NE set to attract IT, BPO investment

Guwahati, Jan 16 (UNI) Less than a week after Union Minister of State for Commerce Jairam Ramesh declared the northeast as a 'fertile recruitment ground for IT services and BPO jobs', Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi is already hunting for prospective investors for these sectors.

Mr Gogoi is on a five-day visit to Andhra Pradesh from Monday last, where he is scheduled to meet Information Technology experts to explore the possibility of attracting investments in the sector to the state.

The state government's thrust on IT sector as a prospective investment venue and an employment avenue has received further impetus with Mr Ramesh's observation, backed by facts, stating that NE is fast emerging as a rich recruiting ground for the IT and BPO sector.

The Union minister, during the North East Investment Summit in Guwahati last weekend, said that Genpact, one of India's top BPO employer, would make a huge investment in NE and was currently exploring options to set up an unit in the Meghalayan capital Shillong.

About 10 per cent of the total workforce at the Gurgaon-based company Genpact comes from the NE, Mr Ramesh said, adding that Tata Consultancy Services had also evinced interest in setting up a base in the region.

''Now it is the job of the state governments to provide broadband and air connectivity,'' he added.

English-speaking capability, coupled with the sense of loyalty towards the job of the people from this region, has made the BPO companies look towards the NE for recruitment.

The IT sector, which employs about 1.6 million people in the country now, is facing an acute manpower shortage and in this scenario, NE has emerged as a good option.

BPO employees' study reports have shown that people from NE have a greater adaptability to the work environment. Besides, the fact that the youth from this region have lesser job options than their counterparts in bigger cities make them hesitant to leave the BPO jobs, resulting in lower attrition.

UNI SG LL/src1035