Kerala takes up pilot project on rural IT parks

Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala Information Technology Mission is running a pilot project to set up ITeS and BPO units in rural areas of the State.

Dubbed the ‘Techno Lodge Scheme’, the initiative is currently being tested at two centres in Kollam district, said Mr Siddhartha Bhattacharya, CEO, Technopark, Thiruvananthapuram, at a press conference in the city.

The scheme is intended to take the IT industry and its benefits to more parts of the State, while enabling IT businesses to control costs.

Under the scheme, ITeS units with 20-40 employees will operate out of buildings owned by the local panchayat or other government bodies, Mr Bhattacharya explained. Based on the response to the pilot project and the learning from it, the scheme will be extended to other parts of the State, he added.

As part of its efforts to attract more IT investments from abroad, especially from Europe, Kerala will participate in the CeBIT exhibition that is beginning in Hannover, Germany next week, Mr Bhattacharya said.

At CeBIT, arguably the world’s largest IT and telecom exhibition, the delegation from the IT Mission will attempt to identify possible partners for IT infrastructure projects in Kerala such as the plan to set up several new IT parks.

Despite the troubled economic environment, there are opportunities for Indian IT companies, including those in Kerala, Mr Bhattacharya said.