TN software cos registration up 59.7% in last 8 yrs: Minister

Tamil Nadu has witnessed a jump of 59.7 per cent in registration of software units in the last eight years, with 1,780 units registered in 2012-13 alone, Industries Minister P Thangamani said here today.
IT and ITeS segments are a major contributor to the services sector in the state.
"According to Software Technology Parks of India, Chennai, the number of registered software units in Tamil Nadu increased from 1,114 in 2004-05 to 1,780 units in 2012-13 providing employment to more than 3.75 lakh persons," he said at the inauguration of a two-day conference CONNECT organised by industry body CII.
The first edition of CONNECT was formally inaugurated by then Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa in 2001. The annual event organised by CII, discusses about IT and IT enabled services industry in the region. The theme of this year's conference is "Digital Infrastructure-Enabling the world of Tomorrow".

On software exports, Thangamani said the state accounts for more than 10 per cent of total exports made from India.
"This is mainly due to the presence of IT companies like Tata Consultancy Services, HCL, Wipro and Mahindra. Now Tamil Nadu ranks one of the top three largest software exporters in India," he said.

Observing that the Chennai office of World Bank was its only back office outside Washington, Thangamani said the project had resulted in an increase in the number of financial institutions and banks setting up back-office operations in the city.
With the presence of offices like Standard Chartered Bank, ABN Amro, Bank of America, he said, Chennai has become the financial hub of South India.

On the proposed two-day conference Global Investors Meet scheduled to be held in May 2015, he said the event would be a focused endeavour to realise the Government's vision of inclusive growth through significant industrialisation and increase in employment level.