When the State’s Information Technology, Electronics and Communications Minister K.T. Rama Rao ushered in Telangana’s second ICT (Information Communication Technology) Policy at the Hyderabad International Convention Centre on September 16, it was a drone that performed the honours. In 2016, when the State unveiled its first IT policy, a robot walked on to the stage with the document. Telangana has indeed taken the information technology race to the next level, supported by the highest annual growth rate among States in Information Technology/Information Technology Enabled Services (IT/ITeS) exports (Rs.1.45 lakh crore in 2020-21).
Said Rama Rao after unveiling the ICT Policy 2021-26: “While the ICT Policy 2016 helped Telangana propel itself from being a young State to one of the top achievers in the IT and electronics adaptation, there is a need to rethink our approach after five years. The citizens of Telangana deserve to get better employment opportunities, better access to technology and, overall, a better quality of life that technology can enable. It is towards this that the government will work now in order to give the citizens what they deserve, and to realise the vision of Golden Telangana.”
Jayesh Ranjan, the State’s principal secretary, Information Technology, Electronics and Communications Department echoes these thoughts: “The key aspect of this policy is that we want citizens to be at the centre stage. Our focus will be on having our citizens as the biggest achievement of the government and the State.”
Besides the digital empowerment of citizens and use of technology for social good, the new policy sets its sights on innovation and entrepreneurship, distributed development, including taking IT to tier 2 and tier 3 cities and escalating innovation ecosystems to the global level. Rama Rao announced that over 50,000 jobs would be generated in the IT/ITES sector in tier II and tier III cities across the State by making these cities IT hubs of the future.
Rama Rao also launched a Startup Telangana portal which aims to be a one-stop destination for the entire startup ecosystem of the State. He announced that the State would soon set up a start-up fund of Rs.1,300 crore and form a committee to support over 8,000 start-ups and in the process make Telangana the top choice for start-ups in the country. The Startup Telangana portal will cater to all start-up related services in a time-bound manner, including start-up recognition, grievance redress, mentorship, and incentive disbursement mechanism. The portal can be accessed at https://startup.telangana.gov.in/.
The new ICT Policy also envisages the creation of a dedicated smart cities wing to be set up in collaboration with the Municipal Administration and Urban Development Department. It will help create 40 smart regions in the State benchmarking with the best smart cities in the world. The Minister stressed that the new ICT policy incorporates several initiatives and implementation mechanisms.
Along with the launch of the ICT Policy, an MoU was inked between Microsoft and the Telangana government through which the global tech company will support development of the local ecosystem through start-up programmes and skilling initiatives. Also, Telangana is hoping to attract Rs.75,000 crore by way of investment and over three lakh jobs in the electronics sector, with a special focus on electric vehicles, battery storage systems, consumer electronics, medical devices, and the automobile sector. The government is also setting up the Telangana Emerging Technologies Corridor, which will be a hub for centers of excellence.
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