Naya Raipur is the best destination for development of Information Technology (IT) based industries, because it offers better facilities for such industries than any other State. Chhattisgarh has better IT & Electronics Policy, and Chhattisgarh Government is determined to develop the
IT sector in the State,” said Chief Minister Raman Singh on Friday. He was addressing ‘Opportunity Chhattisgarh 2015’ event jointly organised by State Government’s Information Technology Department and The National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM) here.
Singh said that the State Government has a clear policy. ‘In Naya Raipur, 52 sq km area has been marked only for IT industries. Single-window clearance system has been introduced.’ He said that Chhattisgarh is so much prepared that IT companies may start working from tomorrow. We are ready to welcome Information Technology based industries in the State.
In the programme, State Government and NASSCOM signed an MoU, in which NASSCOM has agreed to provide necessary guidance to State’s Information Technology Department for promoting Information Technology and skill development of youth in Chhattisgarh. CHiPS CEO Saurabh Kumar, on behalf of Chhattisgarh Government, and NASSCOM Chairman R Chandrashekhar signed the MoU. On the occasion, the Chief Minister released a career guide booklet.
Singh said in his address to the programme said that State Government is making consistent efforts for promoting investments in IT sector. IT majors in Bengaluru and Mumbai were contacted through NASSCOM, he said. Singh addressed the representatives of various IT companies at the event while, saying that this event will unleash a new way of opportunities in IT sector.
He said that representatives of IT companies should analyse Naya Raipur and IT policy, as this will enhance their confidence in Chhattisgarh. The Chief Minister said that Naya Raipur is the ‘Smart City’ of 21st century that offers great scope for IT industries. Chhattisgarh churns out 30,000 to 35,000 engineers every year. Several national-level educational institutes including IT and IIIT and NIT have been opened here, he said.
Besides,a number of youngsters of the State are also being trained through livelihood Colleges. Chhattisgarh is the first State in the country to empower youth with legal right to skill development, the Chief Minister said. Singh said that Chhattisgarh has no shortage of electricity supply. The State is rich in mineral resources, but still the opportunities in core-sector are limited. This is why the State Government is promoting non-core sector.
He said that now we are heading towards e-Panchayat system, under which all the schemes and payments will go online. Singh said that Raipur has all the facilities like any other metro city. Moreover, it has peaceful environment and better living standard.
In the programme, Chief Secretary Vivek Dhand informed representatives of IT companies about the scopes and opportunities in Chhattisgarh. He said that Chhattisgarh is rich in Mineral Resources. It has all the basic facilities such as road, water supply, electricity supply etc. Major organisations like NMDC, NTPC, Bhilai Steel Plant are located here. But because of insurgency problem inthe State, people in other States of the country have several myths about Chhattisgarh. It should be noted that only a few areas of Chhattisgarh are Naxal-affected, and Chhattisgarh Government is taking sincere steps to get rid of the problem, he said.
Dhand said that livelihood Colleges have been established in all 27 districts of the State with the target of providing skill development training to nearly 2.25 lakh youngsters. He said that free education from nursery to graduation has been facilitated for girls.
Principal Secretary, Information Technology and Energy Department Aman Kumar Singh said in his address that development of IT sector is on the priority list of the State Government. A separate sector for IT industries has been earmarked in Naya Raipur. Development of IT-based industries will create employment opportunities for youth of State, he said.
NASSCOM Chairman R Chandrashekhar said that IT-industries will be provided better facilities in Chhattisgarh. He said that IT is one such sector, which has the potential of transforming image of State as well the country. This is the sector offering maximum employment opportunities, he said.
Chhattisgarh has plethora of opportunities for young entrepreneurs. The IT industry requires talent and skill, owing to which NASSCOM is focusing on skill and capacity development of youth in Chhattisgarh, Singh said.
On the occasion, State Government’s senior officials and representatives of IT companies from across the country were present. It may be recalled that on February 3 this year, NASSCOM announced that it will establish its ‘Incubation Center’ in Chhattisgarh.
The Chief Minister was in Bengaluru as chief guest to attend ‘Vision Summit- 2015’ organised by the India Electronics and Semi-Conductors’ Association (I.E.S.A) in Bangalore, Karnataka on February. Singh had stated that NASSCOM will open an ‘Incubation Center’ in Chhattisgarh which will provide better guidance, technical knowledge and information related to the industry besides other help to the IT students.
Efforts will be made to provide technical and financial assistance to the students for entrepreneurship development, Singh said. The ‘Incubation Center’ will serve as a good platform for students, said Singh, adding, the IT majors and investors wishing to invest in IT sector were likely to visit Chhattisgarh during the coming days.
Satisfied by his tour, Singh said that discussions were also held with the investors regarding investment in Defense sector in Chhattisgarh. Representatives of India’s well known companies present in the ‘Vision Summit 2015’ have evinced interest for making investment in new sectors in the State.
‘The investors present at the Summit believed that Chhattisgarh is a better place for IT industry,’ said Singh. In February, Chief Minister Raman Singh had invited investors to set up Information Technology units at a lower cost in Naya Raipur.
He was addressing the prominent IT investors in Mumbai. In the programme organised by National Association of Software Services Company (NASSCOM), Singh said that Chhattisgarh — the 26th State of the country, which was formed nearly 14 years back, has created its identity as ‘Credible Chhattisgarh’ in the field of development.
He said that State Government is committed to develop IT sector in Chhattisgarh in the best possible manner. In the programme, the Chief Minister gave a Power Point presentation before many prominent investors of the country.
It is noteworthy that 30 big IT companies of India are the members of NASSCOM. After viewing the presentation made by Singh, the entrepreneurs showed keen interest for capital investment in Chhattisgarh.
Singh mentioned in his presentation that as a gateway to Central India, Chhattisgarh has immense scope of capital investment in various IT industries. The Chief Minister quoted the seven significant reasons for investment in IT sector of Chhattisgarh.
Singh said that as per a study conducted by Planning Commission in year 2012, Chhattisgarh is amongst the top States for ‘Ease of Doing Business’. CHiPS serves as the ‘Single Point of Contact’ for providing seamless interface, he said.
Besides, the central location of the State, peaceful environment, availability of skilled human resources, efficient policy that encourages investment, Naya Raipur emerging as India’s first Smart City and Green City, good governance are the main features that have created a favourable environment for investment in IT sector. In Chhattisgarh, no pre-approvals are required for commencing business.
Chief Minister said that for the entrepreneurs interested in IT and ITe sector, the State Government especially provides single point contact facility for all kinds of facilities. The major reason that makes Chhattisgarh a suitable destination for investment is its central and peaceful location accessible from major metros. Chhattisgarh has direct flights from Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bhubhaneshwar, Indore and Nagpur and regular flights to Bengaluru, Chennai and Vishakhapatnam, he said.
Moreover, it has direct trains to Mumbai, New Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad, Pune, Bangalore and Vishakhapatnam, Singh said. Chhattisgarh being the Gateway to Central India, it has the potential to serve nearly 50 per cent of Indian population. Market size of Rs1,50,000 crore can be developed in the bordering seven states of Chhattisgarh. Chhattisgarh is well-connected through 12 National Highways- road network of 35,411 km, he said.
Availability of strong human resource is also a favourable aspect of Chhattisgarh for investment. Chhattisgarh has excellent education ecosystem with educational institutions like Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIIT), All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS), National law University that churns out around 30,000 professionals every year, Singh said.
It is a State with strong work ethics in local populace. More than 1.80 lakh youth have been trained so far under skill development scheme. Chhattisgarh is a peace-loving State of hardworking and honest people. The State also has low crime rate, as compared to other metro-cities of the country, he said.
The Chief Minister also gave detailed information about State Government’s new Five-Year Police 2014-2019 for Electronics and IT sector. He said that on the lines of ‘Make in India’, the concept of ‘Make in Chhattisgarh’ has been envisioned and accordingly, amendments have been made in the State Government’s IT and ITe policy. Under the new IT and ITe policy, attractive provisions have been made to encourage investment in the sector.