AP sets Rs 19,000 crore IT exports target: CM

Hyderabad, Jan 9 (UNI) Stating that Andhra Pradesh was maintaining the first position in IT growth rate for the last two years, Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy today said the Government had targeted to achieve Rs 19,000 crore IT exports during 2006-07.

Inaugurating the seventh edition of Indiasoft 2007, being organised by the Electronics&Software Export Promotion Council of India(ESC), concurrently with Gitex India 2007, Dr Reddy said the IT growth rate stood at 51 per cent, as against the national average of 36 per cent with a turnover of Rs 12,521 crore in 2005-06.

The state would maintain the first position and reach the projected exports turnover of above Rs.19,000 crore in 2006-07, he added.

Stating that Andhra Pradesh has now emerged as a State that provides the right climate for the growth of IT business and is now one of the most preferred destinations in the country, the Chief Minister said 25 per cent of work force will be from the IT sector in the next three to five years.

Dr Reddy said the Government would provide employment to 50,000 graduates in BPO's by training them at Jawahar Knowledge Centres (JKCs) next year.

The employability rate had improved three times in the state after introducing the innovative Campus Placement Mission (CPM) programme which brought the students from all the colleges across the State under a single platform and provide them with equal opportunities by training them on employable skills and real time projects, he added.

UNI