Coimbatore-2nd place in IT sector in TN
Sustaining the boom in the IT sector, software exports from Tamil Nadu grew 46.66% to cross the Rs 20,000-crore mark for 2006-07, according to estimates made by the Software Technology Parks of India (STPI). The state clocked export revenues of Rs 20,701.70 crore last year, against Rs 14,115 crore in 2005-2006, surpassing industry expectations, and on the back of expansion by top-tier software and BPO companies. This is against a national growth of 32.6%, as projected by Nasscom Strategic Review 2007. In the state, Chennai remained the top contributor to exports, even as it continued to attract much of the software investments.Last year, Chennai contributed Rs 19,867.31 crore, Coimbatore Rs 179.10 crore and Trichy Rs 24.55 crore. Meanwhile, Pondicherry’s exports grew 51.42% to Rs 43.58 crore last year, from Rs 28.78 crore in 2005-06. Application software and system software accounted for Rs 14,077 crore or 68% of the total exports, while IT-enabled services accounted for Rs 3,519.28 crore or 17% of the total. Industry players attributed the growth to expansion by top-tier companies — some of which are growing faster in Chennai than they do in other centres. Earlier, Ms R Rajalakshmi, director, STPI, Chennai, had said that the state’s growth was primarily driven by bigger players.
Cognizant Technology Solutions, HCL Technologies, Infosys Technologies, Polaris Software Lab and Satyam Computer Services are the top IT exporters from the state. Scope International and Sutherland Global Services are the top BPO exporters from here. Of the total exports, Rs 19,813.24 crore was from units under STPI and Rs 618 crore from the units under MEPZ/SEZ. About 748 units have contributed to this growth, STPI said. Hardware exports grew 41.75% to 397.76 crore (Rs 280.6 crore). Total space occupied by the STPI units increased to approximately 25 million sqft in 2006-07, from 20 million sqft in 2005-06, STPI said.Official sources are elated by the state’s feat on the IT front.
They said that the state had recorded scorching growth in the last quarter, considering exports had crossed the Rs 10,000-crore mark till December 31, 2006, as per STPI estimates. Last year’s growth of 46.6% also surpassed the growth of 31.54% recorded in 2005-06 over the previous year. The state is betting on significant growth in exports from mid-2007, when big companies like TCS, Infosys, Wipro and Satyam will ramp up operations with their large campus-style facilities near the city. Also, companies operating in the city are expected to consolidate their operations.
