T.N. Minister bats for integrated approach for IT sector

Tamil Nadu IT Minister Palanivel Thiaga Rajan batted for changes to make the IT initiatives in the State more integrated and co-ordinated

Tamil Nadu should have an “integrated approach” for development of the Information Technology (IT) sector, said the State’s IT Minister Palanivel Thiaga Rajan in Coimbatore on Thursday.

The Minister, who took part in ‘Coimbatore Connect’ organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), told presspersons that the problems for the integrated Hi-Tech city project taking off in Coimbatore were - “land and co-ordination. In Tamil Nadu, IT sector does not have an integrated approach. So, that is one of the reforms we are requesting the Chief Minister,” he said.

Speaking to the media earlier, after inspecting the Elcot IT park, he said there were several initiatives at different stages for the IT sector in Tamil Nadu. There should be a co-ordinated approach. The IT Department should be reformed. It would be taken up with the Chief Minister in phases and based on his advice, the changes would be made, he said.

Mr. Palaivel Thiaga Rajan said at Connect Coimbatore that in Karnataka, the IT Ministry was the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology. In Tamil Nadu, it was not so and there were structural differences that should be fixed here.

The State should have world class facilities and should move more into the product segment. The Tamil Nadu fibrenet project would be completed by the end of this year, providing connectivity to 12,650 villages. This would enable equity in access to information available online. Tamil Nadu would soon have deep tech and AI policies, he added.

This year, about 75,000 engineering students would be trained to bridge the gap between education and what the industries need and the training would be extended to students in polytechnics and Industrial Training Institutes, he added.