NIT Goa recruitment put on hold, says Goa CM

Panaji: Chief minister Pramod Sawant on Monday said that the Centre has halted the recruitment process at the National Institute of Technology (NIT) so that Goa’s concerns about non-Goans being hired could be addressed.

Sawant said that he took up the issue of NIT Goa recruiting candidates from other states with Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan, who reportedly assured him that it would be resolved at the earliest.

“The NIT posts which are outsourced to people out of Goa. Our effort is to ensure that our Goans get as many of these jobs. So for the time being they have kept it on hold so that the next process can be streamlined to ensure that Goans get these jobs,” said Sawant.

The development assumes significance as locals and even some BJP MLAs have questioned why the institute was recruiting individuals from other states when Goans are looking for jobs.

The CM said that govt will now rework the recruitment process to ensure Goan youth get preference.

Speaking to reporters, Sawant also said that his meeting with Union home minister Amit Shah in Delhi was positive with Shah assuring him that active and positive legal steps will be taken to expedite the process and secure the rights for the Goan ST community.

“The Union home minister has said that the ST reservation will be expedited as the ST community needs to get their right of political reservation. The Centre is doing whatever is legally required so that they can get it as soon as possible,” he said.

Sawant’s statement comes after an unusual show of unity and frustration by tribal legislators and community organisations over the delay in notifying assembly seats for ST candidates.