SEZs not important, says Nasscom Chairman

Kolkata, July 15 (IANS) Seeking SEZ (Special Economic Zone) status to commence operations in India is not important for IT companies, IT industry apex body Nasscom chairman C.P. Gurnani said on Friday.

"Two years ago SEZ was very important. Today the industry has changed. There is a lot more focus on jointly developing digital solutions with the customers. While export and STPI (Software Technology Parks of India) benefits are clearly important, in my opinion, SEZ is not important.

"Encouragement of the industry removing impediments and creating technology hubs is more important because that will make us relevant," he said at the sidelines of the "Nasscom Product Conclave" here.

Responding to a query about Wipro and Infosys' intimation seeking SEZ status from West Bengal government, Gurnani said it is up to the state government to decide their policy and in which sector they want to grow.

Referring to a promise made by state IT department's Principal Secretary Talleen Kumar, he said the state government has been very supportive.

He said principal secretary has promised full support in creating a lot of centres of excellence and considering a proposal whereby start-up capital would be made available in the city to make it an attractive destination for entrepreneurship, product companies and start-ups.

IANS