Odisha: Wooing investments in IT, electronics
Odisha is well-placed to attract capital flows of Rs 5,000 crore in these sectors over the next five years
)
Armed with its new Information and Communication Technology Policy-2014, Odisha is wooing investments in the IT (information technology) and ESDM (electronics system design and manufacturing) sector in a big way.
The new policy has targetted a gross ICT (information and communication technology) turnover of $4 billion and direct employment for 60,000 professionals by 2020. It aims to attract 10 leading IT/ITes companies and five leading ESDM companies to the state, prepare built-up space of six million sq ft and develop a land bank of 2,000 acres.
The policy also mandates the earmarking of two per cent of the annual plan budget or one per cent of the overall budget - whichever is higher - in each government department for spending on IT-related work, so as to provide services through electronic mode.
The aim is to make Odisha a favoured destination for the IT and ESDM industries, and Bhubaneswar a leading IT destination among tier-II cities. The state is poised to attract investments of Rs 5,000 crore in the IT and ESDM sectors in the next five years, Pranab Prakash Das, Odisha's IT minister, revealed at a conference of state IT ministers and secretaries held in New Delhi in June.
The presence of all four leading Indian IT companies - TCS, Infosys, Wipro and Tech Mahindra - in Bhubaneswar speaks volumes for the congenial and proactive industrial climate created by the state.
The IT companies, unlike their mineral-based counterparts, have the upper hand when it comes to land acquisition and availability of skilled manpower. The state government has developed dedicated IT parks for housing IT units. Special Economic Zones (SEZs) have been established at IT hubs such as Infocity and Infovalley in Bhubaneswar.
The Infovalley project covers an area of around 613 acres. Of this, 262.52 acres have been notified as a SEZ where Infosys has set up its second development centre in the city, and another 215 acres have been set aside for an ESDM Park. The department of electronics and information technology under the Union ministry of communications and information technology has accorded in-principle approval for the setting up of an Electronics Manufacturing Cluster (EMC) under its EMC scheme.
In addition, an IT investment region (ITIR) spread over 41.32 sq km (10,210 acres) is proposed between Bhubaneswar and Khurda. It will have a processing area of 4,300 acres, which will house IT/ITes (IT enabled services) units, electronics hardware manufacturing (EHM) units and research and development (R & D) centres. The proposed hub is projected to generate job opportunities for 230,000 people in the IT/ITes and ESDM sectors. Similar ITIRs planned in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka have already received the Centre's approval.
For nurturing small IT units, six new STPI (software technology parks of India) centres are planned in the state. The Union ministry of communications & information technology has granted in-principle approval for the establishment of these six STPI centres. With this, the state will have 10 STPI units.
At present, there are four STPI centres in Odisha - one each at Bhubaneswar, Berhampur, Rourkela and Balasore. Barring the Balasore unit, which is under construction, the other three are operational and contribute a major chunk of the state's IT export revenues. More than 100 IT units of the state are registered with STPI. Software exports from Odisha totalled some Rs 2,400 crore in 2013-14, an increase of 23.4 per cent over the previous fiscal.
The new STPIs will be located at Jajpur, Sambalpur, Koraput (Jeypur), Angul and Kalahandi (Bhawanipatana).
To realize the full potential of the ESDM sector, the state government has put in place a detailed road map for the next decade. The sector is poised to generate cumulative revenues of Rs 18,800 crore in the state by 2024, according to estimates of the India Electronics & Semiconductor Association (IESA). In its report, IESA, a premier trade body representing the ESDM sector, has projected revenues, potential investments and employment opportunities in this field.
The report says investments of Rs 7,340 crore need to be pumped into the sector in three phases to realise the projected revenue. Besides, IESA has identified Rayagada, Sundergarh, Balasore and Ganjam districts as areas with potential for the ESDM sector, after a SWOT (strength, weakness, opportunities, threats) analysis. The focus currently is mainly on Khurda district, where the Infovalley complex is coming up.
The new policy has targetted a gross ICT (information and communication technology) turnover of $4 billion and direct employment for 60,000 professionals by 2020. It aims to attract 10 leading IT/ITes companies and five leading ESDM companies to the state, prepare built-up space of six million sq ft and develop a land bank of 2,000 acres.
The policy also mandates the earmarking of two per cent of the annual plan budget or one per cent of the overall budget - whichever is higher - in each government department for spending on IT-related work, so as to provide services through electronic mode.
The aim is to make Odisha a favoured destination for the IT and ESDM industries, and Bhubaneswar a leading IT destination among tier-II cities. The state is poised to attract investments of Rs 5,000 crore in the IT and ESDM sectors in the next five years, Pranab Prakash Das, Odisha's IT minister, revealed at a conference of state IT ministers and secretaries held in New Delhi in June.
The presence of all four leading Indian IT companies - TCS, Infosys, Wipro and Tech Mahindra - in Bhubaneswar speaks volumes for the congenial and proactive industrial climate created by the state.
The IT companies, unlike their mineral-based counterparts, have the upper hand when it comes to land acquisition and availability of skilled manpower. The state government has developed dedicated IT parks for housing IT units. Special Economic Zones (SEZs) have been established at IT hubs such as Infocity and Infovalley in Bhubaneswar.
The Infovalley project covers an area of around 613 acres. Of this, 262.52 acres have been notified as a SEZ where Infosys has set up its second development centre in the city, and another 215 acres have been set aside for an ESDM Park. The department of electronics and information technology under the Union ministry of communications and information technology has accorded in-principle approval for the setting up of an Electronics Manufacturing Cluster (EMC) under its EMC scheme.
In addition, an IT investment region (ITIR) spread over 41.32 sq km (10,210 acres) is proposed between Bhubaneswar and Khurda. It will have a processing area of 4,300 acres, which will house IT/ITes (IT enabled services) units, electronics hardware manufacturing (EHM) units and research and development (R & D) centres. The proposed hub is projected to generate job opportunities for 230,000 people in the IT/ITes and ESDM sectors. Similar ITIRs planned in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka have already received the Centre's approval.
For nurturing small IT units, six new STPI (software technology parks of India) centres are planned in the state. The Union ministry of communications & information technology has granted in-principle approval for the establishment of these six STPI centres. With this, the state will have 10 STPI units.
At present, there are four STPI centres in Odisha - one each at Bhubaneswar, Berhampur, Rourkela and Balasore. Barring the Balasore unit, which is under construction, the other three are operational and contribute a major chunk of the state's IT export revenues. More than 100 IT units of the state are registered with STPI. Software exports from Odisha totalled some Rs 2,400 crore in 2013-14, an increase of 23.4 per cent over the previous fiscal.
The new STPIs will be located at Jajpur, Sambalpur, Koraput (Jeypur), Angul and Kalahandi (Bhawanipatana).
To realize the full potential of the ESDM sector, the state government has put in place a detailed road map for the next decade. The sector is poised to generate cumulative revenues of Rs 18,800 crore in the state by 2024, according to estimates of the India Electronics & Semiconductor Association (IESA). In its report, IESA, a premier trade body representing the ESDM sector, has projected revenues, potential investments and employment opportunities in this field.
The report says investments of Rs 7,340 crore need to be pumped into the sector in three phases to realise the projected revenue. Besides, IESA has identified Rayagada, Sundergarh, Balasore and Ganjam districts as areas with potential for the ESDM sector, after a SWOT (strength, weakness, opportunities, threats) analysis. The focus currently is mainly on Khurda district, where the Infovalley complex is coming up.
Don't miss the most important news and views of the day. Get them on our Telegram channel
First Published: Dec 09 2014 | 9:42 PM IST