TN Minister PTR meets KTR, measures driving IT sector growth in TS discussed

TN Minister PTR visits Telangana to study IT policies, initiatives & investments made to develop robust IT sector. He commends Telangana govt's efforts & expresses hope to replicate successful initiatives in TN.

Tamil Nadu Information Technology and Digital Services Minister Palanivel Thiaga Rajan met Industries and IT Minister K.T. Rama Rao here on Thursday and discussed growth of IT sector in Telangana and the factors that contributed to the development.

PTR, as he is known, is leading a delegation on a three-day visit to Telangana to study policies and strategies that helped build a robust IT sector in the State. Besides studying various IT and e-governance initiatives as well as policies to get a first-hand understanding of the IT and innovation ecosystem in Telangana, the delegation will be visting technology startup incubator T-Hub, hardware prototyping centre T-Works and WE Hub, which is focused on promoting women entrepreneurship, Mr.Rao’s office said in a release on the meeting.

Making a presentation, Mr.Rao highlighted the IT initiatives implemented in the State and innovative policies launched from the ICT Policy to those for Rural Tech Centres, Innovation, Electronics, Gaming and Animation, Cyber Security, Data Centres and Open Data. Also, he showcased various organisations established by the Telangana government such as T-Hub, WE Hub, T-Woks, RICH and TASK.

Hyderabad has emerged as one of the fastest-growing IT hubs despite the misinformation spread that after Telangana formation there will be a flight of IT firms, he said. Seeking to emphasise the efforts of the government in drafting a comprehensive policy for the IT and allied sectors, he said the policy not only encapsulated Telangana government’s vision and ambitious targets but also took into account inputs from stakeholders in the IT sector to understand the support they require from the State government. Also, recognising the crucial role of Hyderabad for the sector’s progress, the government invested in developing infrastructure that complements the IT sector growth.

Mr. Rao said the State government is pursuing a vision to take the IT beyond Hyderabad to tier-II cities. The State capital over the years has become home to the largest or second-largest campuses of leading technology firms, including Amazon, Google, ServiceNow and Facebook. For facilitating IT sector growth in tier II cities, the government has set up IT towers in Warangal, Khammam, Karimnagar, Mahabubnagar, and Siddipet, he said.

The Tamil Nadu Minister said the programmes implemented by Telangana government were inspiring. Commending the State government’s efforts, PTR expressed hope that he would be able to replicate Telangana’s successful initiatives in his State.