Infotech Lead India: Kerala state government will showcase a slew of IT-related projects, including rural IT parks in Kollam, Alappuzha and Thrissur districts at the Emerging Kerala Global Connect in September.
The state government has proposed new IT parks at Kundara on the banks of Ashtamudi Kayal east of Kollam district; Pallippuram near Cherthala, Alappuzha, 25 kms south-east of Kochi; and Koratty in Thrissur district by the side of National Highway and 12 kms from Kochi international airport.
The rural IT park concept will be creating a new benchmark for the next-generation IT revolution in the country at a time when giants in the field who set up bases in big metros are looking for greener pastures in smaller towns to improve the bottom line by shedding extra costs while maintaining skilled manpower.
“Kerala is going to be the ideal platform to experiment this third wave of IT revolution in the country. The first wave was confined to big metros like Bangalore and Hyderabad, while the second was expanded to smaller metros like Kochi and Pune. Apart from the connectivity, the skilled manpower and better logistics in smaller Kerala towns can set pace for the new wave of IT revolution. As much as 53 per cent of Kerala techies hail from rural pockets,” said PH Kurian, principal secretary, IT, Government of Kerala.
The rural IT park is going to be a pioneering model as big companies in IT, ITeS (IT-enabled services) and BPO (business process outsourcing) are driven by the cost advantage factors. IT is still one of the rising sectors for Kerala, contributing more than Rs 3,500 crore in export revenue.
The government is also planning to release its new IT Policy 2012 in August.
“IT is one of key areas, given the potential of Kerala, which supplies a great number of skilled professionals to all major IT hubs in the world. Our aim is to turn Kerala into a favorite IT destination, while transforming the state itself as a leading global hub of economic activities under the ongoing campaign of Emerging Kerala,” said Alkesh Sharma, managing director of KSIDC.
Another proposal coming for bids at the meet is a residential complex worth Rs 14 crore to house IT professionals at upstate Kozhikode, a tier-2 city for IT and ITeS business. There are 40 IT companies in that city, and the project envisages the development of an apartment building for leasing.
Kerala will also scout for partners to further develop the next stages of the Infopark at Kochi and Techno city (Phase-IV of Technopark, Thiruvananthapuram).
