IBM To Expand In City

Aiming to further the spread of Information Technology services, particularly for the benefit of the common man, the government has decided to formulate a document on the IT Vision for Andhra Pradesh in a month. This document is set to serve as a guide to help spread IT as a modern growth engine.

The government has started identifying prominent IT companies in the world, and inducing them to come to the state to start their IT business here, in order to generate employment prospects, in view of the brain drain of IT graduates from the state.

Ponnala Lakshmaiah, minister for IT, told media persons today that an IBM South Asia representative, Bharath Vats, has been invited by the government. Vats has made a presentation of IBM's activities across the world, and also its intentions of investing in Chennai and Hyderabad in the future. IBM has agreed to step up their technology here, Ponnala said.

"The state government has also decided to send a full-fledged report on IBM's activities to the centre to facilitate the spread of its business activities in the country," said the minister, adding, "Vats was keen on his company's spread here as he found a good potential in India."

Ponnala Lakshmaiah said that the state government would extend all facilities to IBM.

Similarly, the managing director of Hyderabad-based Prudhvi Information Solutions, Satish Kumar, also met the minister at the Secretariat on Tuesday. The company topped in IT exports, to the tune of Rs. 1,400 crore out of Rs. 1,800 crore of total exports from Andhra Pradesh, and has branches in 6 other countries. It has 3,100 personnel on its payrolls, and is further studying the prospects to spread in Andhra Pradesh, the minister said.

The state government has also agreed to allot land in a Special Economic Zone of the state to Prudhvi shortly.

"This will serve as an eye-opener to other IT firms," said Ponnala, adding that the government was scouting for more such IT companies, with a view of enhancing the job potential here.

The IT minister, himself an IT graduate from US, said that he would try his best to rope in the support of reputed IT companies, while providing them with all facilities to make AP an IT hub.

Courtesy: INN