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Anil Ambani group inks deal with WB Govt.

Special Correspondent

To set up advanced IT training institute with an investment of Rs.100 cr.

WEST BENGAL FORAY: Chairman of Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group, Anil Ambani (right), exchanging views during the signing of a memorandum of understanding with the Chief Minister of West Bengal, Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, in Kolkata on Friday. — Photo: Sushanta Patronobish

KOLKATA: The Anil Ambani group has decided to invest Rs. 100 crore to set up an advanced IT training institute near Kalyani, about 60 km from here.

Anil Ambani, who was here on the occasion of signing the memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the West Bengal Government for this purpose, said that Friday's announcement on the creation of the institute, to be ready within 18 months, was the first thing that he did after assuming charge as Chairman of Reliance Communication Ventures Ltd two days ago.

He said the institute, which would turn out IT graduates and post-graduates, would be modelled on the Gandhinagar institute in Gujarat. The West Bengal Government had identified 50 acres for the project, which was announced by Mukesh Ambani during a National Association of Software and Service Companies (Nasscom) meet in 2004. After the carving out of the Ambani group, this now falls under Mr. Anil Ambani.

"My father had a special love for Jyoti Basu and I am sure he would be delighted in heaven that this is the first thing I have done after assuming charge," Mr. Ambani said, adding that the project — Dhirubhai Ambani Institute of Information and Communication Technology (DA-IICT), Kalyani — would be put on the fast track and that an expansion was being looked into.

West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee said talks were being held with the Ambanis for quite some time on this project, which was necessary for meeting the requirement of highly skilled people in the IT sector.

The first academic session is set to start in 2007, according to the West Bengal Higher Education Minister, Satya Sadhan Bose, who said that this was to be West Bengal's first private university. The project would be executed by a Trust.

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