VIJAYAWADA: Stating that his department has achieved 34 per cent of its target of creating one lakh jobs, Information Technology (IT) Minister Nara Lokesh on Wednesday exuded confidence that it would make significant progress in the coming months.
When asked if his department could reach the target of one lakh jobs, as repeatedly promised by him, in the remaining four months of the government’s tenure, the minister said, “We have created 34,000 jobs, which means 34 per cent, and with the inauguration of five firms now, we will add 600 more jobs to the list. There are four to five months left for us. We are moving in that direction and you will see it.”
He was talking to the media after inaugurating five IT/IT Enabled Services (ITeS) firms at Andhra Pradesh Non-Resident Telugu Society’s (APNRTS) Infosight Park in Tadepalli. A few more major announcements regarding establishment of IT firms would be made soon.
“We already have the State Investment Promotion Board and Comprehensive Financial Management System online. We are working on integrating them so that incentives can be extended in real time,” he added.
He came down heavily on the Opposition parties. He recalled that a top management executive of HCL Technologies expressed apprehensions regarding investing in Gannavaram after the Opposition parties continuously raised allegations of irregularities.
“The CFO of HCL asked me why the Opposition leaders were creating trouble unnecessarily. We are working hard to bring companies, but baseless allegations may hurt the prospects of the State as investors would have apprehensions,” he observed.
Later in the day, Lokesh inaugurated the Development Centre setup by AP Online in Vijayawada.
AP Online is a joint venture of TCS and the State government. TCS director, V Rajanna, handed over cheque for `1.1 crore, as a part of the CSR) initiative, for the digital classroom projects being implemented in schools in the State.