Small towns get 35,000 seats under Govt BPO scheme

New Delhi: In a major boost to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas through digital inclusion, the Ministry of Electronics and IT has allotted over 35,000 out of 48,300 seats under the India BPO promotion scheme.

According to Electronics and IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, the process of allotment of remaining seats would be get completed in the next six month.

As of now 10,297 people have been employed under the BPO scheme and once all 35,000 seats become operational, it will create employment opportunities for over 70,000 people, the minister said, adding that more funds would be pumped into the scheme to give a major push to BPO scheme.

Terming the BPO scheme a game changer in the growth of rural economy, the minister said, "We are planning to open BPO in every home. The ministry is also planning to write to Chief Ministers of all the states to encourage setting up of BPOs focused on sector issues, education, amenities, etc."

The flagship scheme, which aims to promote BPO operations in smaller towns and cities, provides special incentives of up to Rs 1 lakh per seat in form of viability gap funding and disbursement of financial support is directly linked to job creation.

"BPO is becoming a platform for digital aspiration in smaller towns, as part of this scheme. BPOs in smaller cities and towns will be the biggest accelerator of digital empowerment," Prasad said on Wednesday.

The minister further add that of the 48,300 seats that the 'India BPO Promotion Scheme' provides, as many as 35,160 seats have already been allocated after the multiple rounds of bidding.

"I think it will be completed very early. In six months, it (target) should be complete," Prasad said when asked about the timeframe for allotting all the seats available under the ambitious programme.

Providing an update on the scheme, the minister said that after four rounds of open bidding process, 18,160 seats had been allocated to 109 units of 87 companies across 60 locations (19 states). Of these, 76 units have begun operations on 13,480 seats distributed across 48 locations. This has already resulted in initial employment for 10,297 people, he pointed out.

Moreover, in the fifth round that closed last month, 68 companies submitted bids for 17,000 seats, and these are currently under evaluation.