Infosys submits Orissa plan

Even as Orissa grapples with the problem of finding a perfect roadmap for rapid industrialisation, the software major Infosys has offered it a blueprint, which, when transformed into reality, may catapult the state to the position of intellectual, cultural and business heart of eastern India.

This blueprint, nicknamed Mission Bhubaneswar, was laid before the chief minister Naveen Patnaik through an hour-long power point presentation by Infosys chief financial officer T V Mohandas Pai here yesterday. To begin with Pai laid much stress on improvement of social infrastructure, particularly in the state capital Bhubaneswar.

"Bhubaneswar should become the educational centre of the country. Invite India's 20 best private schools to open (centres) here... to offer quality education.", he said as the chief minister, his principal secretary Bijoy Patnaik and a host of bureaucrats listened with rapt attention.

Stating that the IT sector is booming, Pai said, the industry was going to hire around 10 lakh youths over the next five years.

With only 33 engineering colleges, the state does not have the capacity to meet the demand, he said.

He suggested that the government should invite top 100 engineering colleges of the country to put up campuses here so that more number of engineering students could be produced.

Southern states have become IT hubs because they produce over 2.75 lakh engineers as against 20,000 in Orissa.

Pai offered the help of Infosys to hone the soft skills of engineering graduates of the state in getting better placement in IT and IT-enabled service companies.

"Aim to have at least 1 lakh students in centres of higher education", he said.

On quality education, he prescribed that the government invite top 20 private schools to offer education since education of children is high in the order of priorities for people to settle in a city.

"The government should also try to create a capacity for 50,000 seats in top-end schools. At least 10 schools are needed to offer global-standard education for about 10,000 students", Pai suggested, adding the state should request the foreign embassies to set up schools like American and British schools in the city.

On infrastructure side, Pai said, Singapore should be Bhubaneswar's role model. The state should rope in builders from Singapore, Japan, Korea and other countries to set up business parks here.

"Target high-value industries like asset management companies, brokerages and investment banks to create a financial district," the Infosys official said.

He urged the government to facilitate hoteliers to open restaurants serving Japanese, French, Thai, Mexican, Spanish and Moroccan cuisine.

On the culture front, Pai recommended Broadway and West End for the capital.

"The government's role will be to provide infrastructure and land at a reasonable cost to cultural bodies of national importance," he added.

He had some tips for development of sports and recreation facility in the city too.

"Get the Sports Authority of India to have a regional headquarters in Bhubaneswar so that the best of sports infrastructure are available here," he said.

Following the presentation chief minister Naveen Patnaik is learnt to have assigned the job of working on Pai's prescription to three senior IAS officers "" special secretary in the urban development department A.K. Panda, women and child development secretary Mona Sharma and information technology director Vishal Dev.