A little support from the Central and State governments can see the emergence of Visakhapatnam as the next Information Technology destination of the country. The city has basic infrastructure for promotion of IT, and the North Andhra region has adequate talent pool coming out of engineering colleges every year.
There are an estimated 25,000 employees working in the ITES sector, and over half-a-dozen software companies, which have more than 1,000 seats, in Visakhapatnam.
There are an estimated over five lakh IT professionals from Andhra Pradesh working in other States, who are willing to relocate to Visakhapatnam, provided there are opportunities for growth.
Against this backdrop, the two-day IT summit, ‘InfinITy’, being organised by the IT Association of AP (ITAAP) in Visakhapatnam is expected to give the much-needed thrust to the growth of IT.
“A total of 60 new proposals have been received from the IT / ITES companies to set up their offices in Visakhapatnam. Infosys has finalised the space in Signature Towers, Hill No.2, Rushikonda, and is expected to commence operations in May or June this year. A Letter of Intent (LoI) was signed in this regard recently,” IT Minister Gudivada Amarnath told The Hindu.
Manpower vs exports
While the IT manpower from Andhra Pradesh accounts for 10% of the total manpower, the IT exports from the State is said to be a mere 0.1% of the total exports from the country, says Rajya Sabha member G.V.L. Narasimha Rao.
Stressing on the need to exploit the IT potential and developing Visakhapatnam as the next IT destination, Mr. Narasimha Rao had written to Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy recently offering to supplement the efforts of the State government, if required, in this regard.
“The summit is expected to create the buzz around the technology potential and capabilities of the companies already functioning from the city to the MNCs and leading Indian companies from the IT, ITES, Unicorns, start-ups and allied industries,” says R.L. Narayana of the ITAAP.
‘Encourage start-ups’
“Computer science has pervaded almost all fields. There is a need to encourage start-ups in a big way, and the Electric Vehicle (EV) segment offers huge potential as Bluetooth and telematics are used in their production,” says Ravi Eswarapu, president of TiE, Andhra Pradesh.
Visakhapatnam has immense potential for start-ups in the Defence, marine, pharma, health and petroleum sectors. There are start-ups in the Medtech Zone, which are said to be doing a turnover of hundreds of crores, providing IT solutions in drug discoveries, according to industry sources.
‘C-DAC centres needed’
“Vizag needs a C-DAC for providing advanced training to prospective IT professionals in the areas such as Health Informatics, Cyber Security, and Forensics through its Advanced Training Division. C-DAC centres have been set up by the Government of India at various places, including Hyderabad and Bengaluru,” says Ravi Teja, a software professional.
Published - January 19, 2023 08:17 pm IST
