Centre to come out with new IT policy soon

It will give equal importance to manufacturing hardware as is given for software exports

March 22, 2012 10:51 am | Updated 10:51 am IST - HYDERABAD:

Information Technology Minister Ponnala Lakshmaiah, having a word with delegates during the 'Indiasoft 2012 ', in Hyderabad on Wednesday. Photo: Nagara Gopal

Information Technology Minister Ponnala Lakshmaiah, having a word with delegates during the 'Indiasoft 2012 ', in Hyderabad on Wednesday. Photo: Nagara Gopal

The Centre will soon roll out an electronics policy envisaging a production target of $ 400 billion by the year 2020, said J. Satyanarayana, Secretary, Ministry of Communications and Information Technology.

At the inaugural of IndiaSoft 2012, the International IT exhibition and conference here on Wednesday, he said the proposed policy would give equal importance to manufacturing hardware as was given for software exports. It would focus on five areas – creation of an enabling eco-system for manufacturers, thrust on exports, stress on human resource development to meet industry needs, lay down quality standards and ensure cyber security.

Inaugurating the three-day conference, Minister for IT, Ponnala Lakshmaiah said the State was a forerunner in the sector, with Hyderabad acknowledged as the IT hub of the country. AP was the first to pioneer e-governance projects and while it ranked fourth in India in performance, it contributed 15 per cent to IT exports and 12 per cent to national employment in the space. Mr. Lakshmaiah said the State government had proposed to expand the extent of the existing IT corridor by improving the required infrastructure across a stretch of 202 square miles at a cost of Rs. 2,385 crore. This IT Investment Region project would be around the Outer Ring road and network would be increased around Shamshabad and Uppal and Madhapur, making it one contiguous zone with excellent connectivity, he said.

The project was in the advanced stage of clearance from the Government of India, he said.

Minister of Foreign Trade of Costa Rica, Anabel Gonzalez, showcased Cosa Rica as a prime near-shore destination for Indian companies and said it could be used to leverage presence across North and South America, providing real-time services. It was home to most medium, IT, Business Process Outsourcing and customer service companies.

Earlier, Mr. Lakshmaiah promised to constitute a task force in coordination with other departments to sort out the problems being faced by the IT professionals with the fictitious companies.

The Minister made this announcement when members of Forum of IT Professionals, led by the MLCs K. Nageshwar, M.V.S. Sharma and V. Bala Subramaniam, met him here.

The members said the government should enact a legislation to initiate stern action against such companies, according to a press release.

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