Hyderabad, Jan 26 (Inditop.com) Andhra Pradesh has set a target of IT exports of Rs.69,000 crore (Rs.690 billion/$15 billion) and 1.2 million jobs in the IT sector by the end of 2012, Governor E.S.L. Narasimhan said Tuesday.
Addressing the Republic Day parade at Secunderabad Parade Ground here, he said the IT exports from the state were expected to jump from Rs.32,000 crore in 2008-09 to Rs.36,000 crore in 2009-2010.
Narasimhan said the state government promoted several exclusive IT SEZs and so far created nearly three lakh jobs directly and another five lakh jobs indirectly. Hyderabad had so far attracted 1,300 IT companies.
He pointed out that the estimates of the first half of 2009-10 indicate that the state was recovering fast from the impact of recession. “While economy of India is growing at 6.99 percent, our state economy is expected to register a relatively impressive rate of 7.28 percent in spite of severe drought and unprecedented floods,” he said.
Narasimhan said the state achieved impressive 9.14 percent growth which was higher than the national average in 2004-09. In spite of global economic crisis, the government helped the GSDP to grow at constant prices at modest rate of 5.53 percent during 2008-09.
Agriculture and services registered a growth rate of 2.27 percent and 10.06 percent respectively which was higher than the national average.
The governor pointed out that agriculture sector registered phenomenal growth during last five years. The yield has gone up from 135 lakh tonnes in 2004-05 to 204 lakh tonnes in 2008-09.
The governor said the state was “set for another year of adequacy in food production if not a bumper surplus”.
On account of shortage of rainfall and floods in Krishna River the advance estimates indicate the production during Kharif 2009 will be slightly low at 68.40 lakh tonnes compared to normal of 97.10 lakh tonnes. “In order to compensate this loss of production in Kharif, 85.54 lakh tonnes against 66.90 lakh tonnes are targeted during Rabi 2009-2010,” he said.
Narasimhan listed the development and welfare schemes of the state government. He claimed that the state stood first with the disbursement of six lakh acres to the landless poor.
The government is also implementing the ambitious ‘Jalayagnam’ programme under which 86 irrigation projects were taken up with a total budget outlay of Rs.179,679 crore. So far, a sum of Rs.48,747 crore was spent since 2004.
