Develop tier-two cities as IT hubs, suggests NASSCOM chief

Develop tier-two cities as IT hubs, suggests NASSCOM chief
The Hindu.com
Staff Correspondent

NASSCOM chief urges Government to develop infrastructure Speed up infrastructure projects: Kiran Karnik

BIG PLANS FOR SMALL CITIES: Kiran Karnik (left), president, National Association of Software and Service Industries, and Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy at the IT Investors' Meet in Hubli on Saturday. — Photo: PTI
HUBLI: Kiran Karnik, president, National Association of Software and Service Industries (NASSCOM), has said that development of tier-two cities as hubs of information technology (IT) is the need of the hour.

Delivering the keynote address at the IT Investors' Meet here on Saturday, he stressed the need for setting up units in a number of cities instead of a few centres to ensure the development of the sector.

He said the talent in cities such as Bangalore and Mumbai was depleting, and candidates from other regions were being recruited. Because of various factors, it had become necessary for the industry to set up units in regions where there was talent. The only option was to move to smaller cities, and NASSCOM was encouraging companies to do so, he added.

Mr. Karnik said software products and services provided by Indian companies, and the quality of software professionals had changed the image of the country.

The IT sector had made a substantial contribution to the economy, he added.

He said IT companies provided employment to 1.2 million people and indirect employment opportunities to nearly three million others. The IT sector had contributed to socio-economic development. Besides, e-governance had improved the lifestyle of the common man, he said.

Requirements

Speaking about the requirements of IT companies which wanted to set up units in smaller cities, Mr. Karnik appealed to Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy to improve infrastructure. Projects should be completed expeditiously, he said. Although the expansion of the Hubli Airport had begun, work needed to be speeded up, he added.

Revenue Minister and Minister in charge of Dharward district Jagadish Shettar appealed to Mr. Kumaraswamy to grant Rs. 20 crore and allot 40 hectares of land for developing an "Integrated IT City" in Hubli-Dharwad. The twin cities could be developed into an IT hub, he said and promised investors that the Government would provide facilities.

`Promote Hubli'

B.V. Naidu, Director, Software Technology Parks of India, spoke about the need for developing tier-two cities as IT hubs. He said Hubli should be promoted as a destination for investments in the IT sector.

Mr. H.D. Kumarswamy released a CD containing a presentation on facilities available in Hubli.

Minister for Primary and Secondary Education Basavaraj S. Horatti, former Ministers Jabbar Khan Honnalli and S.R. Morey, and Prahlad Joshi, MP, were present.