Panaji: Goa govt is stepping up efforts to identify and acquire historical records relating to the state held in public and private archives in Portugal, with plans to nominate a nodal officer to coordinate the process of bringing Goa-related archival documents from Lisbon.Chief minister and archives minister Pramod Sawant disclosed this in a reply to an unstarred LAQ tabled by opposition leader Yuri Alemao. He said Goa would soon appoint a nodal officer to coordinate with the ministry of external affairs and the Indian embassy in Lisbon on accessing the records.Sawant had written to external affairs minister S Jaishankar on Dec 18, 2025, seeking assistance in obtaining digital copies of Portuguese-era records relating to Goa. The ministry of external affairs responded positively to the request on Feb 23 this year.In his letter, Sawant pointed out that several records relating to Goa from the Portuguese period are preserved in archives in Lisbon, making access difficult for researchers travelling from Goa.He specifically referred to the Overseas Historical Archives in Lisbon, the Caixas da India, the Arquivo Nacional da Torre do Tombo and the National Library of Lisbon.According to the assembly reply, Portuguese authorities have expressed their willingness to work with Goa govt to identify records that could be exchanged between the two countries.The director general of the National Archives of Portugal has also invited a Portuguese delegation to Goa to hold discussions with the authorities concerned. Portugal has, in turn, indicated its willingness to receive a delegation from Goa to identify records available in Lisbon.
