Karnataka to unveil 3 policies on IT sector

In a bid to give a further fillip to the IT sector in Karnataka, the government would soon unveil three policies, including Information Communication Technology (ICT) by this October-end, Minister for IT & BT, Katta Subramanya Naidu said here today.

"The state will unfold its new policy on hardware and animation either on October 28 or 29, besides the ICT policy," he told reporters here.

Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee has been requested to unveil the policies, Naidu said after chairing a high-level meeting of his department, where he reviewed the progress made on several projects in IT and BT.

The first phase of Karnataka's ambitious Rs one lakh crore Information Technology Investment Region on about 10,000 acres at Devanahally near Bengaluru International Airport would take off by the first week of December.

The state has already notified 2,072 acres for the project and another 8,000 acres would be notified in a week, he said, adding that the government was acquiring only non-agricultural land for the mega project.

In the first phase, about 2,000 acres with Rs 25,000 crore investment is planned and the entire ITIR development would be completed in about 12 years. "The ITIR when completed will provide employment at least 40 lakh persons," he said.

Naidu said work on the IT park in Shimoga has begun and that in Mangalore was likely to be laucnhed in two months.

Alexandria Company has been accorded permission to develop a Biotech park on 56 acres near Electronic City. They have invested Rs 250 crore and the government has leased the land for 60 years at a fixed rental of Rs 11.73 lakh per acres per annum, he said.

An Agri Bio tech park is coming up at Dharward and a Marine biotech park in Mangalore, he said.

The minister said the government has approved establishment of 10 BT finishing schools by private players.