Anantapur among districts selected for IT-cities

Anantapur: The Andhra Pradesh government as part of its vision of creating one lakh jobs in IT sector, has decided to include Anantapur district in selected districts for setting up certain IT projects in view of its proximity to Bengaluru, the IT city.

The government according to local District Industrial Centre (DIC) sources intends to establish an IT city and promote it as an IT destination among the investors taking advantage of its proximity to India’s Silicon Valley. 

The IT Department is of the view that Bengaluru reached a point of saturation in terms of expansion and the backward district can reap benefits from this limitation. 

Sources say, that the district’s proximity to Bengaluru airport was one of the key factors that convinced the State government of the project’s viability. Officials are confident that the proposed IT city will yield the desired results as the State government’s previous attempt to develop an economic zone with a similar concept was successful.

“Sri City, which has now become an electronics and communications manufacturing hub, is nothing but a project developed under ‘Chennai Plus’ concept. As it is only 50 km from Chennai, investors saw potential there. Land has to be identified for the purpose, but the idea is still in a preliminary stage, revealed the sources.

The IT Department’s officials also plan to visit Bengaluru and other cities to attract investors, sources said and added that a few firms had already expressed interest to set up shop in the proposed IT city, provided the State government extends attractive incentives.  

Meanwhile another proposal of the government for the establishment of a high-precision aircraft parts manufacturing unit by the German conglomerate, Grob, at Gudipalli in the district is under consideration, according to sources. 

It will be the second biggest investment in a single unit in the manufacturing sector in the district after the nearly Rs 13,000 crore put in by the KIA Motors in its car-making facility in Penugonda. Several incentives have been offered to the German firm as per the Aerospace and Defence Manufacturing Policy, which targets investments of Rs 20,000 crore by 2020.

The clearance for the Grob facility gives a fillip to industrial growth in the backward Rayalaseema region. The government has also paid due attention to attracting investments in the area of aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul.