WB Govt demands Union Govt. to extend STPI sops 2009

Bangalore, Oct 29 (UNI) West Bengal IT Minister Debesh Das today strongly urged the Union government to extend the incentives extended to the IT companies under Software Technology Parks of India (STPI) scheme to help the industry to keep up its robust growth.

Speaking at the inauguration of a four-day 'Bangalore IT.in 2007', the Asia's biggest IT event which began at Bangalore International Exhibition Centre here, he said that if the tax benefits under the STPI scheme, which will end in 2009, was not extended thousands of the SMEs in the IT sector would be badly affected.

"These small players will not survive if the scheme is not extended beyond 2009. I have written a letter to Union IT Minister A Raja highlighting the importance of such a step to help to the industry, which is earning huge foreign exchange and giving employment to a large pool of the youth. The Union Minister is supportive of this and told me that he would take up the matter with the Union Finance Ministry," he added.

Mr Das said according to NASSCOM estimates the country was likely to achieve an export target of 60 billion Dollars by 2010.

"When the industry was providing such great benefits to the country it deserved extended help and STPI benefits should be extended till 2020," he argued.

UNI