AP Govt boosts small-scale enterprises: Min

Hyderabad, Aug 29: With a view to creating job opportunities, the Andhra Pradesh Government was encouraging the small-scale enterprises in the state in a big way, Information Technology and Communications(IT and C) Minister R Damodar Reddy said.

As the goverment's IT policy was proactive and invester-friendly, it was providing concessions to the investors for industrial growth, including IT, he told newspersons after meeting the of Small and Medium Enterprise Consortium(SMEC) of NRIs here last night.

The government was planning to generate employment opportunities for three lakh people during the next two years, the Minister said and asked the members of the consortium to involve in the government measures for creating job opportunities.

Urging them to invest in the Rural Public School in the public-private partnership and also in the IIIT, he said the governmnet would create necessary infrastructure for the investors in the state.

Asking the consortium members to actively participate in social sectors like educational, health and agriculture as the government was concentrating more on this field, the Minister urged them to submit a project report to the government on the consortium proposal to set up an IT village in the city.

He said the consortium proposed to infuse Rs 2,500 crore in the State to provide direct employment to nearly 20,000 persons and indirect employment for about 80,000 people.

Chairman of SMEC and New Jersey-based entrepreneur Mahendar Reddy Musuku said the consortium was formed by a group of elite entrepreners from various parts of the globe, particularly US to promote small and medium enterprises for sustainable development and investment in the state. He said there were several entrepreneurs from Andhra Pradesh operating start up companies to consulting units to global outfits in US and most of them had offices in the city.

He said they had formed a consortium to ensure that these small and medium entrepreneurs come together, develop and avail common facilites for a better and faster growth.

He said the consortium, which started with 60 companies would increase to 300 in the coming days and the estimnated annual combined turnover of these companies was about Rs 12,000 crore.

The consortum proposed to set up an information centre here with activite participation of government to develop various sectors like agriuculture, rural health and others and to help develop other small-scale industries to learn new process and technologies by providing information to outside world.

He said it was estimated that by 2008 India's software, services and IT outsouring industry would be worth 70 US billion dollars annualy, employing four million people and comprising seven per cent of the gross national product.

Deputy Speaker from New Jersey and the first Asian Indian American elected to the New Jersey General Assembly, Upendra Chivukula said Indian Americans were playing a very active role in US. They had grown from getting employment stage to creating enterprises stage, he said.

He said the consortium members had met the Chief Minister who appreciated the efforts of the consortium and assured all help and support from the government.

He said the inititives of the consortium would result in creating a major support tool for the IT industry in Andhra Pradesh.

UNI