FRIDAY, APRIL 26, 2024
There is every reason for the Goa IT Professionals to be anxious about the fate of the Goa Startup Policy. Its term is on extention and the policy expires next month, with no indication yet from the government on whether it will be further extended or a new policy will be introduced in its place. The Goa IT Professionals (GITP), a body of those in the Information Technology business in the State, as is suggested by the name, has submitted a detailed memorandum to the State government on how to improve the IT ecosystem in Goa. Their immediate demand is that the process to extend the validity of the existing policy be started so that the industry does not suffer by the delay.
Here’s what the IT professionals are upset about. The policy of 2017 had a three-year life which ended in September last year. In July last, the IT department had announced that a new improved version of the earlier document, addressing regulatory bottlenecks and enhancing funding avenues for startups, would be released. It didn’t happen and the term of the previous was extended. With just another month before the existing policy lapses, this again hasn’t happened, which is causing deep worry lines among the professionals, mainly because they have experienced the slow pace of bureaucracy in providing the benefits as promised and registration of the new startups.
This is one part of the issue. There is more. Goa is excellently positioned to be a IT industry leader in the country, yet there has been little achieved in promoting the State as an IT destination. This has led to two issues – the main being that Goa has missed the opportunity of having a green industry that does not require large tracts of land and the other of the brain drain of young IT alumni from the State to other States that offer them the opportunities that Goa doesn’t. The new IT policy has to address both these issues, as land is scarcely available in Goa, and job creation a major hurdle. The two issues cannot be dealt in isolation, and are of serious importance to Goa.
Every year, a large number of youth with degrees and diplomas to their names leave the State in search of employment elsewhere. The IT industry employs not just youth from the technology and engineering educational background but from multiple education streams, which increases the scope of employment of young graduates. The pay scales in the industry are also generally better than a range of other sectors. Sadly, and this is serious, the continuous brain drain across sectors will lead to an ageing population in the State, which needs to be avoided. The solution is creation of jobs in the services sectors, and the IT industry is the unquestionable the best vehicle for this, if only the government is serious in promoting the industry.
Goa is still a long way from turning into an IT destination. Promoting the Information Technology industry is a challenge that the State has to face and meet. It cannot be postponed indefinitely as Goa has already missed the bus that is speeding on the technology highway. Past attempts have not succeeded in giving the desired boost to the industry. That, however, should not lead to renewed efforts in the same direction. The reality of a robust IT industry can be met by a government that is ready to nurture it and then let it grow. However, the industry cannot depend entirely on the State and has to take its own decisions to survive in the competitive market. The State will provide the infrastructure and incentives, the industry has to do its bit.
