Warangal emerges as another IT hub in Telangana State

Warangal: The district has taken a big leap towards becoming another IT hub after Hyderabad in the State as many big companies are setting their shops here as they see good potential for growth with availability of required manpower.

If one goes by the recent developments, a rosy picture altogether is in store for the people who have been craving for industrial growth in the region, especially after the hooter in the Azam Jahi Mills went silent a few decades ago. It may be mentioned here that since the closure of Azam Jahi Mills, a cotton textile unit established by Nizam in 1934, which provided employment to more than 4,200 workers, the region had not seen the advent of any major industry.

The year 2020 seems to have started on an optimistic note for the local with two of the IT tycoons - Tech Mahindra and the Cyient – giving a much needed push to the industry growth in Warangal. On January 7, Tech Mahindra opened its new delivery centre employing 100 software professionals.

Although the Tech Mahindra started its centre in the IT incubation centre established by the Telangana State Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (TSIIC) in the Special Economic Zone (SEZ) at Madikonda, a suburban village of Warangal, it has plans to expand its wings further in the near future.

It may be recalled here that in a bid to attract start-ups, small and medium IT companies, the TSIIC has set up a 15,000-sq ft plug-and-play incubation centre in February, 2016.

On the other hand, the Cyient, a global engineering and digital solutions provider which launched its operations in 2017 from the IT incubation centre, established its 60,000 sq. ft. state-of-the-art development centre in the sprawling 5 acres. It shows its intent to propel its business expansion plans further.

The IT incubation centre is also housing Kakatiya IT Solutions and Ventois Software Solutions with each providing employment to 100 software professionals.

Adding more fillip to Warangal IT sector, the Quadrant Resource, a product design and development company that's been around since 2004, came forward to set up its facility in 1.5 acres in the Madikonda SEZ.

The company is expected to provide employment to nearly 500 local youth. Minister for Panchayat Raj Errabelli Dayakar Rao on Sunday laid the foundation stone for the construction of the facility.

Quadrant Resource's founder and Chief Executive Officer Vamshi Reddy, who hails from Warangal, said: "We have plans to operate from temporary premises until a permanent structure would come up next year with an estimated cost of around Rs 6 crore. The recruitment process which begins in about a couple of months will be completed in phased manner."

Warangal already has SRiX (SR Innovation Exchange), a Technology Business Incubator (TBI), touted as the largest incubation centre in a tier II city, on the SR Engineering College campus in Warangal in March 2018. Supported by a grant of Rs 9 crore from the Department of Science & Technology (DST) and Government of India, the SRiX is open to start-ups with focus on agriculture, clean tech and other cutting-edge technologies.

According to TSIIC Warangal Zonal Manager Ratan Rathod, the State government which already earmarked 45 acres for the development of IT sector is ready to allot more land.

Speaking to The Hans India, MLC Pochampally Srinivas Reddy said: "All credit goes to Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao and IT Minister KT Rama Rao who were instrumental in expanding IT industry in Warangal. The techies passed out from local engineering colleges need not have to go far flung places in search of jobs." With IT majors – Cyient and Tech Mahindra – are already have their footing in Warangal, and Quadrant too steps in, the future looks rosy for the techies produced by the local engineering colleges. No more they will have to go to far flung places in search of jobs, Reddy said.

Logistics: Although Warangal is bereft of air connectivity even though it has an airport, the city is strategically located due to its proximity to Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in Hyderabad which is 160 kms from the incubation centre.

Manpower: It's apparent that there is no dearth of young talent for the upcoming IT companies as the Warangal has 16 engineering colleges within its vicinity including the prestigious National Institute of Technology (NIT). On the other hand, the SRiX (SR Innovation Exchange) is nurturing young talent by providing conducive eco-system that includes a world-class physical space.