Foreign media spotlights Bengal's IT success

Saturday, 01 May 2004, 19:30 IST
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KOLKATA: A communist bastion for long and notorious for the absence of private industry, West Bengal is suddenly making news with the international media because of its rapid strides in IT. Such big media names as the Far Eastern Economic Review and the New York Times have shown interest in the rapid strides the state is making in the IT and IT-enabled services (ITES) industry. The Far Eastern Economic Review in its April 29 issue has run a cover story on the state. The story, titled "Go Calcutta - Asia's Surprising New Tech Hub", said for long private investors had stayed away from the city, but now such big names in IT as IBM and Wipro have set up shop here. The magazine cited the state's huge talent pool and low costs as reasons for attracting IT investors. Boosting the state government's morale, the story said software professionals who had left the city to look for jobs elsewhere were returning here to take up jobs. Describing the change in the state that has been ruled by leftists for 27 unbroken years as dramatic, the magazine lists the achievements like setting up of software parks, hiring of international consultants McKinsey to draw up a comprehensive policy and steady power supply, among others. The magazine has listed the top IT and ITES firms operating out of the city. The cover story has also published an interview of Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya. West Bengal's progress with IT has also attracted the attention of the New York Times, which has sent its Southeast Asia bureau chief to find out all about it. The daily's reporter has interviewed Bhattacharya, toured the countryside with him, attended election rallies and seen the IT hubs to collect material for a special feature. State officials said more foreign media were showing interest in West Bengal's IT success story. The Indian media is also writing favourably for the state's IT sector. Software exports from West Bengal, which hopes to capture 20 percent of the Indian exports market by 2005, have doubled in 2002-03, according to official estimates. They stood at 13 billion ($289 million) during the period against 7.5 billion ($167 million) in 2001-02, figures published by the state directorate of industries said. West Bengal's revised IT policy aims at making the state one of the top three states in software exports by 2010. Between 1996 and 2003, West Bengal has attracted such names as Microsoft, Wipro, Tata Infotech, Tata Consultancy Services, IBM, Cognizant Technology Solutions, The Chatterjee Group, NIIT, Skytech, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Computer Associates, Astral Systems and Cisco Systems, which either had investments in the state or were in the process of investing. The state government is hoping that 10,000 new jobs would be created in ITES sector in the next two years.
Source: IANS