MADURAI: Minister for Information Technology Palanivel Thiaga Rajan presided over the sixth edition of Connect Madurai 2023, a one-day conference cum exposition organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry, in Madurai on Friday. The event focussed on the theme 'ITs from Madurai to the Globe'.
Addressing the gathering, PTR said, "The state government will take up data-driven marketing of its IT and ITeS sector, which has a huge role to play in making TN a USD 1 trillion economy by 2030, on a global level. The government is also keen to scale up its skill development programmes at least by two or three times to equip students to be employable in emerging technologies such as fintech, artificial intelligence, cyber security, and deep tech. We are confident of producing tangible results on these fronts in the next six months to one year.''
Talking about the government's specific plans for Madurai, the IT minister said the focus will be on improving the quality of life and the social and industrial infrastructure in the city. "It is my hope that within the next two years, there will be a TIDEL Park in the city where at least 10,000 professionals will be working. We will have the ELCOT acquire two or three new sites for developing IT and electronic industry clusters. And, on the public transportation front, the city will have a metro train project in the near future. I am also committed to bringing expatriates back to the city in order to get their contributions to the industrial development here. I am also keen to make the core part of Madurai, a tourist and cultural conclave," he added.
Dr. Sanjay Tyagi, Director, Software Technology Parks of India (STPI), delivered the special address and pointed out that a recent Deloitte report has identified Madurai as the 20th most attractive IT destination in the country. "Currently, the city is exporting Rs 200 crore worth of software. However, it has the potential to undertake Rs 20,000 crore worth of software exports. It also has a huge potential for a large electronic manufacturing cluster.''
He said of the 5,000-odd software companies registered with the STPI, around 1,000 are from Tamil Nadu. The state also accounts for about 60% of India's electronics manufacturing. "With exports worth Rs 2 lakh crore, Tamil Nadu is currently ranked as the third largest software exporter. But it can become the second most happening IT destination next to Karnataka," Dr. Tyagi added. The event attracted the participation of around 300 people from the industry. Over 40 software and IT product companies set up their stalls at the exposition.