NASSCOM for tech corridor in VRV region

Professionals from the industry body are on a tour of residual Andhra Pradesh. In the light of the massively growing import bill of electronic items and chips, the focus of the Central government has now been shifted towards manufacture of such products.

The National Association for Software and Service Companies (NASSCOM) is mulling a National Technology Corridor along coastal Andhra Pradesh stretching through the Visakhapatnam, Rajahmundry and Vijayawada (VRV) region. The industry body is most likely to push the idea and promote niche design and electronic chip manufacturing here, according to NASSCOM vice-president Rajiv Vaishnav.

A team of professionals from NASSCOM, led by its vice-president, is on a tour across residual Andhra Pradesh meeting stakeholders and exploring possibilities of promoting the region. While the team has already interacted with some firms in Visakhapatnam, Rajahmundry and Vijayawada during its two-day visit, it is scheduled to conduct more visits and meets with industrialists and other umbrella bodies before acting on the outcome, according to NASSCOM.

Speaking to

The Hindu , Mr. Vaishnav said: “Our team found this place an ideal location for high-end chip design and manufacturing. Besides good road, rail, port and airport connectivity, it has abundant availability of fresh talent and the much-needed power and water.” The chip industry, unlike IT and BPO, stands out and will give the region a unique identity, according to him.

In the light of the massively growing import bill of electronic items and chips, the focus of the Central government has now been shifted towards manufacture of such products. Such industries will get a lot of support from the Centre, said Mr. D. Ramakrishna, managing director of Vijayawada-based hardware manufacturing firm Efftronics.

He added that the initiative would bring in huge Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). The global corporates in the manufacturing domain are willing to invest in the chip manufacturing segment in India. “These firms had a bitter experience in China and other Asian countries owing to patent issues. Low interest capital from the U.S. and Europe, favourable legal system in India, coupled with talent is a winning combination and can be the next technology boom which can change the face of coastal Andhra,” Mr. Ramakrishna said.

Speaking of the technical talent and positive impact of bifurcation, Mr. Gopi Kumar Balusu, CEO of Sankhya Technologies, a Visakhapatnam-based technology firm, said: “Several professionals working with global chip making firms across the world are from this region. They are willing to come back and contribute to the development of the region provided there is a favourable atmosphere.”