IT companies utilising SEZs well

PTI[ FRIDAY, APRIL 27, 2007 08:50:44 AM]

CHENNAI: IT companies are making maximum utilisation of Special Economic
Zones (SEZ) but were unable to employ local people, a top official of
the National Manufacturing Competitiveness Council said here today.

As much as 60 per cent of lands allotted for SEZs were being utilised by
IT companies, the council's chairman V Krishnamurthy, he said delivering
a lecture on `Inclusive Growth of the Indian Economy' on the 54th
Anniversary of the Triplicane Cultural Academy here.

"One of the aims of setting up SEZ in an area is to provide employment
opportunities for local people, which is hardly done by the IT
companies," he said.

Only manufacturing companies could do that, he added and called for
increased investment in manufacturing.

Ruing a lack of comprehensive investment in some of the `key industries'
like leather and textiles, Krishnamurthy called for FDI in the textile
sector.

Further, stating that there was a `mismatch of available resources and
the demand for skilled labour,' Krishnamurthy blamed the lack of enough
ITIs in the country.

The Council had suggested the Human Resources Development ministry to
set up more training institutes.

India required as many as 25 lakh skilled labourers a year, but only
around 8 lakh were available, he said.

Further, the country's ambition of reaching 14 per cent growth rate was
achievable, he said.

"However, it has to be sustained through the next decade," he added.
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