The Hindu Business Line : IT industry does not need tax sops: Infosys chief

THE information technology (IT) industry does not need any tax sops, according to Mr N.R. Narayana Murthy, the Chairman and Chief Mentor of Infosys Technlogies, when asked about the major issues that the Government needs to address for the IT industry in this Budget.

"I don't believe in seeking any tax exemptions. The Government should rather focus on providing basic infrastructure, good quality primary education, basic nutrition and health facilities to all," Mr Murthy told the media on the sidelines of a function.

Mr Murthy was here to present a `Life-time achievement award' to the former Chairman of the Telecom Commission, Mr N. Vittal, on behalf of EMPI Business School here on Friday. Earlier, Mr Murthy had called for a need to "create visible signs of progress like good airports and roads in order to make IT a $70-billion industry by 2010."

Speaking on the occasion, Mr Vittal said that the concept of reservation in the private sector would kill the industry. He said one of the reasons why IT succeeded as an industry in India was because it had no baggage and that it is a sector where "only merit counted."

When asked for his opinion on the Government proposal to have reservations in the private sector, Mr Murthy said, "The government priority should be providing basic education and health facilities to all and not to a select few."

"Strangely, everybody in this country now wants to be called backward. This should not be the case," added Mr Murthy when the media persisted for a response on whether he is for or against reservation in the private sector.

On being asked about the Infosys' corporate training centre being built in Mysore, Mr Murthy said it would be functional by October. ``The Mysore training centre would be the largest corporate training centre in the world. It would be able to house more than 4,000 trainees at a time," he said.