At a time when the Information Technology (IT) sector is saturating across the country, the state government has emerged as one of the biggest promoters of the industry. According to the figures released by the state Industries Department, the government approved 18 IT projects, including offices and parks, in the past one year alone and has created 48,500 jobs across the sector.
"We understand the growth in IT could boost state's economic growth and create thousands of jobs as compared to other sectors in services," said an official of the Industries Department.
The government plans to approve another 21 IT projects, parks across the state in the next one year. This, officials said, could create as many as 46,500 more jobs for the youth in the state. Overall, the state government approved 668 mega projects in the state; this is in the process of creating 1.6 lakh jobs.
The idea officials said is to not only present Maharashtra as a hub for industrial investment but also create a large enough workforce of skilled labor so as to face challenges from other growing state. "We may be short of land but the only way we could score over others is by having a strong skilled labor force and working environment," said the official.
The state Industries minister Narayan Rane is in the process of drafting a new industrial policy that aims to attract Rs 5 trillion as investment and at the same time create two million jobs. To make life easier for investors, the state has already announced it will set aside 60,000 acres of land for setting up industries. It plans to draft a new acquisition policy to allot land for prospective investors.
