ACADEMIC YEAR IN SCHOOLS

PANAJI: Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Wednesday refrained from either confirming or denying the decision of his government to implement an April start to the academic year in schools from this year.

In response to media queries related to the decision during his Cabinet media briefing, Sawant said he will not make any comments and will hold a separate press conference at the appropriate time to address the issue.

The government is poised to implement this year the shift to an April start to the academic year in sync with the trend nationally following the implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP). The move, however, has triggered diverse reactions from academia with sections of the teaching community voicing reservations.

Meanwhile, the cabinet on Wednesday approved the proposal of Pune-based private university — Peace University — to set up its campus at Thivim.

Cabinet sources said the issue of approval to the university’s proposal was one of the agenda items in Wednesday’s meeting and it was unanimously approved.

The university being proposed to be set up at Thivim has generated much controversy with a section of local villagers objecting to it, raising suspicions that it is only an alibi to corner Communidade land.

The Pune-based university, meanwhile, has already inked a deal with the Thivim Communidade and the transaction has reached an advanced stage of execution.

Govt to take back Bhuthkhamb SEZ land: Sawant, meanwhile, said that the cabinet has cleared the decision to take back the land at Bhutkhambh-Keri (formerly the controversial Thappar-Dupont Nylon-66 project site) which was allotted for a special economic zone to the Cipla group. The deal will cost the government Rs 33 crore.

This Cipla-Meditab’s parcel of land was the only one from over a dozen others which the government, through the Goa Industrial Development Corporation Ltd, was yet to take back after the blanket cancellation of all SEZs by the Digambar Kamat government in 2009.

Sawant said that a good and clean industrial project will be thought of there after the land transfer back to the government is completed.

In other decisions, the cabinet approved an amendment to the Goa VAT law and also a proposal to execute repair and renovation works at the Government College in Khandola, Marcel.