Budget has no mention of ITIR, says Swecha

The State government has failed to tap the growing employment opportunities in Information Technology in Andhra Pradesh, Swecha free software movement has said.

There was no mention of any budgetary allocations to establish Information Technology Investment Regions (ITIR) in Visakhapatnam, Chittoor and Anantapur which have a potential to create five lakh jobs, general secretary D. Bhuvana Krishna said.

“Every year about 1.50 lakh students come out of engineering colleges but in the budget it was mentioned only efforts are made to create jobs only to 25,110 graduates. The government allotted just a paltry 0.0032 per cent to the IT sector,” Mr. Krishna said.

The government in the 2015-16 budget mentioned about the Sunrise Startup Technology Research and Incubation Park (TRIP) located in Visakhapatnam which had so far incubated 50 companies.

The government claimed it had received investment of Rs. 4,311 crore in IT sector.

The budget had not mentioned any proposals to establish chip manufacturing industry and mobile manufacturing unit.

“The Chief Minister should immediately address the issue of providing jobs in IT sector. Mr. Naidu had promised that he will create a job for every family during his pada yatra but the budget made no mention of any such proposals,” Mr. Krishna said.

Budget reactions

Backward Classes Welfare Association has criticised the Andhra Pradesh government for paltry allocations to the BC welfare in the budget for 2015-2016.

State executive committee president A. Vara Prasad Yadav said here on Friday that though the State government had allocated Rs.3,231 crore to the BC welfare, there were several sub heads through which funds could be diverted.

The government had allotted Rs.100 crore for Kapus, Rs.35 crore for Brahmins and Rs.325 crore for giving scholarships to economically backward communities.

Mr. Yadav said that Finance Minister Y. Ramakrishnudu has ditched the BC community by making paltry allocations BC artisan associations.

Government allotted just a paltry 0.0032 per cent to IT sector

D. Bhuvana Krishna

General secretary,

Swecha.