Government committed to set up IT/BT parks in rural areas

Gulbarga, Nov 22 (UNI) The government is committed to establish information technology and Bio Technology parks with public-private participation outside Bangalore, Karnataka IT and BT Principal Secretary Ashok Kumar Manoli said here today.

Addressing a "IT and BT investors meet" here, he said that there would be some "Fall" in the IT exports in the fourth quarter of the current year due to financial crisis in the US and hoped that there would be an upsurge after July 2009.

He said that to set up IT parks in backward areas like Gulbarga, the government is offering many incentives including concession in power tariff, exemption of entry tax, exemption of stamp duty and reduction of registration charges.

He said that the government is introducing "new semiconductor policy" which gives top priority to take the IT technology to the rural areas.

Mr Ashok Kumar informed that Rs 55,300 crores worth IT products had been exported during the year and expressed confidence that the Indian IT sector was able to overcome the global economic meltdown crisis by adopting innovative remedial measures.

He said that the state-owned KEONIC an IT giant, had requested the government to allot 30 acres of land to establish IT park in Gulbarga.

Several IT professional regretted that since lack of job opportunities hundreds of skilled and talented soft ware professionals are migrating to other places and urged the government to invite top ten IT companies to establish IT parks here.

Regional commissioner Rajanish Goel said that the government had allocated Rs two thousand crores for the development of the HK region besides Rs 100 crores to develop the city and provide infrastructure.

UNI DP MV SKB1650