Assam woos Infy and Wipro after Bengal

Within days of the West Bengal government scrapping an ambitious information technology township plan in Rajarhat, on the northern fringes of Kolkata, the Assam government moved in to offer 100 acres to both Infosys and Wipro to set up projects in the state. Digambar Patowary reports.

Within days of the West Bengal government scrapping an ambitious information technology (IT) township plan in Rajarhat, on the northern fringes of Kolkata, the Assam government moved in to offer 100 acres to both Infosys and Wipro to set up projects in the state.

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Assam IT minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday said that government would extend a red-carpet welcome to Infosys and Wipro. “We will offer special incentives to both the IT majors if they want to set up their projects in the state,” Sarma told HT.

The proposed site is close to National Highway 37. An Assam government team will visit the Bangalore headquarters of Infosys and Wipro next week to extend an official invitation.

A few years back, former Infosys chief NR Narayana Murthy, on a visit to Assam, had recommended development of infrastructure in Guwahati, particularly good hotels, before trying to attract IT companies to the state.

Guwahati will have to two five star hotels in place by 2010 Sarma said.

Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), India’s largest IT services company, has already set up a temporary plant at the Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati. The government recently allotted 50 acres to TCS to set up an IT project at Amingaon.

As part of the Information Technology Policy, 2009, the state has evolved a series of incentives to attract investment.