‘Bengal ready to offer help for hardware manufacturing’

Kolkata: The West Bengal Government is keen on facilitating the growth of IT hardware sector in the State. With the Centre’s semiconductor policy already in place, West Bengal is keen to help entrepreneurs who wish to set up hardware units in the State, according to Dr Debesh Das, West Bengal’s Minister for Information Technology.

Inaugurating COMPASS 2007, Eastern India’s annual IT exhibition here today, Dr Das said that growth in the nation’s IT arena had largely been fuelled by the software sector. “This growth is not sustainable if there is no progress in the hardware segment,” he said.

The West Bengal Government would encourage and provide help to hardware manufacturing in the State, he added.

Tech developments

Mr Das said there were more than 250 software companies, including MNCs, operating in the State. An advanced IT park is being set up at Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, to “promote high-end IT industries”.

A fabrication unit is being set up in West Bengal by the Videocon Group even as a few Taiwanese companies have evinced interest in setting up IT hardware manufacturing units in the State.

According to him, IT consumption has been growing in eastern India in general and West Bengal in particular. In the last three months, the rate of growth of mobile phone connections in Kolkata has been the highest among the metros, he said.

This year, at COMPASS 2007, there are 76 participants, 100 stalls and 20 pavilions spread across 2,500 sq. m. of covered area. The exhibition is expected to help generate business of around Rs 400 crore.

COMPASS 2006 had helped the local IT products community in eastern India to generate business of around Rs 250 crore, it has been stated.