Lokesh lays stone for two IT companies in Mangalagiri.

IT Minister N. Lokesh laid the foundation stone for two companies - Akshara Enterprises Limited and KG Systems IT Centre - coming up in the private sector at Autonagar in Mangalagiri near here on Friday, a press release said.

On the occasion, Mr. Lokesh said the government was developing three clusters, one each at Mangalagiri, Gannavaram, and Amaravati. The objective was to create one lakh jobs in the IT sector an two lakh jobs in the electronics sector across the State in the next two years, he added.

Stating that the students should aim at securing a job immediately after passing out from college, the Minister said the students should work in the company for at least five years. It would help them grow in their career, apart from helping the company consolidate itself.

The entire IT sector, to the exception of a few companies, was concentrated in Hyderabad at the time of bifurcation. Due to the sustained efforts of Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, many companies had come forward to set up their offices here in the last three years, he said, and added that the focus would not be just on big IT companies.

“The government wants to provide the ecosystem for small and medium IT companies too. The Mangalagiri IT Park will be a hub for the small and medium companies,” he said, adding that about 10,000 jobs would be created at the Mangalagiri facility.

The Chief Minister allocated 200 acres for the IT sector in Amaravati. The government was giving concessions and subsidies to the IT companies like never before, he said.

“Extending 50% rental subsidy is one such initiative. My target is to generate one lakh jobs before 2019,” he added.

THE HINDU