The policy aims to boost the state’s IT exports, which has gone down from the third to the sixth position
At a Cabinet meeting in Lucknow, chaired by chief minister Akhilesh Yadav, the Uttar Pradesh (UP) government approved the much awaited IT Policy 2012, to boost IT, IT enabled services (ITES) and electronics industry in the state.
“With the approval of this policy, an IT city in Lucknow will see the light of the day. The state government will transfer 150 acres of Gajaria farm land on Lucknow-Sultanpur road for IT city,” Jiwesh Nandan, principal secretary, IT, UP told Electronics Bazaar.
The IT policy will boost the state’s IT exports, which has gone down from the third to the sixth position. In 2010-11, the state’s IT exports was Rs 110 billion and this year it is expected to touch Rs 140 billion.
“UP government has identified IT and electronics industry as a potential industry and is encouraging companies from India and overseas to invest in this industry,” says Jiwesh Nandan. “With our focus on the promotion of the IT industry in the state, the electronics industry was going in the backdrop. So that state government has consciously taken the decision to promote electronics hardware as well,” he adds.
Electronics clusters already exist in good number in Noida and Greater Noida, but the state government now wants clusters to come up in other cities also, particularly in Lucknow and Agra.
“Electronics hardware industry is most welcome in UP and we will facilitate it in all posible ways,” says Jiwesh Nandan.
The new policy emphasises on skill development and increasing the employability of the engineers and others in the state. The policy also highlights on developing another IT city in Agra. The Cabinet has also cleared proposals to offer 5 per cent interest subsidy to all new industries that come up in the state and are a part of the IT sector. Also, to lure more industries investing in the state, the policy also offers land at a 25 per cent less price and a special permission from the department of labour to run IT businesses seven days a week.
—By Srabani Sen
