ICC floats IT forum

The information technology (IT) sector in eastern India has become large enough to force Kolkata's oldest chambers of commerce to sit up and launch special initiatives to take up issues relevant to the sector.

The latest entity to join this movement is Kolkata's Indian Chamber of Commerce (ICC), which has decided to create a platform for the IT and ITES industry in the eastern region, named 'Voice IT'.

ICC will soon be releasing a study prepared on the nascent ITES-BPO industry in Kolkata, which is the first of its kind in the city, Umang Kanoria, ICC president, said.

In addition, ICC has identified and compiled a database of more than 50 BPO firms in Kolkata providing services like medical transcription service and back office-processing besides acting as contact centres and call centres.

The formal launch of the forum will be on April 30, when GD Gautama, West Bengal's secretary for IT, will do the honours in the presence of several IT and ITES players as well as other business leaders of the region.

The study takes an in-depth look at the issues and prospects of ITES firms located in Kolkata and focuses on key areas related to doing business in this sector as well as the potential, needs and prospects for profitability on a sustained basis, he added.

Some of the issues related to the sector highlighted in the study include high rates of attrition, the everwidening skill gap, taxation anomalies, need for a common body of standards and certification and human resources related issues and infrastructure problems related to transportation from Salt Lake to other parts of Kolkata.

ICC has suggested for example that a common national ITES policy was urgently needed to assist homegrown players in the IT and ITES sectors, which have to identify new and more profitable areas of business.

Ways have to be developed for increased interaction with venture capital forms and create enhanced opportunities for innovations.

ICC said it beleived the forum would meet a long-felt need of IT-ITES players of the region by providing an organised voice to IT-ITES entrepreneurs on common issues and needs.

It could also serve as a platform for networking with other local, regional and international entrepreneurs on a sustained basis.

ICC sources said Kolkata could emerge as an IT-ITES super brand in the coming years and it would work to facilitate the creation of a performance-oriented environment for players to accelerate the development.

The forum would create an interface between industry and government for better policy advocacy; exchange and sharing of best practices besides propagating information and research.

In addition, it would undertake normal activities like organising meetings, conferences and workshops to build a brand for Kolkata and the eastern region as a viable IT destination in India and abroad.