200 more small IT parks in Kerala!

In line with the Kerala government’s plan to provide a boost to the IT scenario and also decentralize the IT infrastructure in the state, the state administration would set up as many as 200 small-level information technology parks across various districts.

The new small-level parks are to be designed in such a way that as many as 50 to 100 people would get jobs in each IT park. Kerala Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan, who also holds the IT portfolio, said the first of such small-level IT parks will come up at in a couple of smaller towns in Kollam district in November.

Pointing out that the small IT parks would help extend the development of the IT sector to rural areas, he added that the government is also committed to set up IT parks at Koratty in Thrissur district, Eramam in Kannur and Cheemeni in Kasaragod.

Adding that the government had provided the needed support to IT companies in Kerala to help them buck the recessionary trend, the Chief Minister said the growth rate of software exports from Kerala touched 45 per cent during the slowdown period. This is against a national rate of 15 per cent, he added. He revealed that IT exports from Kerala leaped five-fold over the last three years.

V S Achuthanandan, who was speaking after inaugurating a 110-KV power substation on the Technopark campus at Kazhakkuttom here, said the North Kerala region will also be catapulted to the IT scene with the new Cyberpark fast coming up at Kozhikode. Meanwhile, down south, the Technocity project in Thiruvananthapuram, and the next phase of development of Technopark will generate 2,00,000 jobs, he added.

According to Ajaykumar, Kerala’s Secretary for IT, the work environment in Kerala currently offers growth opportunity for both employers and employees. He said the government will “make an effort to seamlessly keep business operating round the clock by providing robust infrastructure and connectivity. The new substation is a step in that direction.”

Technopark CEO Mervin Alexander, who spoke at the event, said that the new power substation now on stream would help the ongoing Phase III development of Technopark gain added momentum.

“Being implemented as an IT-ITeS Special Economic Zone on 92 acres of land, the new development will make Technopark Asia’s biggest IT hub with a total 10 million sq ft and a 1, 00,000 strong workforce,” Alexander added.

news courtesy:ciol