IT companies to be exempted from power cuts in AP

Information technology (IT) companies in the state will be exempted from the statutory power cuts. Chief minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy, who reviewed the operations of IT&C department on Friday, issued instructions to this effect.

Reddy asked the principal secretary (energy) to issue strict orders to power distribution companies to ensure IT companies are exempted from statutory power cuts as has been assured under the state’s information and communication technology (ICT) policy.

According to an official press release, a committee under chief secretary will be set up to finalise allotment of land to the IT companies at Raidurg. The chief minister also directed the departments concerned to provide the required infrastructure to TCS and Cognizant at Adibatla and for Wipro campus at Gopanapally on the city outskirts.

Eligibility criteria for allotment of land at Tier-II and III locations will be relaxed and IALA (Industrial Local Area Development) status will be provided to Madhurawada IT layout in Visakhapatnam.

The state, the press release said, accounts for 12.4 per cent of total IT exports of the country and 11.4 per cent of the national IT employment. It registered an IT growth rate of 16 per cent, slightly higher than the national growth rate of 15.7 per cent. Hyderabad is stated to be in the second position city-wise as far as IT growth is concerned.

With a turnover of Rs 53,246 crore, IT contributes 39 per cent to the total exports from the state. The built-up space for IT in the state had grown 300 times by 2012 compared with what it was in 1999. Today, there are 1,268 IT companies from 1,074 in 2010.       

At the review meeting, the chief minister also directed the officials to see that Mee Seva was extended to 100 services at the earliest.