New IT policy to boost development on the anvil

Chennai: Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa on Wednesday said that her government was planning to bring out a new Information Technology and Information Technology-enabled services policy to catapult the State to numero uno position.

Addressing a gathering during the 11th edition of CONNECT, Chief Minister, who was also the first to give a thrust to the State's Information Technology policy, quoting American writer Orison Sweet Marden said: "I have a vision or a dream to make the State numero uno in terms of all round development. Dreams come true when you act to turn them into reality and to achieve this, my government proposes to bring out a new Information Technology and Information Technology Enabled Services policy."

Inviting partners who can see growth in both old and the new economy, she said Information Technology  had powered the transformation of the State into a modern economy, clearly making it India's eastern gateway to the world and not just South Asia.

The software exports from Software Technology Parks of India had touched 42,100 crore. "If we include exports from Information Technology-Special Economic Zones units, it is estimated to be above 50,000 crore," she said, adding that it would be her government's endeavour to sustain this environment of optimism.

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She said that within the State's software exports, the focus was primarily on high-end value addition spectrum. "About 49 per cent of the State's Information Technology exports constitute system and application software, while business process outsourcing constitutes only 12 per cent, a clear reflection of the climb-up in the value chain achieved by the Information Technology industry," she added.

Wooing investors, Jayalalithaa said the State had emerged as a destination of choice for investors and remained as one of the top three destinations in attracting Foreign Direct Investments in the country.

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She said Tamil Nadu had a rich capital of human resource, with the State recording an annual turnout of 1.92 lakh engineering graduates and an equal number of trained polytechnic students.

"Tamil Nadu is the most 'technically powerful knowledge state' in the country with Anna University being the largest technical university comprising 500 engineering colleges and producing about 25 per cent of the nation's engineers and nearly 10 per cent of the world's engineering graduates," she added.

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Interestingly, the keenness of the Chief Minister in promoting the State could be seen when she hailed the speech of S Ramadorai, advisor to Prime Minister of India on Skill Development, who highlighted the potential of the State to become a global leader in many sectors.

"He has laid out a roadmap to help achieve these goals. I request him to send in his suggestions so that we can implement them," she added.