Amid the ongoing water crisis in Bengaluru, Kerala has reached out to leading technology companies in the city, urging them to consider expanding their operations to the coastal state.
Amid the ongoing water crisis in Bengaluru, Kerala has reached out to leading technology companies in the city, urging them to consider expanding their operations to the coastal state.
"After we read reports of the water crisis in Bengaluru, we wrote to the IT companies offering them all facilities as well as plenty of water. We have 44 rivers, big and small, in our state, so water is not an issue at all," Kerala Industries & Law Minister P Rajeev told ET in an interview on Tuesday.
Bengaluru, renowned as India's leading IT industry hub generating $254 billion in revenue, is currently grappling with a daily water shortage of approximately 500 million litres as the summer season sets in.
In response to this situation, prominent real estate developers like the Prestige Group have established a tech park in Kochi, boasting an expansive built-up area of 8.5 lakh sq. ft. Additionally, the Brigade Group is underway with a similar project in Thiruvananthapuram. Infopark in Kochi stands as a testament to the state's infrastructure prowess, hosting facilities developed both by the government and private entities such as Brigade, Carnival, Lulu Group, and Asia Cyber Park. Kerala further boasts four international airports and excellent road, rail, and port connectivity, as highlighted by the state's minister.
To capitalize on these advantages, the government has assembled a dedicated team tasked with attracting investments to Kerala. Minister Rajeev revealed that discussions are ongoing with various companies, although he refrained from disclosing specific names that his officials have reached out to.
“We want to develop our entire state on the lines of Silicon Valley. We have several advantages to host the tech sector, including a vast talent pool of technology graduates,” Rajeev said.
Although Kerala already boasts three well-established IT facilities - Infopark in Kochi, Technopark in Thiruvananthapuram, and Cyberpark in Kozhikode - the government plans to establish smaller tech parks in proposed corridors to facilitate new investments. According to the minister, these parks will be equipped with connectivity and other essential infrastructure to support burgeoning technological ventures.
“We will develop small IT parks with connectivity and other infrastructure," he added.
During a recent interview with ET, Dinesh Nirmal, Senior Vice President (Products) at IBM Software, highlighted Kochi as IBM's fastest-growing lab in India. He mentioned that the multinational giant had doubled its capacity in approximately 30 months.
Nirmal expressed confidence that IBM's investments and expansion in Kochi would stimulate further investments from other tech firms, ultimately leading to the creation of high-paying jobs in the region. With the introduction of Watson Orchestrate, an AI-based digital labor solution, Kochi has solidified its position as a hub for innovation.
Nirmal emphasized that this software, developed entirely in Kochi, would be utilized by large corporations globally, marking a significant achievement for the region.
The state is pursuing an ambitious target to increase its tech sector workforce to one million within the next five years.
Currently, there are approximately 250,000 individuals employed in tech parks across the state, which are jointly owned by the government and private sector. Minister Rajeev stated that the government aims to quadruple this figure.
As part of this expansive initiative, the government has devised plans for four IT corridors along National Highway 66, which traverses the coastal region. These corridors will be situated between Thiruvananthapuram and Kollam, Cherthala and Ernakulam, Ernakulam and Koratty, and Kozhikode and Kannur.
Under the leadership of universities, the government is spearheading the establishment of science parks. Thiruvananthapuram is slated to host India's inaugural digital university. Additionally, the government plans to inaugurate a digital science park in Thiruvananthapuram and three additional science parks at the campuses of Kannur, Kerala, and Kochi (KUSAT) universities. These parks will primarily cater to emerging industries in the tech sector.
Currently, there are around 5,000 startups registered under the state's startup mission, with projections indicating the creation of 10,000 jobs through these ventures.
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