The Hindu Business Line : Kerala plans IT parks in all districts

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Thiruvananthapuram Feb. 22 The Kerala Government wants to make the State a major destination for the information technology (IT) industry, said the Chief Minister, Mr V.S. Achuthanandan.

Inaugurating a new building, Thejaswini, at the Technopark here on Thursday, he said the Government would develop Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram as IT hubs.

At the same time, the State Government intends to set up IT parks in all districts of Kerala. Preliminary work on an IT park in Kozhikode has started, he added.

Kerala hopes to generate an additional two lakh jobs in the IT sector in five years, he said. Besides expansion of the Technopark in Thiruvananthapuram, the State Government plans to construct a four lakh sq ft building in the Infopark in Kochi, the Chief Minister said.

In a special address to the gathering, Mr Kiran Karnik, President, Nasscom, declared that he is extremely proud of Kerala's progress in using IT to empower people.

Acknowledging the emergence of Thiruvananthapuram and Kochi as important locations for the IT industry, he requested the State Government to establish a high-speed expressway connecting these two cities. This will substantially cut the travel time between the two cities, he added.

Similarly, Kerala should make efforts to become the first State to be e-literate, he added.

e-literacy

Today, the IT sector accounts for an estimated 15 lakh direct jobs and 60 lakh indirect jobs, Mr Karniksaid. The IT sector has also been able to contribute to greater gender equality as it employs a large number of young women, he said. IT exports from India are expected to grow by 33 per cent and touch $32 billion this year, he added.

Addressing the gathering, Mr K.R. Jyothilal, Secretary-IT to the State Government, said that in a year's time Kerala will be an e-literate state.

The Thejaswini building at Technopark has a super built up area of 8.5 lakh square feet and will be home to a number of well-known companies.