Odisha aims Rs 4,500 crore ICT turnover in four years

The state government aims to clock gross ICT (information and communication technology) turnover of Rs 4,500 crore in next four years as per a road map drawn by the IT department.

The turnover includes exports of software, IT services and electronic system design and manufacturing (ESDM). Presently, the turnover is pegged at around Rs 2,400 crore.

In addition, the department is targeting to attract 10 leading IT/IT enabled services and ESDM companies to the state and promote 50 local entrepreneurs by 2019. The state government aims to generate 50,000 direct employment in IT /ITes (IT enabled services) and ESDM units in the next four years.

For providing space to the companies, the state government would set up two more IT and ESDM parks and incubation centres. The IT department also targets to create a built-up space of about two million square feet for the IT and ESDM companies.

It may be noted that the IT companies in the state are on expansion spree. While Infosys, the biggest software exporter from the state, has recruited 1,500 people for its second campus at Infovalley, an upcoming IT hub, Tech Mahindra has raised its headcount at the Bhubaneswar centre from 700 to 1,500 as part of its second phase expansion.

Mid-sized firm MindTree, which has operationalised its global training centre in the city, is coming up with a 10,000-seater software development centre here with a total built-up area of 1.5 million sq ft. Infosys has plans to hire 15,000 professionals for the second centre in three phases.