The Hindu Business Line : TCS to set up centre in Gujarat

The TCS Managing Director, Mr S. Ramadorai, met the Chief Minister, Mr Narendra Modi, on Friday to finalise the details of the project and handed over a letter of intent . The proposed centre would come up at the Infocity in Gandhinagar and would be spread across over 20 acres, Mr Ramadorai told reporters after the meeting.

The facility would boast of the best infrastructure and become operational in 18 months. The centre would employ about 2,000 IT professionals, he said.

As the company is in its silent period following the initial public offer, he did not divulge the financial details of the project.

"TCS has become the first IT major to announce such a facility in the State. We have been taking several initiatives to fuel the growth of the sector. It is a historic moment for us as the absence of any major player was being cited as one of the reasons for the slow growth of the IT sector in the State," a senior State Government official said.

Mr Modi used the opportunity to highlight the Gujarat State Wide Area Network (GSWAN), claimed to be the largest Internet Protocol (IP) based network in the Asia Pacific region. The State Government uses the facility for different e-governance initiatives.

The Chief Minister said that with the backbone already in place, there was tremendous scope for developing innovative applications to deliver government's services to the State's citizens.