Team Herald
PANJIM: Goa will soon have a Software Technology Park of India (STPI) incubator, centre for excellence, data centre, plug and play centre at Dona Paula.
At Vibrant Goa, STPI, on Thursday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the State Department of Information and Technology, by which Goa has assured a four-acre plot at Dona Paula. Here STPI will invest about Rs 40 crore to develop an incubator, centre for excellence, data centre, plug and play etc for start-ups and small and medium entrepreneurs in the field of IT and electronics.
Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant, in presence of IT Minister Jennifer Monserrate said, “They will build the entire infrastructure for us.”
STPI Director General Dr Omkar Rai said, “Once the land is allotted, we can create this facility within 2.5 years. It will go a long way in supporting the entire IT ecosystem of Goa and will act as a nuclear centre along which the IT industry in Goa will grow.”
He added that nine units registered in Goa are exporting to the tune of Rs 120 crore. “IT leaders like Persistent and TCS are already there, which have their STP and electronics centres also in Goa. So Goa is a very potent place for high end R&D and product creation and our centre will be developed in such a manner that it becomes a resource and facilitation centre,” he said.
Currently, STPI has one operational centre at Udyog Bhavan. STPI has been creating centres of excellence across the country, which is to support the $136 billion strong export industry.
“STPI has created 28 centres for excellence in India. As of now, many are in the pipeline and the time has come for Goa to show case its IT-enabled services and leverage its talent to the world. The land which Goa government will provide us will be free of cost, and we will be able to invest about Rs 40 crore to develop this project,” Rai added.
Rai considers Goa as a very serious IT destination and believes that the State has tremendous potential in the IT sector, academic institutions and creating a talent pool for the industry. “Goa is a famous brand and it is very easy to attract investors. There is a huge possibility and we see lot of potential in the State to support the IT industry in Goa. This Vibrant Goa event is a great opportunity to brand the State and attract people to invest in the State, which means that Goa is proactive,” Rai said.
During the event the State honoured 17 start-ups who either received the full amount of seed fundings of Rs 10 lakh each, salary reimbursement according to the State start-up policy or event certificates to the recognised start-ups. Vibrant Goa had several other MoUs signed on the sidelines.
