The recently concluded Tripura Conclave that focused on the prospects of IT and ITES industry in the state has created ripples. Several IT majors are showing interest in Tripura , which will soon emerge as the third Internet Gateway for India after the submarine cable is extended from Cox's Bazar to Agartala via Brahmanbaria.

The Bangladesh submarine company says it is well on course to extend the cable upto Akhaura by end September -- but it seems the BSNL is going slow and may take a while to do up the work inside Tripura.

Needless to say, the state government has to push the BSNL hard to complete the work quickly now that monsoon will end and work condition improve with autumn. It  is also high time Tripura government does not sit back and bask in the interest the IT majors have shown. There is no reason to believe they will just come over. Much prodding and pleading will be needed. 

The state government should without delay form a 'core committee' with experts and dynamic bureaucrats . It could be headed by a dynamic politician surely. Looking for experts , Saumen Sarker , VP of Bank of America and some other Tripura boys and girls in top IT positions may be roped in. Ardhendhu Saha of Deloitte has already offered himself as volunteer to work to realize Tripura's IT dream.

Industry secretary M Nagaraju and IT secretary Puneet Agrawal should be in the committee. The Core Committee should hold a roadshow in Bangalore and Hyderabad this winter when the submarine cable will land in Agartala.

Following the example of Goa which is trying hard to attract IT majors to diversify its economy now dependent on tourism, Tripura should unveil a the draft information technology investment policy 2015 .

This should offer a slew of specific incentives and clarify the state's position on critical issues like strikes, trade unions and hire-and-fire. The IT industry is particularly sensitive to anything that threatens a 24-hour work environment and the draft policy should address concerns of IT majors.  Here Tripura have to follow Goa and not , I repeat not, West Bengal , if it wants IT majors to invest in the state.

Goa unveiled such a draft policy recently in a programme jointly organized by the department of information technology, government of Goa and Elets Technomedia, a technology media and research company that focuses on ICT in governance. Since the Tripura Conclave took the first step to get IT majors to Tripura , the state government could well organise such roadshows with their cooperation. As convernor of Tripura Conclave, let me reiterate that unlike some so-called fake IT-oriented groups who have taken land for setting up units and then converted them to residences and minted millions by using the state government, we have no intent of monetising this initiative for ourselves. The state government can use its finances for the roadshows and the dialogue with IT majors and we can use our contacts and connections to help out. Of course, for free. 

For people like me and Saumen Sarker, Tripura is our dear motherland and we never want to milk it for personal fortunes. We know what some have done , but unlike them, we are well established and well-off professionals in our own field. So what we do for Tripura is for pure passion and for our progeny, our future generation. We believe we owe it to our dear state -- we have done well and this is payback time. Chief Secretary Yashpal Singh realised that and openly said during the Conclave that we were doing the job meant for government.  He wanted more like us to come forward. They will, I can assure. 

Now about the policy. Aimed at IT, IT-enabled services, electronics system design manufacturing, startups, animation, visual effects and game design companies, the draft IT policy of Goa offers a slew of benefits on the taxation front as well as other incentives. The policy also aims at slowing down the trend of Goan IT professionals moving out of the state in search of jobs.  Tripura must do the same.

"This is a draft policy and it is open for discussions and suggestions,, Goa chief minister  Parsekar had said.  After discussions with IT majors , the final policy will be unveiled. Tripura can follow the same process.

Already atleast 5 IT majors have shown interest in setting up 150 to 200 seater softmare centres. They can be provided a floor each in the STPI 7 storey building.  Since they may like to test the waters in Tripura, we must do everything possible to assuage their confidence. I am sure if that is done, they will expand.

Saumen Sarker's dream is to create atleast few thousand IT related jobs in Tripura in the next 5 years. This is entirely possible if Govt shows some eagerness. We only need the state government to do the needful , as they say in bureaucracy.
The Goa IT-investment policy has  taken inputs from similar policies of neighbouring states, the state's IT director Shilpa Shinde has said. Shinde led a team of IT department officials in preparing the draft policy for two months. The draft policy offers eligible and registered companies a slew of concessions on stamp duty, electricity duty, central sales tax and entry tax. There is a rider for central sales tax as the policy states that the benefit will cease to exist once the  GST  comes into play which is likely to happen in the next financial year.
In an effort to convince IT companies to invest in Goa,  CM Parsekar also went on to point out that Goa boasted the lowest tariff for power and water and also had a peaceful atmosphere. Our Chief Minister can hardsell the same kind of advantages -- as Governor Tathagata Ray had told the Tripura Conclave, political stability is Tripura's best selling point.
It also offers highly subsidized land as per notified rates and going all out to woo large companies, the policy also offers an FAR of 150 for buildings located in the IT Park at Chimbel or at the electronic manufacturing cluster city at Tuem. All companies that invest in Goa within the notified area will be eligible for additional rebate of 20% on the notified rates by the revenue department, the policy says.
Parsekar met key industry officials and company representatives on a personal basis to receive inputs and suggestions that will help fine-tune the draft IT policy. With the creation of world class IT infrastructure as its objective, the policy has also paid attention to IT startups, giving a boost to Goa's entrepreneurs. "To provide a level playing field to the start ups, to maximize direct and indirect employment opportunities for the youth in the state in the field of IT/ITES/ESDM industry," is stated in the 11-page policy.

"Attractive policy incentives along with the excellent air, rail, road connectivity and a highly literate English speaking population would facilitate in promoting the state's vision," Parsekar said in his address to potential investors. "Goa's strong cultural base along with technological support are an advantage."

The draft IT policy brings hope to the 500-odd IT graduates who move across the country in search of jobs due to lack of job opportunities in the state. The government is working on setting up an electronic manufacturing cluster in Tuem, Pernem and an IT park at Chimbel, Tiswadi.

Here I need to remind state bureaucrats, some of whom heard the fascinating presentation by the Taiwan trade centre official Fu Tan , that Tripura needs to follow the Taiwan model of an integrated approach that will go for a whole range of high tech manufacturing and services.  So if we invite Infosys to do a IT park on the lines of the one they are doing with Summit group at Gazipur, Bangladesh, we should earmark an area nearby for hi-tech manufacturing and look for appropiate investors.  Such hi tech industries which creates high value light goods of a hi tech nature thrives on skilled manpower, good electiricity, high speed internet and social peace and not so much on presence of minerals.Taiwan has hardly any minerals , but it is a world leader in global high tech manufacturing.

Their slogan is 'small yet big'. Let us adopt that slogan for Tripura and hit it big . 

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