Keonics to set up IT park in Belgaum
BELGAUM: Karnataka State Electronics Development Corporation Limited (Keonics) will set up an IT park in a five-acre land in Belgaum and an incubation centre will be set up in an engineering college in Belgaum, said minister for IT and BT SR Patil here on Friday.
''Instead of giving barren land to firms, the government has decided to construct a building and later give it to the firms. Soon, they will identify the land. Once this is done, more IT firms will definitely come to Belgaum. The IT park will be on the model of ITPL in Bangalore. The minimum area will be 100,000 sqft and can accommodate IT companies,'' Patil said.
He said the incubation centre will serve students in honing their skills before getting into the job.
At another function, Patil said that as Bangalore was saturated, IT industry will in future focus more on Tier II cities like Mysore, Mangalore, Hubli, Dharwad, Gulbarga and Belgaum.
More focus will be given to North Karnataka region, especially Belgaum, he said.
Speaking after inaugurating the first Techtree IT System's shore development centre, which happens to be the first software unit in Belgaum, Patil said that the Union government had approved the Information Technology Investment Region, coming up on about 10,500 acres near Bangalore which would generate nearly 40 lakh jobs. It will be set up near the Bengaluru International Airport.
''We have started speaking to IT giants on the need to focus on Tier II and III cities. Mysore is the most fast developing Tier II cities in Karnataka. Belgaum also has all the required facilities. IT sector should grow across the state and generate employment. A few weeks back, I spoke to NR Narayana Murthy, executive chairman, Infosys, on starting their unit in Hubli. We have given 50 acres for the unit, which can provide nearly 10,000 jobs,'' he said.
He also mentioned that based on the ICT report, the state is looking at increasing employment in the IT sector from 8 lakh to 20 lakh and software exports from the current Rs 1,30,000 crore to Rs 4,00,000 crore.
Focus on Suvarna Soudha: Patil said that if the location of Vidhana Soudha made Bangalore famous, then the Suvarna Vidhana Soudha should bring fame to Belgaum. He said government departments which are important for North Karnataka people should be set up at the Suvarna Soudha.
"The previous government did a good job by constructing the Suvarna Vidhana Soudha. After investing nearly Rs 400 crore, it should not go waste,'' he said.
