Information Technology and IT-enabled Services exports from Telangana in the fiscal ended March grew 13.85% to reach ₹85,470 crore.
Apart from being better than the previous year’s 13.26% (₹75,070 crore), the rate was higher than the national average by about 4 percentage points. (Industry body Nasscom had projected the exports from the country to grow by 10%). Describing it as a successful year for the growth of the industry in the State, IT Minister K.T. Rama Rao said for the third year in a row the rate surpassed the national average.
Anuual report
The Minister, speaking after releasing the annual report of ITE&C Department here on Thursday, said Telangana is on course to achieve IT exports of ₹1,20,000 crore by 2020. “The Hyderabad ecosystem has the appetite to achieve this,” he said, assuring government support for the industry that is now concentrated in and around the capital and looking to spread wings to smaller cities.
Such a growth would translate into a CAGR of 16% and expected to create over four lakh direct jobs and 20 lakh indirect employment opportunities by 2020. At present, 4,31,891 people were employed, including 24,506 recruited last fiscal. It is “quite common in IT industry that a few people are let go every year and lot more recruited every single year,” he added.
IT investments
Among the significant IT investment and expansions, in Hyderabad, during 2016-17 were Apple launching its campus, Amazon laying foundation for a 3 million sq ft facility, SalesForce opening a centre of excellence; German auto component maker ZF TRW setting up its largest tech centre outside Germany. Stating this, Mr. Rao said the State government plans to attract IT industry to tier II and III locations, including through the Rural Technology Centre policy, which is falling in place. This included Cyient launching a largescale map development facility in Warangal. “We will take it from strength to strength,” he declared, adding an SEZ park in Warangal, for which a land parcel had been identified, is to be launched soon. In Khammam, a signaure IT tower is to be created, he said, adding several NRIs from the town were keen on setting up enterprises.
LED park in Medak
The Minister also pointed to the fillip the electronic manufacturing and clusters for such units is set to get in the State, with Centre sanctioning ₹400 crore towards development of the infrastructure and common facilities. A LED Park is coming up on 120 acres in Medak district.
The State Government, which had unveiled sectoral policies for several sunrise sectors in IT such as Cyber Security and Data Analytics, is planning to launch policies on IoT and Cyber and E-waste. Some of the major initiatives in 2017-18, Mr.Rao said, would be second phase of T-Hub to house more than 2000 start-ups, T-App Folio (mobile governance platform of Telangana), Mee Seva 2.0, T-Works, IMAGE towers.
