UP CM Akhilesh Yadav lures IT/ITes sector

India's northern state Uttar Pradesh would no longer be a mute spectator to country's robust IT/ITes growth. The state eyes to compete neck to neck with Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, and want to become a preferred destination for techies. The state government is all set to woo industry with a host of benefits.

UP CM Akhilesh Yadav, while inaugurating the foundation stone of Nasscom headquarters said that they strive to make UP visible like other states in India, and are ready to give requisite benefits to IT/ITes sector. "We have unveiled IT policy, and the industry should reach to other parts of UP, besides Noida" he said.

Yadav also said that they have undertaken largest ever laptop distribution program in India. "Students are getting benefits of laptop scheme and the state has many reputed institutes to produce skilled workforce," he added. UP, Yadav said, would take lead in IT sector too.

The UP government is working hard to improve law and order situation in Noida, he informed. "The state government is working on GPS and CCTV enabled monitoring and security system in four cities, and is also working to facilitate power supply in many areas.

UP's principal secretary- IT and Electronics Jiwesh Nandan said that they are taking all possible steps to make state the next IT destination. "We have created a new policy so that IT and related industries can prosper," he said.
Nandan said that they are showcasing Agra and Lucknow to be new IT hubs. "We are planning SEZs that include 100-acre IT city in Lucknow. IT parks in smaller cities can cater to domestic needs too. Since UP is Hindi heartland, we are pitching for regional language content.
Noida CEO Rama Raman said that they have seen substantial investment from IT/ITes companies in Noida. "Today, Noida houses more than 600 IT/BPM firms that include about 50 MNCs,"" he said. The state government, Raman said is also working to stretch rail metro service to Noida institutional area.
Raman said that they are looking at renewable energy resources to cater to growing power demands. "In addition, we are also coming up with more electricity sub stations in Noida. Intelligent traffic management and integrated surveillance system are also on cards.
Former telecom secretary and Nasscom president-designate R Chandrashekhar feels that state government's support can make a lot of difference. "Noida has emerged as one of the lucrative destinations, but with appropriate support this can be replicated in other cities of UP," he added.
Nasscom's outgoing president Som Mittal said that Noida's IT/ITes hub alone employs more than 100,000 individuals. "Besides Bangalore, a lot of innovation and entrepreneurship is happening in Noida today," he said. Nasscom has also formed advisory council to promote industry in the state.
The IT/ITes sector contributes around 8 per cent of the GDP while Nasscom projects that the industry is expected to become US$ 300-billion strong space by 2020.