HYDERABAD: The Telangana government is committed to transforming digital economy in Tier-II cities and has invested heavily in 'plug and play' infrastructure facilities, according to IT minister K.T. Rama Rao, who urged tech companies to look beyond Hyderabad by expanding their operations to the smaller towns to balance economic growth and generate job opportunities.
Inaugurating the new office space of L&T Infotech at L&T Metro Building in HiTec City on Friday, Rama Rao said the state government was providing several incentives to IT firms operating in Tier-II cities like Warangal, Karimnagar, Nizamabad, Khammam, Mahbubnagar, Nalgonda, and Adilabad.
"It is not necessary to conduct all operations from Hyderabad. There is a lot of work that can be moved to Tier-II cities. Boys and girls from small towns have more fire in their bellies. They do not want to relocate to Bengaluru, Hyderabad or any other major metropolis unless it is an absolute necessity,” he stated.
Rao stated that Tier-II clusters have several good engineering and degree colleges, and that young people from these towns want to prove themselves. He urged tech firms to capitalise on the Covid-19 situation, which had forced talent to work remotely from their hometowns and amply demonstrated that the companies' objectives can be met while working from home.
"Young people in Tier 2 cities should have the opportunity to compete. The Covid-19 pandemic demonstrated that goals can be met even when people work from home. Companies operating from Tier-2 cities will have no effect on the metrics,” he added.
Using Zoho, an IT company that relocated its operations to villages, as an example, the minister asked tech firms to identify all operations that could be shifted from Hyderabad to Tier-II cities. Some of the key programmers of Zoho work from villages, not even from towns," he added.
He stated that the state government has undertaken several initiatives in recent years to improve infrastructure facilities in Hyderabad. "Despite this, increased migration from other places has caused a burden on the city's urban infrastructure,” he said.
He said the proposed elevated bus rapid transport system (eBRTS) from Nizampet to the Financial District, two flyovers that would be inaugurated in the IT corridor soon would relieve some of the strain on urban infrastructure.
He suggested that last-mile connectivity from metro stations be increased to encourage people to use public transportation and stated that the state government will provide the necessary support if the L&T Metro building stakeholders come forward to build a skywalk similar to the one at Raheja IT Park.
KTR’s takeaways
- Expand operations in Tier II cities like Warangal, Karimnagar, Nizamabad, Khammam, Mahabubnagar, Nalgonda, and Adilabad.
- The government is providing incentives to tech companies that want to relocate their operations to Tier II cities
- In the last eight years, the government has launched several initiatives to improve 'plug and play' infrastructure facilities in Tier II cities
- There are several good engineering and degree colleges in Tier II clusters.
