Team Goemkarponn
Panaji: The Goa government informed the Legislative Assembly that research projects under the Interdisciplinary Research Interventions Scheme (IRIS) for Local Development are currently underway, while the proposed Talent Development Centre for faculty training is in the final stages of completion.
Replying to an unstarred question tabled by Carlos Ferreira, Chief Minister and Education Minister Pramod Sawant stated that the IRIS scheme was implemented with effect from July 19, 2024. As the funded projects are still ongoing, research reports are not yet available. However, details of the selected villages or communities, interdisciplinary research teams and funds sanctioned have been compiled in an annexure.
The government also confirmed that the proposed Talent Development Centre for faculty training, being developed with the support of the Indian Institute of Science, is nearing completion. The centre will include four laboratories dedicated to Chemistry, Biology, Physics and Mathematics.
According to the government, the estimated and approved cost of the project is ₹8.97 crore, of which ₹6.52 crore has already been released and utilised.
Regarding the proposed regional centre of Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) at Farmagudi in Ponda, the government stated that it has received a request from IGNOU’s Senior Regional Director seeking allotment of land for the facility. IGNOU has requested between 4,000 and 5,000 square metres of land at a suitable location.
However, the government clarified that no land has been allotted so far for the proposed regional centre. Consequently, related file notings, approvals or agreements are not applicable at this stage.
