the goan I network
PANAJI
The State government has reconstituted the Goa State Council for Science and Technology (GSCST) with Chief Minister Pramod Sawant himself as its chairman, ostensibly to fight ‘backwardness’ in Goa and tackle joblessness and poverty. Cabinet Minister Nilesh Cabral who was recently allocated the Science and Technology portfolio will be the Council’s vice-chairperson in which some top professors from Goa’s private colleges have also been roped in.
The bureaucrats named on the Council include Secretary (Science and Technology), Director of Technical Education, Director of Industries, Trade and Commerce, WRD Chief Engineer, a representative of the Department of Science and Technology of the Government of India, Director of Information Technology, Director of the Indian Council of Agriculture Research and the Director (Science and Technology).
Professor Pradeep V Morajkar, head of the Physics department of St Xavier’s College, Tufani Prajapati (MSc Agriculture), Mrs Varsha S Naik (Assistant Professor), Raghuvir Mahale and Mr Deepak Parab (Project Scientist, GSCST) are the other members named on the Council.
The Council will have an ‘executive committee’ headed by the Goa Chief Secretary, and comprising the Secretary (Science and Technology), Director of Technical Education.
The council will also advise the State government on policies and measures needed to promote Science and Technology and use it for socio-economic objectives.
The council is tasked with identifying areas in which science and technology can be used to achieve the socio-economic goals of the government, including tackling the problems of backwardness, unemployment and poverty and addressing the problems of rural areas, under-privileged sections of society such as Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, Landless Labour, Artisans, ‘Small/Marginal’ Farmers and women.
Another area where the Council will work is to generally promote scientific temper in the State.
It is tasked with promoting science by establishing networks such as research, design and development projects and programmes including demonstration projects, as are likely to be relevant to the specific objectives, problems, surveys and optimum utilization of natural resources of in government institutions and organisations.
