IT policy to change country’s digital fabric

VISAKHAPATNAM: The announcement of Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in her Budget speech on forthcoming policy to allow private sector to build data centre parks could potentially benefit all IT firms, including majors TCS, Infosys, Wipro, HCL Technologies and Tech Mahindra. Adani Enterprises also stands to benefit from this development, IT industry circles said.

Vizag Development Council president O Naresh Kumar said connecting more rural villages through Bharat Net by allocation of `6,000 crore will boost digital transactions and online business. He said the government thrust on using artificial intelligence (AI), Internet of things (IOT) and high-speed bandwidth connecting high end technology, with rural villages and also providing with incentives to build huge data centres will transform India into the big league. Data centres need huge power and promoting new green power companies with lowest tax slab of only 15 per cent will boost foreign direct investment (FDI) in this sector, he said.

He opined rural India will witness total transformation with the digital power of IOT and AI through huge data centres and high end bandwidth. Giving lucrative incentives to new electronic manufacturers companies and phone companies will boost IT and electronics potential, he observed.
IT Association of Andhra Pradesh (ITAAP) president RL Narayana said the Union Budget will help growth of IT industry. He said the Budget gave a booster dose for start-ups and also research in high end technologies.

“In total, `8,000 crore was allocated for research in quantum technologies in the next five years.  Since the State government wants to make Visakhapatnam as an IT hub, it should utilise the new schemes announced in the budget to get new projects,” Narayana suggested.

He said as Visakhapatnam MP MVV Satyanarayana is a member of the Parliamentary Standing Committee, it will be a good opportunity to get IT projects to the City of Destiny.

ITAAP president-elect Sreedhar Kosaraju said the Union Budget would be a big boost for successful start-ups as the tax exemption period has been increased from seven years to 10 years, besides the turnover of start-ups turnover has also been increased from `25 crore to `100 crore.

He demanded that in new IT policy to be unveiled soon, the new initiatives of the Union government should also be included.

He said  Andhra Pradesh is the biggest beneficiary of BPO policy last year and they were expecting the Centre may announce new policy soon. He said encouragement to data parks and electronics and incentives for start-ups will provide new job avenues.

Fluentgrid managing director and chief executive officer M Muralikrshna said the Union Budget has laid emphasis on technology as an enabler to transform digital fabric of the country and focused on new age technologies such as AI, IOT and cloud computing.

Shravan Shipping managing director G Sambasiva Rao said, “The Union Budget is ambitious and has laid emphasis on infrastructure building.”