Injustice To Telangana In Sanctioning New STPIs: KTR

Telangana IT Minister K Taraka Rama Rao wrote a letter to Union Electronics and IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw regarding sanctioning of New Software Technology Parks (STPIs) to Telangana.

KTR in his letter expressed his concern about the information released by the Union Government regarding the establishment of new Software Technology Parks of India (STPIs).

Answering a question posed by Lok Sabha member Shri Chandan Singh, on April 06, 2022, MoS  Rajeev Chandrasekhar has informed the house that the Union Government has sanctioned 22 new STPIs for Tier 2 and Tier 3 towns in the country. Unfortunately, none of the towns from Telangana features in that list. While states like Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Kerala, Arunachal Pradesh, Odisha, Bihar, Haryana, Gujarat, Karnataka and Himachal Pradesh are in the list of upcoming STPIs, Telangana doesn't feature in that list. 

He also wrote that "He would like to place on record the tremendous growth of the IT Sector after the formation of Telangana state. While the IT Exports from Telangana were pegged at 57,258 Crores in the year 2014-15, they grew to a whopping 1,45,522 Crores in the year 2021-22. The number of IT employees grew from 3,23,396 to 6,28,615. Hyderabad has been clocking a healthy growth rate in Commercial Office Space absorption too and is consistently overtaking Bengaluru in this metric. Progressive investment policies of Telangana have attracted several marquee companies to the State in the past eight years. Telangana is the only state in the country to have sectoral IT Policies such as Electronics Policy, Rural Tech Centers Policy, IMAGE Policy, Data Centers Policy etc. The State also has the most comprehensive innovation ecosystem with institutions like T-Hub, We-Hub, TSIC, RICH and TASK."

He also wrote, "The majority of the state's IT/ITES exports come from Hyderabad, which is a major IT-Hub not only in India but also in the whole world. To generate more employment opportunities in other towns of the state, the state government is taking several measures to develop Tier-2 and Tier- 3 towns as IT powerhouses and facilitate the growth of a complete ecosystem like Hyderabad in these locations. Towns like Khammam, Karimnagar, Nizamabad, Warangal, etc. have already been established as IT-Hubs. The state government has built Plug & Play infrastructure in these towns. Telangana government has also started construction of IT Hubs in other Tier 2 and Tier 3 towns like Nalgonda, Mahabubnagar, Siddipet etc. We are seeing huge interest from both major multinational IT Companies and also SMEs to set up their operations in these Tier 2 & 3 towns."
KTR wrote, "The Union Government has already done a great disservice to the youngsters of Telangana by withdrawing the Information Technology Investment Region (ITIR), which was sanctioned to Hyderabad by the erstwhile UPA Government. Several reminders by the honourable CM KCR and myself about reinstating the ITIR project have fallen on deaf ears. I have personally met the then Union IT & Electronics Minister Shri Ravishankar Prasad Ji with this request. KCR has met Prime Minister Narendra Modi also about this issue. Yet, nothing has happened till date."

He added, "In the current instance too, the Union Government seems to have ignored a performing State like Telangana in sanctioning new Software Technology Parks of India. I am sure you will agree with the fact that the development of the states amounts to the development of the country. I hereby urge you to use your good offices to sanction new Software Technology Parks for Tier 2 & 3 towns of Telangana like Nizamabad, Karimnagar, Nalgonda, Khammam, and Mahabubnagar. Such a measure will provide the much-needed fillip to the IT Sector in the state and also leads to the generation of abundant employment opportunities to youngsters of Telangana."