Infosys Tech to set up an SEZ in Orissa

"We have applied to the Orissa government for setting up an ITSEZ in Bhubaneswar and requested the chief minister to provide the required land", T V Mohan Das Pai, director- Human Resources, Infosys, said.

Emerging from a two hour long discussion with Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik in the state secretariat, Pai said, the company has sought 50 acres of land for the project.

He said, the company proposes to invest about Rs 500 crore in the IT and ITeS sectors in Orissa. Out of this Rs 300-350 crore is earmarked for the SEZ. Infosys has such facilities in cities like Bangalore, Jaipur, Chennai and Pune.

Stating that Orissa is an important destination for the company, the Infosys HR head said, the company was the first to come to Orissa way back in 1995." We have a large stake in the state and want to grow in Orissa", he remarked.

He said, the company has about 3000 employees in its Bhubaneswar Development Centre. It recruited about 700 engineers from the state during the current year.

Besides, 200 persons were recruited by the BPO wing of the company including 45 from the economically backward Koraput district. Infosys also exported software worth Rs 642 crore from Orissa during the last fiscal.

Regarding his meeting with Patnaik, he said, it essentially pertained to issues like improving the employability of the Orissa youth, restructuring social sector schemes and improving the mid-day meal scheme.

A team consisting of leading heart surgeon Devi Prasad Shetty, Team Lease CEO, Manish Agarwal met Patnaik and made presentations. He said, Shetty runs the country's largest chain of health services for BPOs and wants to set up a very large heart hospital in Bhubaneswar. The chief minister was requested to facilitate the process.

Similarly, Agarwal made a presentation on improving the employability of the youth of Orissa. Patnaik suggested him to work in association with the Livelihood Mission of the Orissa government.

Regarding the other areas of the company's involvement Pai said, through Akshya Patro Foundation Infosys is providing mid-day meal to 30,000 children in Puri district and 10,000 children in Nayagarh district. The company intends to increase the number to 50,000 in Puri district next year. It has so far spent Rs 5.5 crore on various CSR initiatives in the state.