IT boom still eludes Himachal

Despite much promise in the early years, the Information Technology (IT) boom has't taken place in Himachal Pradesh even though industries from other sectors have moved in large numbers to the hill state.

In the late 1990s, the Himachal Pradesh government took initiatives to frame an IT policy and also planned to set up an IT department with much fanfare, besides taking several initiatives in the field of e-governance. But things have moved slowly since then.

Nasscom has rated Himachal as a top future destination for this sector as it possessed nine of the 13 parameters needed for an IT boom.

Observers say even though the state has surplus power, its drawbacks are the near absence of air and rail connectivity, infrastructure besides trained manpower, which has discouraged big BPO brands to set up shops in the hill state.

Realising how much the state has fallen behind others in the IT field, the Himachal government has decided setting up a series of software parks at several places and introducing courses in educational institutions to raise the skills of the youth.

A spokesman of the state government said three parks were to be set up in the first phase. "One each in Waknaghat and Nalagarh in Solan district, and one in Kangra district," he added.

The state government has invited expressions of interest and sources say around 10 IT companies have shown interest to set up parks. The final decision is expected to be taken by the end of this year.

Keeping in view the low population and shortage of skilled software professionals in the state, the Himachal government plans to encourage small companies instead of big ones.