Infosys Eyes Jaipur For New Facility

Thru Financial Express

JAIPUR, SEPT 23: Infotech major Infosys Technologies is on a reconnaissance mission to set up base in Jaipur for its Rs 1,000 crore software-cum-residential centre. Infosys chairman NR Narayanamurthy is learnt to have written to chief minister Vasundhra Raje last week in this regard for acquiring 1,000 acres of land within 30 km of Jaipur city. Ms Raje has already unrolled a red carpet welcome to Mr Narayanmurthy and his team, along with all possible assistance in this regard.

A fact-finding team from Infosys had already held a close-door session with Ms Raje in this regard, during the recent Economic Policy and Reforms Council, said highly-placed sources.

“A team from Infosys has approached us for acquisition of 1,000 acres of land,” Sreemath Pandey, secretary in the state Information Technology department told FE.

In response, Raje has promised them all help and had even assisted the team in conducting an aerial survey in order to determine the location of the centre. The team was escorted by officials from RIICO and Bureau for Industrial Promotion (BIP), sources said.

“The team is scheduled to come back with a blue print of the proposal for the venture,” said Mr Pandey. Subsequently, officials said that the company would set up a liaison office in Jaipur. A major factor which seems to have led the IT major to focus on Jaipur is its proximity to Delhi, even while retaining its tranquility.

The company is also learnt to be scouting for areas in Bhopal and Pune. The state government is in the process of coming out with a revised IT policy in the coming months. Until now, the lack of infrastructure was said to be the biggest handicap in wooing IT and IT-related business in Rajasthan.

For the state, it would be a major achievement as it would herald a new era in boosting investment in the state’s IT sector. In fact, the Infosys interest may also act as a trigger to woo others to the state.

However, despite the state government’s repeatedly revision of IT policy to woo investments, new ventures have not seen the light of the day. Even as some BPO centres have come up in the state, large companies have not yet taken any keen interest in the incentives offered by the state government under its IT policy.