside Goa. He added that about 400 seats are also available for physiotherapy courses, alongside newly introduced colleges offering Bachelor of Naturopathy and Yogic Science and Bachelor of Forensic Science.
With the state now home to one of only four Forensic Science colleges in the country, Dr. Sawant stressed that advanced graduate and postgraduate levels in this field will be in high demand in the future.
On MBBS admissions, he explained that around 30 seats are reserved for students under the All India Merit quota, but in practice, only one or two students from outside Goa take up admission in the state’s medical college. The remaining seats usually return to Goan candidates through the state merit list, ensuring more opportunities for local students.
The Chief Minister reiterated that the scholarship portal is designed to remove apprehensions among families worried about affordability. “Whatever fees you pay, they will be reimbursed through the portal. No student from Goa should miss an opportunity because of financial difficulties.”
With these expansions, Goa is moving toward becoming self-reliant in medical and allied courses, reducing the outflow of students and establishing itself as a hub for specialized higher education.