AP to bring information technology under esma

Will Karnataka take a sheaf out of Andhra’s Act.

The Karnataka government may be watching some of the developments on the IT sector front in the neighbouring Andhra Pradesh with much interest. The Andhra Pradesh gove-rnment is all set to bring the IT and ITeS sector under the Essential Services Maintenance Act, making it free of riots and agitations, and allowing operations without any interruption including power cuts, according to state IT and communications, youth services and sports minister Komatireddy Venkat Reddy.

“A file pertaining to the legislation to make IT an ess-ential service was signed by chief minister K Rosaiah on Thursday and the same will be tabled in the ongoing Assembly session for necessary amendments and bringing it into force,” he told reporters on the sidelines of Information Technology and Services Industry Association of Andhra Pradesh (ITsAP)’s two-day software products showcase and awards event that kicked off here on Friday.

Stating that the present IT policy would come to an end by this month, the minister said the government was in the process of preparing a new IT policy for the next five years. “Draft copy of the policy is getting ready. We are presently seeking suggestions and recommendations from the captains of the industry,” he said.

Assuring the industry that they need not worry about investments and business in the state because of the ongoing political agitations, Reddy said the state IT&C ministry was taking serious action against those who took land from the government for setting up special economic zones (SEZs) and then began using them for some other activities. “We have slapped notices on Indu Projects, which went to New Delhi and tried denotifying its SEZ,” he added.

Andhra Pradesh is the first state in the country to send a proposal to the Centre for setting up an Infor-mation Technology Invest-ment Region (ITIR) in an area of 202 square kilometre, the minister said. The ITIR is expected to create an annual revenue of Rs 3,10,849 crore, generating 1.5 million direct and 5.3 million indirect employment by 2035.