The Tamil Nadu government is planning to bring out a new information technology (IT) and IT-enabled services (ITeS) policy .
Presenting her speech as the chief guest of Connect 2011, an annual conference of IT industry organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa said her vision was to make Tamil Nadu number one state in terms of all round development, including IT and ITeS.
“To achieve this dream, my government proposes to bring out a new information technology and ITeS policy that will engender many avantgarde features. This will catapult Tamil Nadu to the numero uno position,” she said.
In 2010-11, software exports from STPI units in Tamil Nadu touched Rs 42,100 crore and if the exports from IT special economic zone units are included, it is estimated to be above Rs 50,000 crore.
“I am glad that apart from Chennai, other Tier II cities in Tamil Nadu have significantly improved their export performance,” she said.
Within the software exports, the focus is primarily on the high-end of the value-addition spectrum. About 49 per cent of the state’s IT exports are from system and application software, while BPO constitutes around 12 per cent. This is a clear reflection of the climb-up in value-chain and maturity achieved by the IT industry in Tamil Nadu, said Jayalalithaa.
S Ramadorai, adviser to Prime Minister on Skill Development and vice-chairman of Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) said the state should pursue its efforts to improve the ecosystem to attract more industries and investment.
“In line with the world cities, Chennai needs investment in world-class infrastructure from roads, power, transport and provision of citizen services,” he said. He added that the state should adopt a sustainable action plan to grow further and be a role model for other states.