Jharkhand to frame IT policy to woo investors

Monday, 08 November 2004, 20:30 IST
Printer Print Email Email
RANCHI: Jharkhand is framing its first IT policy to attract investors and to make the state a hub of IT activities to provide new employment avenues for the youth. "Jharkhand currently has no separate IT policy and IT-related issues are worked out under the state's industrial policy. We are preparing an exclusive draft for a new IT policy," said R.S Sharma, commissioner of the IT department. "We have consulted different departments while drafting the policy. The draft will appear on the website of the IT department and we will invite suggestions from experts before giving it a final touch." The draft was prepared with the help of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII). "The draft includes different incentives for prospective investors. The sops for them include financial and land incentives," Sharma said. "We are determined to make the state a hub of IT activities." IT department officials noted that multinational companies were looking for an alternative to established IT centres like Bangalore and Hyderabad. Jharkhand's IT department plans to promote Jamshedpur, Bokaro and Ranchi as new destinations for IT investments. The state plans to set up a mega project -- a multimedia corridor -- in Bokaro while the Software Technology Park of India (STPI) has set up a centre at Namkom in Ranchi. Jharkhand is also keen on promoting IT-enabled services (ITES) as the sector requires minimum infrastructure. The draft IT policy also talks about providing employment and training to youths. The state aims to generate 50,000 new jobs through the IT sector. Suggestions from experts will be invited by the end of November and the final draft of the IT policy will be ready by the second week of December, officials said. By Dec 15, the IT policy will be placed before the state cabinet for its approval. All districts headquarters and offices of departmental secretaries are currently connected through video-conferencing, reflecting the growing use of IT in the state. Chief Minister Arjun Munda uses the videoconferencing regularly to review development work. Legislators and ministers have also been provided with laptops by the state assembly secretariat.
Source: IANS
siliconindia