Tamil Nadu govt to announce IT policy soon

CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu Government would soon announce its new policy for Information Technology industry to double IT exports from the state.

The policy, cleared by the state cabinet recently, envisaged doubling of IT exports from the state, state Local Administration Minister M K Stalin told the state assembly while replying to a debate on the demands for grants for industries.

Stalin, deputizing for his father and Chief Minister M Karunanidhi, said the policy also aimed at doubling the employment opportunities generated by the IT industries from the present four lakh to eight lakh.

He said IT exports from Tamil Nadu had crossed Rs.28000 crore mark last year and stood at Rs.28,965 crore.

 

On setting up Special Economic Zones, Stalin said the government would not indulge in compulsory acquisition of lands for SEZs from farmers. The state would also not acquire land on behalf of private entrepreneurs for setting up of SEZs, he said.

The Centre had approved 37 IT-ITES SEZs in the state to an extent of 1226 hectares and 19 of them had already commenced their operations, he said.

Announcing a slew of concessions for entrepreneurs, he said soft loans, at the rate of zero point one percent would be provided to the industrialists for paying VAT. These loans should be repaid after seven years from the date of commissioning the units, he said.

To draw more foreign direct investments, the government had decided to set up special industrial parks for the entrepreneurs from Japan, Korea, Finland, Germany and France. The entrepreneurs had already set up lot of industries in the state, he said.