K'taka IT export to cross 8.5 bn Dollars by year-end

Mysore, Mar 18 (UNI) Karnataka's export in the field of Information Technology is all set to cross 8.5 billion US Dollars by this year-end, Software Technology Parks of India (STPI) Director B V Naidu said today.

Presiding over the inaugural function of 'Spicity,' a new state-of-the-art campus of the city-based Software Paradigms Pvt Limited (SPI) at Hebbal Industrial area here, he said about 1,600 IT companies were operating from Karnataka and the city alone contributed about Rs 500 crore to the state's IT export.

He predicted that the country's export in IT sector would touch 60 billion Dollars by 2010 and the state would account for 20 billion Dollars. Besides, the rapid growth of the sector called for producing more IT professionals to meet future demand, he added.

Mr Naidu stressed the need for high quality and professionalism to sustain the rapid growth in the sector and meet global challenges.

He said it was also necessary to upgrade infrastructure for investors in the field. In all 22 tier II cities had been identified in the country for IT development and Mysore was one among them.

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