State eyes 22% growth in IT exports this fiscal

Andhra Pradesh is expecting a 22 per cent jump in its IT exports in the current financial year and touch Rs 70,000 crore, as against Rs 36,000 crore achieved last year, by 2015 at a conservative growth rate of 17 per cent, according to state information technology and communications principal secretary K Ratna Prabha.

Speaking to Business Standard on the sidelines of a press conference here on Tuesday, she said the government had furnished the proposal to set up the country’s first Information Technology Investment Region (ITIR) in Hyderabad to the Centre. "The approval is expected anytime now."

The state government has already identified 6,000 acre for the ITIR, covering Gachibowli, Pocharam and Shamshabad. The ITIR, which will house IT, ITeS and electronic hardware manufacturing units besides self-sustained townships, is expected to attract investments of about Rs 2.19 lakh crore, apart from generating 1.5 million direct and 5.3 million indirect jobs.

Of the 57 IT special economic zones (SEZs) in the state, Prabha said, 15 were currently operational while the rest had been notified. "The state currently has 9 million sft of IT SEZ space available of which 2 million sft is occupied. We saw a lull in 2009-10 because of the recession. Things will improve this year," she said, adding that once operational, these SEZs will create 100 million sft of office space and generate employment to 1 million people in the next three years.

The proposed IT Policy for 2010-15, with special emphasis on start-ups, small and medium enterprises, and product and research and development companies, will be discussed and finalised by the state Cabinet on July 1, 2010, she added.