PANJIM: The Ministry of Defence for the first time will soon be launching their ‘Start-up Promotion Programme’ in which the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) will also be involved.
Union Defence Minister and former Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, soon after the inaugurating the Agnel Institute of Technology and Design and Center for Incubation and Business Acceleration (CIBA) at Assagao, said at least thrice in his speech that the Defence Ministry will help start-ups in Goa if asked for.
Parrikar said, “The times of ‘respect all, trust none’, one of the belief of Defence Forces, is now opening up. I am ready to help start-ups in Goa and it is an open offer to the Goa government. We can do this in the next two months but for this the Goa government needs to approach the Defence Ministry.”
Parrikar, in his speech, added that training must be given utmost importance. “When I joined the Defence Ministry, there was no set module of briefing for me. We need to develop such things to save time. My graduation from IIT did help me in raising questions, analysing the problems and then finding solutions to those problems,” Parrikar added.
When Herald asked Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar on the State’s response to this, he said, “We will surely talk on this with the Defence Minister.”
However, the CEO of CIBA, Jose Manuel Noronha, told Herald that, “It is a great opportunity and we will begin the process of approaching the Defence Ministry from our side as soon as possible and will try and find out how this can be worked out for the benefit of Goan start-ups.”
The inaugural function was also attended by the Auxiliary Bishop of Ranchi (Jharkhand) Dr Theodore Mascarenhas along with several other dignitaries.
