Ministry aims to take IT boom to small towns

NEW DELHI: Step aside Bangalore and Hyderabad, the IT boom is all set to reach the hinterland.

As a first step to take the burgeoning knowledge industry to all parts of the country, urban development ministry has called a meeting of state governments on Friday to shortlist cities fit for the IT and BPO sector.

Backward states like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Orissa and Jammu & Kashmir are on UD ministry’s radar for expansion of the knowledge industry.

An official said the plan is to expand the knowledge sector, with its huge employment potential, in underdeveloped states.
“The attempt is not just to meet the expansion needs of the IT and BPO sector but also to ensure that benefits of IT boom reach backward states,’’ a senior official said, emphasising that these states had qualified people who were forced to move to big cities for IT jobs.

The purpose of Friday’s meeting, to be attended by senior officials from IT ministry, state governments and IT sector representatives, is to identify locations for setting up integrated townships for the IT and BPO sector to ease pressure on existing IT destinations.

Urban development secretary Anil Baijal has held preliminary consultations with the IT secretary and the Nasscom (National Association of Software and Service Companies ) president to fast track the proposal.