Infosys and Wipro to invest Rs 1000 crore in Bengal

Kolkata, Apr 24 (UNI) Software giants Infosys and Wipro are set to invest a total of Rs 1,000 crore in West Bengal for a multi-technology development centre-cum-SEZ and an extension centre near Kolkata.

'' We have planned to make an initial investment of Rs 500 crore on the proposed centre, one of the largest in the country, having the status of an IT SEZ, '' Infosys CEO and Managing Director S Gopalakrishnan said after signing of an MoU with the West Bengal Government in presence of Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee.

The proposed centre would generate employment for about 5,000 people over the years.

Mr Gopalakrishnan said the company had been offered a 90 acre plot at Rajarhat on the eastern fringe of the city and the project work would start at the end of this year.

The proposed centre-cum-SEZ would house multiple services - from BPO to software development and consultancy.

'' It would be a multi-service centre, '' the CEO said.

Wipro Vice-President Tamal Dasgupta, who met the Chief Minister later in the day, said the company would invest Rs 500 crore for extension of its existing campus.

'' We have been offered a 90 acre plot in Rajarhat close to the proposed centre of Infosys, '' he said.

IT Minister Debesh Das said, '' The city has become the new hotsopot for IT in the East and we expect to see more of such investments coming into the state and more jobs being generated. '' UNI KDG SJC/src1943