CM assures employment to 20 lakh people in software sector

Chennai, Feb 7 (UNI) Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi today said 20 lakh more people would be employed in software companies, by the time the DMK Government completes its five-year term in the year 2011.

Inaugurating the offshore centre of Jeevan Technologies, a software firm promoted by former DMK Legislator Nepoleon at DLF IT Park near here, Mr Karunanidhi said software companies like Jeevan Technologies should help the government to achieve the huge task.

He said in the last one year after the DMK came to power in May 2006, 16 software companies had launched their operations in the state, providing employment to 1.80 lakh people.

The state cabinet, before the presentation of the budget for the year 2008-09, would accord sanction for five or six more companies to start their operations, he said.

In the last one year alone, software export from the state had risen from 17 to 47 per cent, Mr Karunanidhi said.

When the importance of software was not realised in the country, it was late Union Minister Murasoli Maran who had prevailed upon him to accord priority to software companies, when he became Chief Minister of the state for the fourth time in 1996, Mr Karunanidhi recalled.

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