KT Rama Rao says IT sector grew by 17 per cent; Old City to get start-up

Hyderabad: IT minister K.T. Rama Rao on Saturday assured MIM floor leader Akbaruddin Owaisi of setting up an IT start-up in the Old City.

While replying a question on IT exports, Mr Rama Rao said government policies to encourage the sector over the past five years had resulted in the state registering a 17 per cent growth in the IT industry compared to the national average of eight per cent.

He told the House that the government was taking steps to encourage IT companies in the eastern and southern regions of the city to take the pressure off the infrastructure in the western part.

The government had approved Maheshwaram and Raviryal areas for development of electronic industry clusters, Mr Rama Rao said.

While replying to K.P. Vivekananda of the TRS and D. Sridhar Babu of the Congress with regard IT industry in Tier Two towns, Mr Rama Rao said the IT Tower in Karimnagar would be inaugurated next month and the one in Khammam would be ready by November or December.

He said “The government has identified 50 acres for a similar project in Mahbubnagar and some business process outsourcing companies had started operations in Jangaon and Huzurabad.

When Mr Akbaruddin Owaisi asked about expanding IT clusters in Shamshabad and Maheswaram, which are adjacent to the Old City, Mr Rama Rao said the government would set up IT start-ups if land was available.

Referring to the Information Technology Investment Region (ITIR) proposal for the city mooted by the UPA II government at the Centre, Mr Rama Rao said the NDA government had made it clear that it was shelving the project.

He said, “Some Congress leaders claim that it was their government that gave Hyderabad and Bengaluru the ITIR project. If that is the case, why did the Congress, which was in power in Karnataka until recently, not implement it?”