Orissa Plans to Make Huge Investments on Infrastructure

With major IT companies, including TCS and Infosys, setting up base in Orissa, the State Government today announced investments of Rs 25,000 crores for improving road infrastructure in the next five years.
The state, which has set a target of 500 million dollar software exports by 2011-12, would also spend Rs 250 crores to upgrade the Bhubaneshwar Airport through the Airport Authority of India, Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said at a conference on 'Investment Opportunities in IT and ITES sectors in Orissa' organised by NASSCOM here.

"We are aiming at a quantum jump in software exports and has set a target of 500 million dollar exports by 2011-12. With Infosys, Satyam and TCS expanding and Mind Tree Consulting, Genpact, Hexware Technologies and other major companies becoming operational soon, we are confident of even exceeding this target," Patnaik said.

Four new IT parks are also coming up in the state, he said.

"The two IT parks, being set up by Genpact and DLF, have already received in principle SEZ approval and another two are likely to be approved by the end of this month", he added.

The availability of qualified manpower is an important factor for IT industries and we already have 88 engineering and MCA colleges and 176 polytechnics, Patnaik said.
"Anticipating increased demand for such institutes, we are setting up a number of additional centers of excellence that include Indian Institute of Information Technology and IIT Kharagpur campus at Bhubaneswar", he said.

source: Hindu