Punjab govt to invest Rs 10,000 cr in KPO, BPO

In an attempt to promote the business process outsourcing (BPO) and knowledge process outsourcing (KPO) industry, the Punjab government has decided to earmark a Rs 10,000-crore fund.

"The fund will be used to acquire 5,000 acres, to be allotted to the BPO and KPO units, at various locations, and provide the required infrastructure," said Nirmaljeet Singh Kalsi, Punjab information technology (IT) secretary, here yesterday.

Remarking that the state government wanted to promote high-tech industries, Kalsi said 200 acres of land to put up BPO and KPO facilities had been acquired.

"The process of acquiring around 1,500 acres of land has started and the process will be completed by March next year," Kalsi said at a seminar "Domestic BPO: Towards Future Value Addition," organised the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (Assocham) here today.

The meet was presided over by JS Sarma, secretary in the department of telecom (DoT) and chairman of the Telecom Commission.

The state administration would give its nod for acquiring another 5,000 acres for entrepreneurs in the BPO and KPO sector for which the preliminary ground work had already begun, the Punjab IT secretary said.

To facilitate smooth acquisition and allotment of land to entrepreneurs, the state government has decided to outsource the state's land records.

The state government has decided to shift its focus from agriculture to hi-tech areas. This will help in increasing the purchasing power of the people, create more jobs and raise the contribution of services to states gross domestic product (GDP).