Bengal has emerged as a prominent destination for IT & ITeS companies, however further improvements in certain specific areas are required in order to make it a frontrunner in this sector. | |
| According to an IT and ITeS sector survey carried out by the Indian Chamber of Commerce in West Bengal, about 40 per cent of the respondents felt that infrastructure improvement to cope with the rapid growth of the IT, ITeS, BPO sector is the most important factor necessary to make West Bengal a more attractive IT destination. |
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| Infrastructure includes better roads, air connectivity, social infrastructure of Kolkata and other towns of prominence in the state. |
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| As an IT destination, the survey said that out of 17 states, West Bengal ranked fifth after Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra. |
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| Although majority of the respondents have opined that there is a proper industry-academia linkage in the state which caters to the growing demands for skilled manpower of the IT companies, about 20 per cent said that the most important facilitator that can make Bengal a more atractive IT, ITeS destination, is 'energising education' to further enhance the quality and quantity of skilled manpower in this sector. |
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| About 14.3 per cent of the respondents felt that 'offering incentives like sales tax exemptions for 10 years, entry tax exemptions on computer hardware, peripherals and other capital goods', is the most important facilitator. While about 13.2 per cent felt that making direct international bandwidth available from West Bengal, thus reducing inter-city connectivity costs, is the most important factor that could make Bengal a more attractive IT investment hub. |
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| About 6.6 per cent of the respondents said that better financial services, technical support and insurance claim processing is the most important facilitator, while about 4.5 per cent said develioping more tier-II cities and setting up of more software technology parks or IT infrastructure is the most important factor. |
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| About 3.3 per cent of the respondents felt superior optic fibre networking system is the most important facilitator that will help West Bengal go up the ladder and become a frontrunner in IT and ITeS. |
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| Among obstacles, a number of major information technology (IT) companies in the city like TCS, Cognizant, IBM and Wipro have expressed concern over frequent disruptions in work due to strikes called by political parties. |
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| Moreover, ICC, which surveyed nearly 100 respondents working in the IT sector here, said in its report that the industry did not enjoy the status of 'public utility service' as granted by the West Bengal government to work on 24x7x365 basis. The respondents felt that the IT and ITeS remained a 'public utility service' only on paper, as it continued to be disturbed by strikes. |
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| According to the report, the respondents are of the view that if the state government does not address the issue immediately, then its prospects of emerging as one of the top three states would be difficult to fulfill. |
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