Rajya Sabha Member G.V.L. Narasimha Rao met Union Minister for Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw on Thursday in New Delhi and sought his Ministry’s support for developing Visakhapatnam as a major Information Technology (IT) destination in the country.
Mr. Narasimha Rao sought the Central Government’s active financial, institutional and logistics support in realising the full IT potential of Visakhapatnam.
He also sought support and cooperation in sanctioning and fast-tracking the approvals and implementation of various IT projects in the city, which would create the necessary eco-system and a conducive environment for fast growth of the IT sector.
He requested the Union Minister to approve and see the early implementation of the expansion of the STPI, Visakhapatnam Centre. Once operational, the STPI’s state-of-the-art facility would offer incubation services and provide an improved ecosystem for startups.
He also urged the early execution of a Centre of Excellence (CoE) in RINL to act as an incubation centre to build innovative products and solutions for public sector and other manufacturing companies in the country and in the region.
FabLab
Mr. Narasimha also spoke of the establishment of a Fabrication Laboratory (Fablab) in Visakhapatnam to provide access to the tools, knowledge and financial means to educate, innovate and invent using technology and digital fabrication and thereby create opportunities to improve lives and livelihoods.
The MP also sought the establishment of a branch of the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (CDAC) in Visakhapatnam and fast-track establishment of the Internet exchange sanctioned for the city.
He also urged the IT Minister to continue the BPO incentive scheme to create employment opportunities for the youth in non-metro cities, including Visakhapatnam and other districts of Andhra Pradesh.
According to Mr. Narasimha Rao, the Union Minister responded favourably and offered full support and cooperation for developing Vizag as a major IT destination.
