West Bengal is set to emerge as the country’s hub of business process outsourcing services and the State’s IT infrastructure will increase three-fold within the next couple of years, IT Minister Debesh Das said.
Speaking at the foundation laying ceremony of an IT-Park project here, Mr. Das said the government had begun receiving enquiries for this project which could help IT companies enhance their competitiveness through savings in transportation costs.
The Rs. 40-crore project, located on a 2.5 acre plot near Science City around 6 km downtown, will be readied within 15 months from the start of construction. Land for the project has been provided to the State IT Department by the Kolkata Municipal Corporation. “Over 2,500 jobs will be created by this project and it is a unique initiative by a Municipal Corporation,” Mr. Das said.
The proposed facility will house IT and ITeS (IT-enabled Services) companies.
IT majors are here
He said, in 2006, West Bengal had only 181 acres to offer to IT industries. Today, nearly 310 acres has been handed over to various IT groups, including some of the biggest names like TCS and Wipro. Employment to the tune of 90,000 has been created registering a 2.5-fold increase. Exports have increased by three times, the minister said. The project is also expected to boost West Bengal’s export earnings of Rs. 6,500 crore.
State Industry Minister Nirupam Sen said that the atmosphere of negativity created in the State was not good for development. “I am happy when people ask for increased infrastructure like roads, electricity and other things. I am happy when people ask for increased development but it is wrong to portray as if nothing has happened in the state.”
