HYDERABAD: As the country’s youngest state celebrates its first birthday, the Department of Information Technology, Electronics and Communication (ITE&C) on Tuesday reiterated its mission to make Telangana a digital state and provide efficient digital services to every citizen. While unveiling the Annual Report of the Telangana ITE&C department, IT Minister KT Rama Rao reflected on the year that went by and presented his vision for the next four years.
“We (Telangana) are a startup state. I firmly believe that with the infrastructure and human resources available here, Hyderabad can be the startup capital of India,” said Rama Rao, while unveiling the T-Hub website in the city.
T-Hub is touted as India’s largest incubation facility (built up area of 300,000 sq.ft) and is an initiative by the government to encourage entrepreneurship in Hyderabad and help create startups. “There are a lot of people who have lots of ideas but they don’t do anything about it. With T-Hub, we are looking at expanding the number of startups in Hyderabad. It’s not just about having the right product but also the ability to market the product. We are looking at having a T-Hub branch at Silicon Valley, California,” revealed KTR.
The Telangana government has also set up a Technology Entrepreneurship Programme (TEP) in association with the Indian School of Business in Hyderabad, where they reach out to 50 engineering colleges in the city to help set up technology programmes. Expressing delight at the developments being made in the state over the last 12 months, the IT Minister explained that the government generated additional revenue of nearly Rs 10,000 crore more in the form IT exports in the year 2014-15, apart from creating an additional 50,000 jobs. Some of the other achievements include De Shaw & Co deciding to invest $200 million in Hyderabad, Google to open its biggest campus outside the US in Hyderabad and Amazon choosing Telangana to set up its largest fulfilment center in India, KTR pointed out, adding that they wish to create 1,50,000 more jobs by the year 2019.
“We are planning to build electronic manufacturing clusters in the city for the manufacture of mobile phones, LED lights, solar panels, etc. The initiative would also help create more jobs,” he explained. Explaining that an annual report will be prepared every year to inform the public of the government’s progress and agenda, KTR expressed the desire to set up a cyber training academy with the help of private agencies. “We are also looking at breakthrough technology regarding photons, Internet of Things (IoT) and Drone Technology,” he shared.
TASK Office Opened in Hyderabad
Hyderabad: To equip students with skills sought by industries, the State government is mulling a six-month apprenticeship programme for students. If the changes are brought in the academic system, a student would be learning the tricks of the trade through internship or apprenticeship in industries for six months. IT Minister KT Rama Rao said such a system was included in the curriculum of BITS Pilani, and added that if required, the State government was ready to do the same in the State. Speaking at the launch of Telangana Academy of Skill and Knowledge’s (TASK) office at Begumpet here Tuesday, he said 15,000 students were being trained to become industry-ready. The academy’s objective is to build personal, technical, and organizational skills, among students. Students interested in the programme may contact District Development Managers (DDM), part of the TASK team, who work in collaboration with government and private educational institutions.
The Digital Plan
1.5 lakh new jobs in State by 2019
Electronic manufacturing clusters to be set up at Maheshwaram
T-Hub incubation facility to be set up to encourage young entrepreneurs
Cyber Training Academy to be setup to enhance cyber security
Digital broadband connection to every household in State
Plans to make Hyderabad preferred IT destination & Convention capital of India
Provide space to encourage gaming, animation and entertainment industry
Set up an MSME tower in Gachibowli to help smaller enterprises grow
Creating IT culture across Hyderabad by forming IT clusters in all parts of city