Gujarat promotes state as outsourcing destination

Monday, 24 November 2003, 20:30 IST
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WOODBRIDGE: Gujarat wants to promote the state as a major destination for business process outsourcing, with fiscal and other incentives for companies in knowledge-based industries, a senior state official said here. Rajesh Kishore, the state's secretary in the Department of Science and Technology, said: "We have realized that that traditional industries can help us grow only by 8 to 10 percent. It is the knowledge-based industries such as information technology, biotechnology and pharmaceutical research that can help us achieve our target of 15 percent plus growth per annum." Kishore was in New Jersey for a meeting with companies in information technology and pharmaceuticals sectors and also met with recently re-elected New Jersey Assemblyman Upendra Chivukula, who is the vice chair of Legislature's Commerce and Economic Development Committee. The meeting was organized at the Sheraton hotel in Woodbridge by CyGate Software and Consulting. Earlier, Kishore visited Atlanta and Pittsburgh to meet with companies that had expressed interest in setting up BPO operations in Gujarat. He said Gujarat was in the process of announcing a new policy for venture capital and incubation services for knowledge-based industries, under which funding would be provided to new players along with mentoring services from experts in the field. The venture capital fund would be set up under one of the government agencies or financial institutions and would be linked to other measures such as enhancement in state's budgetary outlay for research and development and efforts to increase the talent pool. In New Jersey, Kishore also met with the officials of Creative InfoCity Ltd., which is a $200 million project between Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar, called InfoCity, in which 11 percent stake is held by the Gujarat government and the remaining by entrepreneurs from the United States. Dilip Barot, chief executive officer of InfoCity, told IANS that in the first phase $40 million was being invested to develop 200 acres of land with best possible infrastructure. Small and medium-sized companies in knowledge-based industries can not only set up their operations, but also provide house and recreational facilities for their workers, he said. "It is what we call in America a mix-use, self-sustaining community," Barot said.
Source: IANS
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