The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : State eyes 30 p.c. share in IT market

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Feb 20, 2005

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

State eyes 30 p.c. share in IT market

By Our Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD, FEB. 19. The State Government seeks to capture 30 per cent of the national market share in the information technology and ITES sectors by 2009 through pro-active policy initiatives.

This was stated in the Economic Survey 2004-05 tabled in the Assembly by the Finance Minister, K. Rosaiah. Having recognised the IT sector as a major growth engine in the State's economy, the Government was taking various measures to facilitate establishment of IT and ITES units.

The report claimed that the IT sector was growing at a healthy pace in the State compared to other major cities. The ITES was growing at a "scorching pace." The country's ITES potential was estimated at $ 21-24 billions and two million jobs by 2008. Andhra Pradesh aims at capturing a significant share of it.

Software exports

Stating that software exports from the State recorded 30 per cent growth over the previous year, Mr. Rosaiah, while presenting the budget, said that they were expected to cross Rs. 6,500 crores by next month.

Referring to the Rajiv Internet Village Programme, launched in August last to facilitate delivery of services to rural people, he said so far 1,300 kiosks had been established and it was planned to set up 6,000 more by September.

Computer literacy

Imparting computer literacy to at least one member in each of the rural families was also envisaged. He said work relating to establishing broadband network with a provision of 10 GBPS to district headquarters, 1 GBPS to mandal headquarters and 100 MBPS to village-level was launched last month.

The economic survey said the broadband connectivity once available in rural areas would have a tremendous impact on access to information and rural economy. Internet would be made available at an affordable rate to citizens across the State. A large number of citizen-centric services would be deployed on the broadband.

It said that even the BPO sector would boom with the growth of service centres in rural areas as well due availability of broadband connectivity.

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Andhra Pradesh