Financial Daily from THE HINDU group of publications
Monday, Nov 28, 2005
Financial Daily from THE HINDU group of publications Monday, Nov 28, 2005 |
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Info-Tech
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Infrastructure Columns - Random Walk Riding the IT tiger K.G. Kumar
LAST week Mike Connor, the British Deputy High Commissioner, said some words of praise for Kerala that should delight the votaries of information technology (IT) and business process outsourcing (BPO). After a round of visits to British firms in Kochi, the Deputy High Commissioner said Kerala presented fewer problems to prospective investors, compared to other Indian States. The State's reputation for labour unrest contrasted with the growing investments in the State, notably in the IT sector, he said, adding that British investments in Kerala were mainly in this sector. From the Deputy High Commissioner's statements, it would appear that any prospective investor in Kerala would do well to check out the State's opportunities in the IT and BPO sectors. Quite a few have done so and are already reaping profits. They include major names such as Infosys, Wipro, Tata Concultancy Services and Allianz Cornhil. Though their numbers do not come anywhere near the levels achieved by the major IT States in India, such as Karnataka, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu, they are growing. The latest entrant to Kerala is Outsource Partners International Inc (OPI), a leading BPO firm specializing in finance and accounting services, which recently opened a modern service centre in Kochi. The 137,000-sq ft facility, located in the Leela Infopark, can accommodate more than 2,000 associates. The Kochi centre is the company's second in India, after its original facility in Bangalore, which has a capacity to house over 600 associates. More encouraging is the company's reasons for choosing the commercial capital of Kerala. "Kochi was selected following a search that included several Indian locations," said Kishore Mirchandani, President and Chief Executive Officer of OPI's Indian subsidiary, Business Process Outsourcing Pvt Ltd. "We selected Kochi because of the depth of relevant skillsets, costs of operation and the favourable business climate. Bright talented people will now have the opportunity to find rewarding careers without having to leave their hometown." That should bring some cheer to the hundreds of Kerala's educated young hopefuls. It should also encourage the Chief Minister, Oommen Chandy, who, despite his recent political setbacks, appears set to steam ahead on the IT bandwagon. This is notwithstanding the fact that the government has abandoned plans for a new IT policy, which was to be announced early next year. The Chief Minister told media persons last week that though steps had been taken to revise the current IT policy, it would not be finalised before the end of the term of the present government. Confirming that the agreement on the Smart City project would be signed next month, he also announced that the third edition of IT Kerala would be held at Infopark in Kochi from January 31 to February 4, 2006. More than 150 companies and several States are expected to participate in IT Kerala 2006. "IT Kerala 2006 will showcase the unique advantages Kerala offers as an IT destination," the Chief Minister said. If that message should actually reach the dozens of companies beyond Kerala's borders that hope to ride the IT tiger, all will not be lost after all for Kerala's industrial salvation. The writer can be contacted at kgkumar@gmail.com
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