Goa to have NIELIT centre

PANAJI: Assuring all support for the promotion of Goa as an IT destination, Union Minister for Electronics and Information Technology Ravi Shankar Prasad on Sunday announced that the central government will set up a centre of National Institute of Electronics and Information Technology in Goa.

Speaking as a chief guest at the launch of the Goa IT policy 2018 during the ‘Goa IT day’ event in Panaji, Prasad promised that if the state government provides a developed piece of land then the NIELIT centre will be set up in Goa within a month.

He also inaugurated Goa centre of Software Technology Park of India.

“The Goa IT policy is an extraordinary document, which has been prepared after considering all aspects. I will be the happiest person if Goa becomes a destination for electronics manufacturing…  I will help you in this sector too,” he said, appealing to the state government to come out with an electronics policy as soon as possible.

He asked state IT Minister Rohan Khaunte to incorporate all the services of the state into the UMANG app launched by the central government.

The state was also asked to focus on business process outsourcing (BPO) so as to create common service centres for women.

Stating that digital skills will hold the key to future in the country and that India is a big digital market, Prasad said the mission ‘Digital India’ has been designed for the empowerment of ordinary people of the country.

Positive outcomes of the initiatives like Digital India, Make in India, Startup India and Standup India can be seen across the country, especially in remote villages, he said.

“Today, India is turning into a big startup destination. E-commerce is also booming in India. Although you lose one traditional job due to technology, it is also important to note that technology also creates 20 new jobs. With new digital ecosystem we are creating jobs. I can foresee India becoming a digital power in the world,” he observed.

Speaking on the occasion, Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has a vision for Digital India and that Modi   has told him that Goa could be the first place to become a   destination for digital revolution.

“Though the IT sector has not been given a push to that extent by the state government so far, I was surprised to know that there are 270 entrepreneurs in Goa who have employed around 3,000 IT professionals…  I always had an opinion that most of the Goan IT graduates are outside the state,” he said.

Khaunte informed that while working on the IT policy for the last four months he and officials of the IT department worked as salesmen to bring investments in the IT sector.

In the next three months, the government will work more aggressively to bring IT investors in the state, Khaunte said.

“Goa has best talent pool. With the IT policy in place I can assure that Goans will get employment opportunities immediately after their graduation,” he said, appealing to investors to come to Goa, do their IT innovations wisely and create opportunities for Goa and the rest of the country.

The state IT Minister said the new IT policy has been formulated after consulting stakeholders, and that the state government has been creating infrastructure for the sector.

He requested Prasad to sanction central funds for Goa’s IT sector.

“I am on a mission…  July 15 will be a historic day for the state. Let’s start a revolution in the IT sector,” he appealed to young entrepreneurs.

Ashank Desai, founder and former chairman of Mastek Ltd, urged the stat government to make Goa an IT hub.

Nivruti Rai, the country head of Intel India, said that her company has planned to come to Goa to provide a solution for poor road infrastructure.

The company also aims to improve  air quality and  provide rural connectivity by 2020.

“With our plans you can see 5G cellular network technology as well in Goa,” she emphasised.

The dignitaries who attended   the function include  Minister for Ports Jayesh Salgaonkar; Chief Secretary Dharmendra Sharma; chairman of Manipal Global Education T V Mohandas Pai and others.