AP's new IT policy underlines new age tech adoption
To promote innovation culture, three IT concept cities will be set up in Visakhapatnam, Tirupati and Anantapur
Industries Minister Mekapati Goutham Reddy
Visakhapatnam: ANDHRA Pradesh Government has adopted a multi-pronged approach - encouraging brownfield expansion and extending benefits on a red carpet to investors for greenfield projects in IT and IT enabled services with focus on new age technologies like artificial intelligence and machine learning, predictive analysis, Internet of Things, cloud computing and cybersecurity.
Instead of allowing letter-head entities to sign MoUs for publicity and cornering the incentives, the IT Policy unveiled for 2021-24 has spelt out its plans to encourage PPP mode of investments, doling out sops to companies which encourage work from home (WFH) and emerging technologies, developing infrastructure like aggregation of office space for plug and play operators, strengthening startup ecosystem and spreading innovation culture. Setting up of the State Data Centre and establishing an emerging technologies research university to gear up for Industry 4.0 are some of the thrust areas. The university will be set up in Visakhapatnam.
Futuristic living spaces
To promote innovation culture, three IT concept cities will be set up in Visakhapatnam, Tirupati and Anantapur (somewhere close to Bangalore.). Industries and IT Minister Mekapati Goutham Reddy repeatedly said that Visakhapatnam, which has a robust industrial base, will become the main IT hub. The policy gives emphasis on employment creation and providing incentives on the basis of jobs provided by the entrepreneurs. The IT Department will develop IT concept cities as a specially designated area in the State exclusively meant for development. The aim of developing such concept cities is to ensure speed of execution and reduction of cost for IT industry, by offering the fastest approvals to reduce time to start operations, connectivity to airports and highways, availability of skilled manpower, world-class IT driven common and social infrastructure, walk to work, plug and play IT office space, and co-working spaces.
"These concept cities will be developed as futuristic living spaces which improve the quality of life of citizens," the policy stated. Deemed local area authorities will be created to give fast approval to concept cities and IT parks.
The department will offer courses under Massive Online Open Classrooms (MOOCs) in collaboration with leading e-Learning platforms.
