IT companies to adopt colleges in Dharwad

IT companies to adopt colleges in Dharwad
The Times News Network
By R Raghavendra/TNN

Bangalore: Even as the state government is making a serious attempt to promote Hubli-Dharwad as a good Tier II location for IT and ITeS companies by conducting the IT investors meet during this weekend, NASSCOM is gearing up to get more from this event. In order to make graduates in North Karnataka 'IT-ready', the taskforce on IT Workforce Development within NASSCOM is ensuring that IT companies come forward and adopt a few colleges in Dharwad.
NASSCOM, along with the Department of Technical Education, government of Karnataka, is organising the first ever ITeS/IT Industry-Academia Meet in Dharwad on the same day when the IT investors meet would take place in Hubli. On this occasion, Sun Microsystems and MindTree Consulting have come forward to adopt a few colleges in order to equip them on industry requirements.
"We have identified several Tier II cities in India where such initiatives would make a huge difference. This is the first time it would take place in Karnataka. It is initiatives like these that will help us ensure that India would not have a talent crunch of 5 lakh people by 2010 as estimated by the NASSCOM-Mckinsey report,'' Kiran Karnik, president of NASSCOM told The Times of India.
Over the last few months the IT industry has made it known on various platforms that it is unimpressed with the quality of graduates coming out of colleges especially in Tier II towns. Lack of good soft skills, bad communication and problem solving skills and knowledge on algorithms are some of the common woes of the IT companies.
According to Prof K Basavaraju, director, Department of Technical Education, government of Karnataka: "Our graduate intake every year is 45,000 students, whereas the output is currently 28,000 students. This meet would help students understand the needs of the industry in today's context directly from the industry leaders.'' With a 72% literacy rate, Dharwad prides itself for being the centre of high quality education and has 16 engineering colleges beside two medical colleges.

NRIs have sought land for IT City: Shettar

Hubli: It is destination Hubli for the IT/ITeS sector in Karnataka now. The state government is open to the idea of setting up an integrated IT City depending on the response from entrepreneurs attending the IT Investors' Meet here on Saturday.
Revenue minister Jagdish Shettar said on Wednesday that some eight to 10 NRIs based in Manipal, who are engaged in software development for export, had approached him to explore the possibility for allotment of land in Hubli for the establishment of an IT City. Addressing a meet-the-press programme organised here by the Dharwad District Working Journalists' Association, he said if they form a consortium and identify a piece of land, KIADB will certainly help them out from the 400 acres already acquired by it. Shettar said that the NRIs are attending the investors' meet on Saturday. They will be shown the available KIADB land in Rayapur and Mammigatti on NH4 and Kelgeri near Dharwad.

Pune firm sets up unit in Hubli

Pune firm sets up unit in Hubli

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Hubli: The IT Investors Meet received a shot in the arm with Neilsoft, a Pune-based engineering technology services provider, setting up a centre in Hubli IT Park on the eve of the event’s inauguration on Friday.
Neilsoft corporate marketing manager Prashant Chunduri said, “we saw a perfect combination of good engineering talent and infrastructure in Hubli to locate our first centre outside Pune.”
The company specialises in computer aided designing, manufacturing and software product engineering services and solutions. The Hubli centre starts with 20 engineers and is expected to grow to 100 seats in the next 18 months.
Meanwhile topnotch players, including Infosys, Wipro, TCS, MphasiS and MindTree, are among the 56 companies which have confirmed their participation in the event billed to showcase Hubli as an ideal Tier-II city for the IT/ITeS sector.
Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy is slated to inaugurate the meet on Saturday morning in the presence of his deputy B S Yediyurappa, while NASSCOM president Kiran Karnik will deliver the keynote address.


A desktop PC shaped float welcomes delegates to the IT Investors’ Meet in Hubli on Friday.

‘Destination Hubli-Stay Ahead’ to attract investors

‘Destination Hubli-Stay Ahead’ to attract investors
The Newindpress.com
Saturday May 20 2006 11:57 IST

HUBLI: Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy will inaugurate ‘Destination Hubli- Stay ahead’, an ambitious IT investors meet, slated to be held here on May 20, to attract IT investment to North Karnataka in general and Hubli-Dharwad in particular. Dharwad district administration, IT Department, Software Technology Park of India, Keonics, Karnataka Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Hubli-Dharwad Municipal Corporation, BIC Society and BVB College of Engineering and Technology are working in tandem to make this event a success.

Speaking to The New Indian Express, Deputy Commissioner M.S. Srikar said as many as 45 IT companies have confirmed their participation in the investors meet and another 20-30 have shown keen interest.

‘‘We have done everything required to showcase Hubli’s potential for IT investment.

The district administration has identified three places in Hubli and Dharwad cities for establishing the IT City.

These places would be shown to the investors,’’ he added.

Representatives of major IT companies, including Infosys, IBM and NASSCOM are expected to participate in the day-long deliberations and take a decision regarding setting up of their units in this region.

Special invitee Kiran Karnik, Chief Executive Officer, NASSCOM, will deliver the keynote address.

Deputy Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa, will be the chief guest. Primary Education and Law Ministers Basavaraj Horatti and S.R. Bommai, and HK Patil, Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council will be the guests.

The inauguration, technical sessions and other programmes will be at Hotel Naveen at 11 am.

Member of Parliament Prahlad Joshi, Manjunath Kunnur, MLAs A.M. Hindasageri, Basavaraj Bommai, Veeranna Mattikatti, S.R. More, Jabbar Khan Honnali, S.I. Chikkanagoudar, M.S. Akki, Vinay Kulkarni, Mayor Hanumanthappa Betageri and Dharwad Zilla Panchayat president Geetha Anandgouda will be present.

Hassle-free stay for IT units comes for `Rs 10' rent

Hassle-free stay for IT units comes for `Rs 10' rent
The Newindpress.com
Saturday May 20 2006 00:00 IST

HUBLI: When CEOs of IT, ITES and BPO companies land in Hubli on Saturday to participate in a government-sponsored investors' meet, they might just find the region an ideal destination for expansion.

The government is only tempting the air further by offering facilities far superior than in Bangalore at invitation prices.

For instance, if an office space in upmarket Koramangala area in Bangalore costs anywhere between Rs 30-45 per Sq.Ft in monthly rents, the same is offered for Rs 10 at Hubli's newly developed IT park.

There is, however, a caveat. The offer is available only for first comers and restricted to 50,000 sq.ft of space. The next 15,000 sq.ft in the total built up area of 2.70 lakh sq.ft. Will come at Rs 15 per sq.ft in monthly rental. The rest will cost Rs 20 per sq.ft per month.

The State Government which is developing Hubli at a frenetic pace as part of its operation to decongest Bangalore is confident that the bristling commercial centre with its salubrious climate and availability of all critical needs - power, water and access - will emerge as a key tier-II IT destination in Karnataka.

Mckinsey report, after all, reckons Hubli as the next IT hub. Dharwad Deputy Commissioner M S Srikar said the IT park is suitable for small and medium companies.

Big companies may look for large areas of land, which, in any case, is available at affordable prices around the twin cities of Hubli and Dharwad.

According to IT director Rakesh Singh, the Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board (KIADB) would also offer developed land in Rayapur, Mammigatti and Kelgeri areas in Dharwad district.

The Government is also open to the idea of a high-tech IT city on a 300-acre plot.

The region already hosts all major telecom service providers and is equipped with fibered network with high-speed internet, points out Rakesh Singh.

There are no infrastructure problems, and companies can tap skilled manpower that is locally available in abundance. There are about 180 colleges in Hubli-Dharwad region producing more than 17,000 graduates, he said.

Interestingly, about 80 colleges are already offering BPO-centric training to students.

The civic body of the twin cities too is geared up for meeting the infrastructure needs of investors.

Municipal Commissioner P Manivannan said all encroachments have been razed and wider roads are being relaid.

Being close to Mumbai, Pune, Belgaum and Goa, and connected by air, rail and road are big plusses Hubli has in its favour. And any possible congestion or traffic snarls are still decades away.

Information Technology Park in Hubli to be evaluated by firms

Information Technology Park in Hubli to be evaluated by firms
The Hindu.com

Staff Correspondent

Announcements expected at today's investors' meet

# The Investors' Meet is an effort to revive the IT Park
# The Government has announced a special package for purchase of space at the park
# 120 hectares of land is available outside the park
# Land has been allotted for development of Hubli airport

AWAITING INVESTORS: The Information Technology Park in Hubli

HUBLI: The IT (information technology) Investors' Meet opens here on Saturday, and representatives of companies attending it will visit the IT Park to find out whether there are adequate facilities for setting up units.

The meet is a coordinated effort to revive the IT Park and project the twin cities of Hubli-Dharwad as an ideal destination for investments in the sector.

The district administration, led by Deputy Commissioner M.S. Srikar, has taken the initiative to organise the meet with the support of the State Department of Information Technology and Biotechnology, Hubli-Dharwad Municipal Corporation (HDMC), Karnataka State Electronics Development Corporation Limited, Karnatak Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI), BIC Society and BVB College of Engineering and Technology.

Two years ago, "Destination Hubli", a meet to promote the IT Park, was organised in Bangalore, but it did not make an impact. A positive response is expected this time as the venue is Hubli.

The organisers of the event will make it known to IT companies that about 120 hectares of land is available in and around the twin cities for those interested in establishing their units outside the park.

Although invitations have been sent to about 150 IT companies, the organisers of the meet have said the focus is on persuading top companies to participate.

The Government has announced a special package for attracting IT companies to the IT Park. Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy, during his visit to Dharwad for the inspection of sites for setting up a Circuit Bench of the Karnataka High Court, announced that for six months, the first 50,000 sq.ft at the park will be offered at Rs. 10 a sq.ft. and the next 15,000 sq.ft at Rs. 15 a sq. ft.

Following the announcement of the package, the IT Park has received enquiries. Neilsoft, a Pune-based company, has expressed interest in buying 10,000 sq.ft of space. The Government has announced the allotment of 155 hectares of land to the Airports Authority of India for the development of the Hubli airport into an all-weather facility.

There is hope that the IT Park can be revived and Hubli can be promoted among IT companies at the meet as a destination for investments.

In view of the meet, the HDMC has improved roads and other basic amenities.

Venture capital can spur growth

Venture capital can spur growth
Vijay Times Network

Venture capital can be defined as fund used to support new or unusual undertakings; equity, risk or speculative investment capital. The fund is provided to new or existing firms which exhibit potential for aboveaverage growth.

If we see the success of IT industry in Silicon Valley (California - USA), the main contributor has been venture capital support. The ideas and innovations coming out of academic institutions (such as Stanford, Berkley) are backed by venture capital fund. SUN Microsystems (Stanford University Network) and Google are few such success stories.

Karnataka has setup one such fund called KITVEN (Karnataka IT Venture Capital).

On similar lines, the government of Karnataka must setup a North Karnataka Venture Capital Fund (NKVCF). The fund should go into companies with above-average growth and should set base in North Karnataka.

An initial fund to the tune of about Rs 25 crore can be setup and monitored professionally by industry, academic and government representatives.

The investment range could from Rs 50 lakh to Rs 150 lakh per company and the investment horizon would be 3 to 5 years. With this initiative, around 10 companies (may be existing companies or new ventures) will start their activities in the North Karnataka region. This initiative will bring definite attraction for small and medium-sized companies and also will develop entrepreneurial culture in the region (wherein universities and education institutes can transform their research into product or service to global markets).

Opportunities in North Karnataka

Santosh Huralikoppi,
CEO, NS Infotech Pvt Ltd
Santosh Huralikoppi is also CEO of Global E Network (a premier business partner of IBM). He is of the IT committee of Karnataka Chamber of Commer Industry. With offices in Michigan, Florida, New Y in USA as well as Bangalore and Hubli in India, hi will become the first IT/BPO company from North Ka to seek an Initial Public offer in Dec. The man power of organisation is likely to scale up to 500 by next

Palpable expectations at IT meet

Palpable expectations at IT meet
VIJAY TIMES NEWS

Hubli: Destination Hubli is all set to hold its first ever investors meet on Saturday to attract investments in information technology and other related sectors to make Hubli-Dharwad an IT hub of North Karnataka. The meet, which has been postponed twice earlier, will try attract IT investments from all categories - minnows to giants.

The meet holds significance in the backdrop of increasing complaints of infrastructure bottlenecks at the national IT capital Bangalor and some companies choosing neighbouring states for investment. Cost of land and unavailability of space were acting as potential barriers in choking new investments in the State capital.

The initiative to host the meet has been taken up by Karnataka Chamber of Commerce and Industry in active association with the administration in order to highlight the need for showcasing secondary and tertiary cities as potential IT destinations, sources stated. Mangalore has been preferred by some companies due to North Karnataka cities due to better air connective. In fact infrastructure, investment climate and availability of trained human resource was better in cities such as Hubli. The government should encash the opportunities of these cities to channelise investment going out of Bangalore.

There are lot of apprehensions and expectations from the investors meet. There is a touch of cynicism with a group feeling that not much drastic changes will have taken place in Hubli cities. However, another school of thought has a very positive outlook, especially given the improvement in road and other infrastructure in Hubli, the sources revealed. The better drinking water and communication facilities have rubbed off on the enthusiasm to promote Hubli as the next IT destination, the sources stated.

The organisers expect the presence of Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy, who also holds the IT portfolio, and his deputy Minister B S Yediyurappa (who holds the Finance portfolio) will give an impetus to put Hubli on the global IT map.

Infosys, IBM, Hewlett Packard, TCS and Wipro are sending their representatives to the meet and that has added to the enthusiasm of the believers. Now, the onus is on the government to fulfil the expectation of the people and organisers by announcing major policy initiatives to check the outflow of investment from the state.