133. Opportunities ignored by Govt Punjab InfoTech, says software council

Delegations from 75 countries were introduced to the state, yet it (Punjab Infotech/ state government) showed no interest HARJINDER SINGH Chairman, electronics and software export council

Despite efforts of the Electronics and Computer Software Export Promotion Council (ESC) of the Government of India, the Punjab government has failed to create an ecosystem for small IT entrepreneurs.

Harjinder Singh, chairman of the state committee of the ESC, said the panel was created in 2006 with the objective of promoting IT entrepreneurship in the state. However, the government failed to provide the required encouragement and environment.

Microsoft first came to Punjab, but settled for Hyderabad, because of the “cold attitude“ of the Punjab government, “the rest is history“, Harjinder Singh said.

“We are still struggling to touch four figures in software export from Punjab, whereas Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka stand at above Rs 40,000-79,000 crore,“ he said.

Blaming Punjab Infotech, Harjinder Singh said it had squandered the opportunity for the state's potential IT entrepreneurs. Delegations from 75 countries had been introduced to the state, yet Punjab Infotech showed no interest.

The ESC is India's largest electronics and IT trade facilitation organisation. In addition to various benefits it offers to it's members, the ESC holds a flagship event, IndiaSoft, every year, in which at least 350 delegates (mostly small companies) from 75 countries participate. The Government of India spends more than Rs 2 crore on this event. The ESC offered to hold this event in Chandigarh in 2010, but there were no takers in Punjab. The event has now been booked for Pune and Ahmedabad till 2012.

When contacted, Rakesh Verma, MD, Punjab Infotech, said, “We wanted to invite ESC for IndiaSoft last year, but were late. We will make sure their next event takes place in Punjab A committee was also set up for that,“ he said.

Harjinder Singh suggested it would be better to outsource the work being done by Punjab Infotech to entrepreneurs which would save the millions being paid to its consultants and probably revive some of the failed 18 IT companies of the state.

In 2004, the state government offered an office to ESC in Udyog Bhawan in Sector 17 of Chandigarh. However, when the ESC approached the government for the space after the formation of its state committee, it was told the state had set up its own small and medium enterprises' organisation and the office had been given to that.

Nikhil Saraf, president of the Mohali Industry and Commerce Association, said whatever little IT activity was there in the Tricity, was the result of the efforts of the Software Technology Parks of India (STPI). The body has 135 registered companies, and 95 per cent of those were from the Tricity. While in many other states, there software exporters even in villages, there were hardly any companies registered with the STPI even from major cities like Amritsar Bathinda, Jalandhar, Ludhiana or Patiala, he said.