To propel the Information Technology or IT-enabled Services (ITeS) industry in the backward areas of Punjab and also to provide maximum job avenues to the state’s youth, the State Government would set up business process outsourcing (BPO) or ITeS operations.

“Owing to the efforts of the Punjab Government, the state’s share of allotted seats has been increased from 1200 to 2600 which would lead to 3900 IT professionals being able to get jobs,” said the State Information Technology Minister Vijay Inder Singla on Wednesday.

He said that the Union Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology would provide fillip to the setting up of BPO or ITeS operations in the digitally backward regions of Punjab under the ‘BPO Promotion Scheme’.

As per the scheme, the eligible companies would also be provided with capital assistance in the form of Viability Gap Funding (VGF). It is also the part of the scheme to encourage investment in the IT/ITeS sector for regional expansion of the IT sector as a whole.

The state Additional Chief Secretary (Information Technology Department) Vini Mahajan said that throughout the country, except some states and cities of the North East, financial assistance is being provided under the sanctioned IBPS scheme. For this purpose, assistance to the tune of 50 percent of the one-time expenditure on the sanctioned items with maximum limit up to Rs one lakh per seat, would be given whereas the special benefits would be given under the limit of Rs one lakh per seat.