BangaloreIT.in 2007 turns a damp squib

The tenth edition of the BangaloreIT.in 2007, billed as Asia’s biggest ICT event, got off today on a subdued note thanks to the political crisis in the state. The event was a damp squib as it hardly evinced any interest from the IT enthusiasts on the first day. The lack of interest was also evident as there was only a thin crowd of the technology workers, captains of IT industry, students of IT and the common man as the venue of the exhibition — Bangalore International Exhibition Centre (BIEC) — is located far away from the IT campuses and the city centre. Karnataka Governor Rameshwar Thakur inaugurated the event. Though Union IT & Communications Minister A Raja was invited to be the chief guest for the inaugural event, he was conspicuous by his absence. The honours went to West Bengal IT Minister Debesh Das in the last minute. Stressing the importance of Bangalore and Karnataka in the growth of IT industry in the country, he said the surge in the growth of IT in the state has been phenomenal over the years. The next growth in the sector will come from tier II and tier III cities like Mysore, Mangalore, Hubli-Dharwad and Belgaum as they have the necessary educated workforce that can be tapped by the IT and BPO sectors. Thakur said the state government has decided to set up five integrated townships around Bangalore, the first of which will come up at Bidadi for the knowledge sector. In his address, West Bengal IT minister urged the Centre to extend the tax benefits extended to small and medium enterprises in the IT sector till 2020 instead of 2009. “Union Minister for IT A Raja has already accepted my suggestion and it needs to be approved by the finance ministry,” he said. About 125 companies representing software, hardware, infrastructure, BPO/ITeS and telecom sectors are attending the four-day exhibition. This includes overseas delegations from about 20 countries and 17 Indian states. According to Karnataka IT secretary MN Vidyashankar, about 200 foreign and Indian firms representing different verticals of the IT industry are participating in the exposition to showcase their products and services. “The event comprising exhibition and concurrent conferences is showcasing Bangalore as the ICT gateway to Asia. Delegations from Australia, Britain, Canada, China, Germany, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Russia, Singapore and Taiwan are among the international participants exploring business opportunities at the fair,” Vidyashankar said. In the run-up to the event, hosted by the state IT department in association with the Software Technology Parks of India (STPI) and CyberMedia, a rural IT quiz was simultaneously held across the state to promote the use of ICT and empower the rural youth with the power of information technology.
business-standard.com