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Bangalore, Nov. 11 Karnataka proposes to set up an Information Technology Investment Region (ITIR) spread over 40 sq km near Bangalore to promote investments in sectors such as IT and IT-enabled services and electronics hardware manufacturing.

Urging IT companies to invest in the ITIR, the Karnataka Minister for IT, BT and Excise, Mr Katta Subramanya Naidu, said the proposed region would be located near the Bangalore International Airport near Devanahalli.

Mr Naidu was speaking at the inauguration of the Twelfth Edition of BangaloreIT.biz 2009, the state-sponsored ICT event. Organisers of the event claimed that about 800 delegates and some 100 companies are participating in the three-day event.

The Karnataka State Electronics Development Corporation Ltd recently invited expression of interest from the consultants to prepare the techno-economic pre-feasibility report (TFR) for setting up the Bangalore-BIAL ITIR.

The ITIRs were conceptualised by the Union Government to boost growth of IT sector. The ITIR regions would be a combination of IT/ITES and electronics hardware manufacturing units, public utilities, residential area, social infrastructure and administrative services. They could include new integrated townships, special economic zones and industrial parks.

Further, Mr Naidu also called upon the IT majors to support the rural BPO initiatives in the State.

Speaking on the occasion, the Wipro Chairman, Mr Azim Premji, urged the Government to make education, innovation and information technology as part of its economic policy agenda.

Stressing on the role of ICT in Government, Mr Premji said it would increase the reach and efficiency of Government agencies in delivering citizen services.

While stating that stability was returning to the recession hit global economy, Mr Premji said that there was a hope of 1-2 per cent growth in the western world in 2010 and a 4-8 per cent growth in emerging world and semi-developed countries. However, Mr Premji said it is not the time to be overtly optimistic.

“Any assessment we make of the situation, we should have enough caution to be calibrated on that.” The Chief Technology Officer of Cisco Systems, Ms Padmasree Warrior, said the next wave of ICT would help optimise lifestyles and provide virtual healthcare and education to the masses. Broadband would be one of the key elements required to extend ICT benefits to the next billion people, Ms Warrior said, adding it would enable us to provide many different solutions, including virtual health and virtual education.

Cisco has contributed $10 million to the flood relief operations in north Karnataka and would be building some 4,000 houses, she said.

More Stories on : Infrastructure | Karnataka

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