The Telangana Government will come out with its maiden IT Policy in the next two weeks with an aim to doubling IT exports to Rs 1.20 lakh crore in the next five years. The State currently registers IT exports of Rs 60,000 crore, contributing 15 per cent to the national IT exports.

In order to drive exports, the Government would develop infrastructure, besides focusing on improving skills, encouraging start-ups and research and development in IT and communication. The new policy would also focus on Big Data analytics and cloud computing to attract investments in these areas.

It proposes to set up a ‘Chasing Cell’ in the Ministry, on the lines of the one mooted by Chief Minister K Chandrasekhara Rao, to remove time lags in clearing project proposals.

“Principal Secretary Harpreet Singh is holding discussions with the officials for the last three days to finalise the Policy. We are factoring in the suggestions made by the industry. We will announce it in the third week of December,” IT and Panchayat Minister K Taraka Rama Rao has said.

“Hyderabad has emerged as an attractive destination for IT investments. We are going to make it still more attractive by offering sops,” he said, while releasing the salient features of the policy.

The IT Policy will be in sync with the new Industrial Policy that the State Assembly had cleared in the just concluded Budget session.

“Our aim is to achieve a growth rate of 16 per cent and provide 20 lakh direct and indirect jobs. We are going to focus on development of skills to the youth in order to make them employable,” the Minister said.

Tier-ii cities

The Government is expected to provide incentives to firms that are willing to invest in the tier-ii cities. “This will help decrease the socio-economic disparities,” he said.

tags: Telangana, Hyderabad, KTR, KCR, start-ups,

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