Develop Vizag as IT hub, G.V.L. urges CM

VISHAKHAPATNAM: Rajya Sabha member G.V.L. Narasimha Rao asked Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy to develop Vizag as a major IT hub. He writes to the CM and urges him to take this idea as his New Year resolution.

In his letter to the chief minister, Narasimha Rao said of the 51 lakh people working in the IT industry, the highest number are from Andhra Pradesh. As a modest estimate, 5 to 7 lakh people belonging to AP who have studied in the state and have their families residing with them. This accounts for well over 10 percent of the total IT manpower. However, share of state in the nation's IT output and exports is only 0.1 percent.

He suggested the chief minister to create a new “Policy for the Establishment of Satellite Centres by IT companies”. This may include incentivising them for creating new jobs or relocating existing jobs from Hyderabad and Bangalore to Visakhapatnam. The new satellite policy must also include offering ready-to-shift office spaces, infrastructure and other logistics support in Visakhapatnam that are prerequisites for IT sector development.

Further, he sought immediate release of incentives pending for the past four years to the IT companies currently working in Andhra Pradesh, to build Visakhapatnam as a major StartUp city for innovations by creating the necessary ecosystem. For this purpose, immediately make available to Software Technology Parks of India (STPI) suitable ready-to-operate 10,000 sq. ft space for immediate establishment of a state-of-the-art incubation centre and one-acre land for establishment of a permanent campus in Andhra University.

He said the IT industry was experiencing a massive double-digit growth and the industry would need an additional 40 lakh skilled IT youth in the next four years. This is a golden opportunity for Andhra Pradesh to impart special training and skills to the youth from Andhra Pradesh.