IT sector growing rapidly in Bangla

The information technology (IT) sector in Bangla is growing at a fast pace. Under the leadership of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, there has been a lot of growth in the sector, and the Information Technology & Electronics Department is the department driving this growth.

Almost 80% overall growth in IT business: The State now has a presence of about 894 IT companies, up from nearly 500 in 2010-11, showing a rise of almost 80 per cent in the IT business.

Many of the leading IT software companies are operating and expanding their facilities in the State at the moment.

The vision: The vision of the State Government, as described in its ICT Policy 2012, is to become one of the leading States in India in the IT and ITeS, and ESDM sectors and to enable Bangla to transform into a knowledge-driven welfare society.

67 per cent growth in employment: From the financial year (FY) 2010-11 figure of 90,000, the IT sector today employs more than 1,50,000 IT professionals – a growth of about 67 per cent. The projected figure for employment for FY 2018-19 is at least 1.8 lakh, of which almost 50,000 will be covered through the IT parks developed by the State Government.

Almost 150 per cent growth in export: The total export by the IT industry of the State was Rs 21,000 crore during FY 2017-18, compared to Rs 8,500 crore during 2010-11, showing a growth of about 150 per cent in seven years.

IT sector in Bangla: Improving in leaps and bounds

The information technology sector in Bangla has progressed in leaps and bounds under the leadership of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. The Trinamool Congress Government has created a favourable environment for the growth of the sector and its related industries in Bangla.

This is evident from a comparison of the achievements of the Information Technology & Electronics Department in 2010-11, which was the last year of the Left Front rule, and 2017-18:

· Plan Budget of the department: More than doubled, from Rs 93.7 crore to Rs 201.53 crore, signifying an increased focus on the information technology and electronics sector;
· Software export turnover: Grew by almost 2.5 times, from Rs 8,500 crore to Rs 21,000 crore. Bangla is thus gradually turning into a hotbed of cutting-edge technology;
· Employment in IT sector: Significant rise from 90,000 to 1.5 lakh, ushering in a tech-savvy generation
· Investment for creation of IT hardware clusters: Nil earlier to Rs 14.86 crore; thus, the State Government, for the first time, under the direction of Trinamool Congress, is focussing on the creation of hardware clusters
· Investment for creation of IT parks: Grew by more than 16 times, from Rs 37.18 crore to Rs 612.11 crore, thus bringing about an unprecedented focus on infrastructure creation – 15 IT parks have been completed and 10 more are under construction.

Under the direction of Mamata Banerjee, the department is bringing about an all-round development, opening numerous employment opportunities, both in software and hardware.