ITsAP seeks boost from from political parties

The IT and ITeS Industry Association of Andhra Pradesh (ITsAP), a registered apex body with more than 300 members representing the software industry, on Thursday submitted its recommendations for accelerated growth of the sector in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana to all the political parties for inclusion of the same in their manifestos.

“We want the government to develop Tier-II cities and also appoint a dedicated officer and mandate him/her with the growth of IT and ITeS sectors in cities such as Visakhapatnam, Warangal, Karimnagar, Vijayawada, Tirupati, Nizamabad and Kakinada. The government can also consider other Tier-II cities whatever they deem fit. We can help develop other cities on a par with cities such as Pune,” said ITsAP president V Rajanna.

Recommending the government to set up a round-the-clock chief minister’s grievance cell, ITsAP sought a one-time investment of Rs 50 crore to strengthen security and other infrastructure to address the security concerns of the sector.

“We want a fund to be attached with incubation centres to provide incentives to startups from other countries (like from Chile) to move to Hyderabad, besides setting up IT and ITeS incubation centres in Tier-II and III cities,” Rajanna said, adding a new scheme to reimburse taxes paid by SMEs (that have up to Rs 10 crore in turnover) could be planned.

According to him, the government needs to revise its stand on the value-added tax, improve frequency of airline services and construct airports in Tier-II cities, besides popularising the Information and Technology Investment Region (ITIR).

“We also recommend creation of an apprenticeship/training programme that links industry and colleges with a government-supported incentive programme to improve employability of BTech and MTech students,” Rajanna said.