The Hindu Business Line : Kochi Infopark to host IT meet from Jan 31

THE next edition of `IT Kerala', the information technology event organised by the State Government, will be held in Kochi from January 31 to February 4.

Announcing this at a press conference in the city today, the Chief Minister, Mr Oommen Chandy, said that around 150 companies and several States are expected to participate in `IT Kerala 2006' which is to be held at Infopark in Kochi.

Inaugurating the event's Web site — www.itkerala2006.com — he said the State Government is looking at several schemes to promote Kozhikode in north Kerala as a destination for the information technology (IT) industry. Mr Chandy, however, declined to provide more information on this venture.

Responding to a query, Mr P.H. Kurian, Secretary-Information Technology, Government of Kerala, said the Kerala IT policy needs to be revised next year. The Kerala State IT Mission has commenced work on drafting a revised IT policy, he added.

Acquisition of land for the development of the proposed `Techno City' in the suburbs of Thiruvananthapuram is on, he said. The acquisition process is likely to be completed in about three months, he added. Similarly, land required for the second phase of the expansion of the Technopark in Thiruvananthapuram is currently being developed, while land for the third phase of Technopark's expansion is being acquired, Mr Kurian explained. The second and third phase of the Technopark campus will have the status of a special economic zone, he added.

`IT Kerala 2006', the third such event, will have three components including an employment-oriented segment, Mr Kurian said. The `Connect Biz' segment will include stalls, conference suites and product launch areas spread across 3,000 square metres of space. Theme areas of this segment include infrastructure, IT solutions, data network and communications.

The second segment, the `digital lifestyle expo', will be a business-to-consumer event, Mr Kurian said. Besides showcasing the latest technology products and technology-based lifestyle products, this segment will also include interactive sessions with technology experts.

`Kerala HRHQ Job Mart', the third segment of the event, will create a space where IT recruiters and students from Kerala can interact, he explained.

Companies can also look at using this sub event of `IT Kerala 2006' as a recruitment platform, he added.

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