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IT@Kerala: Log on to a successful tech space

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DQW Bureau
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Kerala has offered incentives up to 40 percent based on fixed capital
investment, besides exemptions of stamp duty and registration to the prospective
companies coming over, and industrial power tariffs to IT units and parks.

VS Achuthanandan, CM, Kerala interacts with CyberMedia News on the
achievements of the Ministry, its performance and goals. Excerpts:

How do you rate the performance of the IT Ministry under your leadership?

To start with, the Government had formulated a comprehensive pro-investor IT
Policy for the State.

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Once in power, the LDF had to go for what it had been pursuing about the
Smart City deal when it was in the Opposition. Modifications in favor of the
State could be made in the terms with TECOM (the Dubai-based promoters). We
could retain Infopark (the existing IT Park in Kochi), reject the conditions of
exclusivity, enhance the number of direct jobs offered to 90,000 and retain the
land with the State.

What is the investment that the State IT sector has received during this
period?

An investment of Rs 1,200 crore has come in during the last two years.
Software exports from the state have exceeded Rs 1,200 crore.

According to the STPI, this is a 60 percent growth rate and probably Kerala
is the only State to achieve this growth rate during this period.

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How successful have you been in taking IT and ITeS to smaller
towns/cities?

Professional services firm PwC has submitted their study report on IT Parks.
In the mean time, Government convened meetings with District Collectors,
Secretaries of Revenue, Forest, and Industries to identify the most suitable
locations.

Now, in five Districts, land has been identified and procedure has been
initiated to acquire/transfer it to the IT infrastructure company.

No big names have come to Technopark in the last two years. Do you feel
it's being neglected as the focus has been on the Smart City project?

Smaller companies who are capable of achieving high exports and providing
more jobs are working there. Infosys, IBS, NeST, UST Global, etc are few among
the 140 companies in Technopark.

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The State has been in the forefront of the Open Software movement. Does it
help them to have a Left Govt in power?

As mentioned earlier, the State IT Policy shows a clear inclination towards
Free Software. That doesn't mean that proprietary software will be banned in
Kerala or proprietary companies will have no space here. People should be free
to use software in all the ways that are socially useful. It has nothing to do
with the LDF coming into power or retaining it in power.

DQW NEWS BUREAU

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