Govt gives land to 20 IT firms, including Wipro

Kolkata: The state Cabinet on Tuesday approved the allocation of land to 20 IT companies at the Silicon Valley hub in New Town, leading to huge employment generation.

"We had dedicated 100-acre land for Silicon Valley. It has been filled up and there has been a demand for more. So, we have allocated another 100 acres. The 20 IT industries that will come up will result in massive job generation," said Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

She added that Wipro has been given land for developing their unit.

"We had allocated land to Infosys, now the land has been approved for Wipro too," she said.

Infosys was given a proposal by the state government for setting up software development centres. Banerjee stated that the latter has responded to the same and intends to submit the final approval plan by December this year. "They have informed us that they will start work by July 2021 and the project is expected to be completed in 24 months," she maintained.

The Silicon Valley project was launched by Banerjee in August 2018 in New Town's Action Area II to attract investment in the IT sector and to build a world-class ecosystem for cutting edge technologies and innovation.

The Cabinet on Tuesday also approved handing over of land to Star Cement for setting up their unit in Jalpaiguri.

Banerjee also announced that the state government will hold 617 fairs, exhibitions and expos to provide a platform to the rural artisans to sell their handicrafts. The expected sales at these fairs and exhibitions have been projected at Rs 156 crore and an employment generation to the tune of 3.64 lakh.

The state government will also provide 'Bigyani Kanya Medha Britti Scholarship' for senior girls under which a stipend of Rs 4,000 will be given per month for a period of one year for higher studies.