S.A.S. Nagar to have IT centre

At the meeting with the Chief Minister, the issue regarding setting up of a task force involving five representatives of CII industries was also raised, Bharat Ram added.

The CII chairman said the software technology sector offered a lot of job opportunities.

Quoting 1997 figures, he said over 3.28 lakh youth at the matriculation level and 1.28 lakh graduates were jobless in Punjab. However, in the software technology sector, around 65,000 youth were being trained every year in the region against the job requirement of three billion in the next three years.

Admitting diminishing agriculture returns, he said job opportunities in the farm sector can be created by setting up food processing and food collection units in the state. CII also suggested establishing an Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIIT) in Punjab to meet the requirements of software technology.

Bharat Ram said the CII had suggested to the Haryana government to allot 500 acres in Barwala industrial belt near Panchkula for the IT centre.

CII has also urged Haryana to set up an electricity regulatory commission to pave the way for establishing bigger power units, he added.

The CII delegation also highlighted the poor infrastructure in Faridabad and Gurgaon industrial belts and the additional funds required for road repairs and improving the drainage system and other infrastructure in the area, Bharat Ram told mediapersons.