The newly inaugurated IT Hub in Khammam, a key initiative of the State government’s decentralised approach to expand Information Technology to tier-II cities, will provide an ideal platform for promotion of technology innovation, employment generation, skill and entrepreneurship development, said Information Technology and Municipal Administration Minister K. T. Rama Rao.
The IT hubs in tier-II cities usually attract the call centres and the business process outsourcing (BPO) companies, but the Khammam IT Hub drew IT product companies too in a testament to the potential of Khammam which is endowed with a vast talent pool and infrastructure, he said while addressing a public meeting after inaugurating the first phase of the IT Hub at Khanapuram Haveli here on Monday.
Mr. Rama Rao, accompanied by Roads and Buildings Minister V. Prashanth Reddy, Home Minister Mahamood Ali, Transport Minister P. Ajay Kumar, and Khammam MP Nama Nageswara Rao inaugurated around a dozen development works worth about ₹ 221.43 crore in the Khammam Municipal Corporation (KMC) limits and the adjoining Raghunadhapalem mandal.
As many as 19 IT companies, including several US-based firms, came forward to start their offices in the Khammam IT Hub building constructed at an estimated cost of ₹ 27.65 crore with a built up area of 41,178 sq.ft under the aegis of the Telangana State Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (TSIIC).
Mr. Rama Rao announced that ₹ 20 crore will be sanctioned for construction of the second phase of the IT Hub with a built up area of around 30,000 to 40,000 sq.ft at the same premises.
The IT sector which was confined to one corner of Hyderabad in the combined Andhra Pradesh has spread to tier II cities, including Warangal, Karimnagar, Nizamabad, Mahabubnagar, and Siddipet, thanks to the vision of Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao, the Minister said.
The Telangana Academy for Skill and Knowledge (TASK) to be housed in the ground floor of the IT Hub provides an opportunity for the local youth, including the young techies, for skilling, upskilling and reskilling themselves to realise their full potential, he said, exuding confidence that Khammam will earn a niche for itself for “made in Khammam products” in the future.
Commending the planned development of Khammam town, especially the walkway constructed all along the NSP canal, encompassing parks and open gyms, in the KMC limits, he said the KMC stands as a role model for other civic bodies in the State.
The mayors and municipal chairpersons of all the 122 civic bodies in the State will be sent to Khammam on a study tour, he added.
The Municipal Administration Minister assured to ensure sanction of ₹ 30 crore from the special development fund for development of internal roads in the town.
