He added that the policy that had already been cleared by the Cabinet envisages doubling of IT exports from the state and also employment opportunities to 800,000 from 400,000 now.
Stalin, speaking for his father and Chief Minister M Karunanidni, said IT exports from Tamil Nadu crossed the Rs 28,000-crore mark last year and stood at Rs 28,965 crore. On special economic zones (SEZs), he said the government would not indulge in any compulsory acquisitions of land for SEZs from farmers and would not acquire land on behalf of private entrepreneurs either to set up SEZs.
The Centre had approved 37 IT-ITeS SEZs in the state spread over 1,226 hectares of which 19 have already commenced operations, he informed. Announcing a slew of concessions for entrepreneurs, he said soft loans at the rate of 0.1 percent would be provided to the industrialists for paying VAT.
The new IT SEZs would be set up in Chennai, Coimbatore, Madurai, Salem, Tiruchy, Hosur and Tirunelveli. In tier-II cities like Madurai, Hosur, Salem and Tiruchy 50,000 sft IT SEZs will be built, he added.
To attract more foreign direct investments, he said the state government had decided to set up special industrial parks for the entrepreneurs from Japan, Korea, Finland, Germany and France.
