Tamil Nadu is one of the top Information Technology (IT) States in India and has continued its leading position amongst the top IT exporting States with IT exports nearly reaching 2 billion US Dollars.

The availability of world class infrastructure, excellent and abundant skilled human resources, global connectivity combined with the presence of industrial peace and the forward looking policy of this Government has enabled the State to emerge as a preferred destination for IT Companies. With over 100 ITES Companies establishing or expanding in Tamil Nadu in the last one year the State has continued to maintain double digit growth in the IT sector under the dynamic leadership of Hon'ble Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu.

The IT Policy 2002 announced in September 2002 by the Hon'ble Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu has put Tamil Nadu to continue the growth path in terms of capturing substantial portion of IT exports from the country. Tamil Nadu is forging ahead as a key hub of Information Technology services as well as Information Technology Enabled Services.

The three IT majors viz. Infosys, Tata Consultancy Services Limited and Wipro have acquired large tracts of lands in and around Chennai to meet their expansion plans. The huge demand has generated the growth in IT infrastructure and the development of more than 1.4 million sq.ft. IT space in the last 4 months is testimony to that. The Government is confident of enabling another 2.5 million sq.ft. IT space in private as well as in public sector in the year 2004 to meet the growing requirements of national and international clients. The first phase of Knowledge Industrial Township is being planned by a Special Purpose Vehicle in Sholinganallur along the IT corridor.

Within the Information Technology (IT) sector, the highest growth rate has been shown by the Information Technology Enabled Services (ITES) sector and this will continue to remain the key growth driver for the industry. Several locations have been identified for operations in India and it is a matter of satisfaction as per NASSCOM KPMG Study 2004 that Chennai and Coimbatore are preferred destinations.

The new ITES Policy of the Government to be released will create immense employment opportunities and add value and wealth by leveraging the inherent strength of the state. Efforts have been initiated as part of IT promotion to position Chennai as the World Capital of Banking, Financial Services and Insurance (BFSI), Health and Transportation segments of ITES. Based on the Industry analysis Government will continue to promote ITES in Chennai and has also identified Coimbatore to promote IT/ITES.

Initial marketing in several international & national IT events like Bangalore IT.com and Incredible India show at Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia have met with an enthusiastic response. Government will continue to strive to put the State in the forefront of IT.

The Government of Tamil Nadu participated in a number of National and International exhibitions to create brand equity for Tamil Nadu as a Destination of Choice for IT and ITES investments. Government is also planning to appoint an international consultant through a transparent route and has directed ELCOT to start the process of identification.

The 7^th National e-Governance conference held in Chennai was inaugurated by the then Hon'ble Deputy Prime Minister of India Shri. L.K. Advani in the presence of Hon'ble Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu and has opened new avenues for the e-Governance activities in the state. An e-Governance Cell has started functioning which will facilitate the e-Governance activities of all Government Departments of the State.

Electronics Corporation of Tamil Nadu Limited (ELCOT) was incorporated in 1977 as a wholly owned enterprise of the Government of Tamil Nadu. Over the years ELCOT has re-engineered itself as the IT enabling company promoting institutions like TIDEL, etc. for creating specific infrastructure for IT and ITES investments. It is also acting as the Nodal Agency for implementing the IT policy of the Government of Tamil Nadu and has forged close linkages with academic institutions like Anna University and IIT Madras, Chennai as well as linkage with IT, ITES and Electronics companies thus acting as the ‘Channel of Connectivity’ between Government, Industry and Institutions. In March 2004, ELCOT has completed 27 years of service to Tamil Nadu and is fully geared for many more years of service.

ELCOT has re-engineered into four distinct entities in the last years namely:

A. IT Promotional and Developmental Initiatives

B. Special Projects

C. Tamil Nadu e-Governance Mission

D. IT Procurement and Services

To promote Tamil Nadu as a Destination of Choice for IT Investments, ELCOT has organized conferences and exhibitions and also participated in National and International Events in 2003-2004.

a) Connect 2003, Chennai: Government of Tamil Nadu with CII organized the 'Connect 2003' Conference and Exhibition during September 2003 at Chennai jointly ELCOT was at the forefront on behalf of the Government. The event was organized with three specific streams as follows:

18^th September 2003 : There was a conference on Business Process Outsourcing.

19^th September 2003 : A summit for Chief Information Officers (CIOs) was organized. On the same day Confederation of India Industry (CII) had organized their National Chief Information Officers (CIOs) Summit.

20^th September 2003 : There were four different Sectoral Roundtables on "Enabling ITES in"

Hon'ble Minister for Law, Information Technology and Electricity led an Official level delegation to Malaysia, Singapore and Sri Lanka on a Public Private Partnership with CII. Secretary, Information Technology Department, Government of Tamil Nadu led an official level delegation to Gurgaon and Bangalore for presentations on Connect 2003. 55,000 delegates / visitors participated from India and abroad showing two fold increase over the last year in Connect 2003.

b) The 2003 India Outsourcing Summit - Bangalore:- The Government participated in the 2003 Outsourcing Summit at Bangalore held during October 2003. Michael Corbett, the prime mover behind the Outsourcing movement and an internationally known ITES Outsourcing Expert visited Chennai with delegates on 14^th October 2003 and had meetings with the ITES groups in Chennai. The event was managed by ELCOT through a Public Private Partnership route and the visitors were shown around different facilities including World Bank, Scope International and Bharti Telecom etc. This created tremendous awareness about the State.

c) Bangalore IT.COM, Bangalore:- Government of Tamil Nadu through ELCOT participated in Bangalore IT.COM held during November 2003 at Bangalore. Secretary, IT made special presentations to select CIOs as well as Press Meet at Bangalore. A linkage was established with Hong Kong Trade Mission during Bangalore IT COM as a sequel the delegates visited Chennai during 11^th December 2003.

d) India International Trade Fair 2003 at New Delhi:- Government of Tamil Nadu through ELCOT participated in the India International Trade Fair 2003 held at New Delhi during November 2003.

e) TiECON India, 2003 - Global Entrepreneurs' Conference - New Delhi:- Government of Tamil Nadu through ELCOT participated in TiECON India 2003 held at New Delhi during December 2003. Secretary, Information Technology Department has participated in the conference. The Conference was organized with a specific stream on the various opportunities in evolving industries like I.T., BPO and other future trends in IT/ITES area.

f) GITEX 2004 - International IT Exhibition and Conference - HYDERABAD:- Government of Tamil Nadu through ELCOT participated in the International IT Trade Show and Conference held at Hyderabad during January 2004. Secretary, Information Technology Department addressed a press conference.

g) Coimbatore IT.COM:- A conference titled "Coimbatore IT.COM" was organized in Coimbatore during November 2003 in Partnership with Confederation of Indian Industry (CII). Secretary, Information Technology Department addressed a press conference here.

h) Celebration of Second Pravasi Bharatiya Divas - New Delhi:- Government of Tamil Nadu through ELCOT participated in the Celebration of Second Pravasi Bharatiya Divas held at New Delhi during January 2004. Secretary, Information Technology participated in the above conference.

i) NASSCOM 2004 India Leadership Forum - Mumbai: The NASSCOM 2004 India Leadership Forum is a multi track conference and includes focused sessions on global economic landscape, IT opportunities, BPO and embedded software. Secretary, I.T. Department and Managing Director, ELCOT participated in the conference.

J) ASSOCHAM - World Bank - National Summit & Exhibition India - The Knowledge Capital : Tamil Nadu State Government through ELCOT put up a stall during February 2004 in the event. This Conference was addressed by Secretary, I.T. and Managing Director, ELCOT.

International:

k) European Outsourcing Summit: - Secretary, IT participated in the European Outsourcing summit 2003 held at Brussels, Belgium during 2-3 June 2003. This event gave an opportunity to network with stalwart of outsourcing, Michael Corbett who was persuaded to visit Chennai as part of Outsourcing Summit 2003, Bangalore.

l) Incredible India 2003 Malaysia: - Government of Tamil Nadu through ELCOT participated in the Incredible India 2003 held at Kuala Lumpur during December 2003. Secretary, Information Technology Department, Government of Tamil Nadu participated in the event.

ELCOT has been entrusted with the responsibility of identification of a consultant for Destination of Choice. The process of choosing the consultant has started and ELCOT expects to complete the work soon. A study to position Hosur as an IT Services and ITES Destination is being done by ELCOT by appointment of a Consultant. ELCOT in partnership with CII is planning to conduct a study to position Madurai, Trichy, Tirunelveli and Salem as ITES Destinations through an independent consultant. As part of the study, it is planned to hold workshops in all these cities / towns to elicit responses on the domain expertise available in these cities / towns for usage by ITES Industries.

a) Society for Electronics Transaction and Security (SETS): ELCOT has identified a building for housing the operations of SETS at Chennai. SETS started its operations from June 2003 from this premises at Nungambakkam, Chennai-600 034.

b) BU-ELCOT City:- ELCOT has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with Bharathiyar University and has identified 109 acres of land in the University Campus at Coimbatore. This BU-ELCOT city will focus and bring in R&D services in Tamil Nadu.

a) IT Corridor:- Due to sustained efforts of ELCOT, the IT corridor has attracted worldwide attention. Institutions like TCS have already taken 75 acres of land at Siruseri Park and WIPRO has requested a substantial portion of land in the IT Corridor for expanding its operations. The private builders are also setting up IT Parks in this corridor adding to the Governmental efforts. ELCOT has already given clearances for about 3.3 million sq.ft. of IT space to be built up by the IT builders.

b) Knowledge Industry Township (KIT):- Government of Tamil Nadu has announced in the budget 2002-2003 that the IT Highways in Chennai will be provided with world class infrastructure and Knowledge Industry Townships (KITs) addressing the basic concerns of knowledge oriented industries in this sector with Public Private Partnership (PPP) will be set up.

A study was conducted by the Government and M/s. KPMG, a world class Consultant Firm has submitted the detailed project report. I am happy to announce that ELCOT has enter upon permission for 300 acres of land in Survey No.602 / 3A3 of Sholinganallur and the Commissioner of Land Administration (CLA) has recommended alienation of the above land and the proposal is now under consideration for immediate implementation.

c) IT Park at Coimbatore:- Government of Tamil Nadu through ELCOT in association with CII had commissioned a study to position Coimbatore as DOC Investments. Based on the study and recommendations ELCOT has identified lands in the campus of Coimbatore Medical College to put up an IT Park of 250,000 sq.ft. space. The work will be carried out by ELCOT Infrastructure Limited.

d) Tamil Nadu State Wide Area Network (TNSWAN):- Establishment of Tamil Nadu State Wide Area Network (TNSWAN), earlier proposed as Tamil Nadu Virtual Private Network (TNVPN) to provide Voice, Data and Video Connectivity for improving the response time and transparency will be undertaken during 2004-05. This network will be implemented in phased manner to establish connectivity up to Taluk level. The selection of a consultant to provide techno-commercial inputs for TNSWAN will be completed during 2004-05.

e) Rural Access to Services through Internet (RASI):- The Rural Access to Services through Internet (RASI) was undertaken and in progress in 10 Districts during 2003-04. The same is being extended to cover all the Districts during 2004-05.

f) Electronic Delivery of Services (EDS):- A pilot project for Electronic Delivery of Services (EDS) covering utility payment services of Tamil Nadu Electricity Board and Metro Water have been commissioned during 2003-04. This will be scaled up to cover other Departments as well in Chennai City during 2004-05

As part of the increased thrust on e-Governance, IT Department is setting up a e-Governance directorate exclusively to work on the Policy and Planning of Information & Communication Technology initiatives of the Government and also to augment the e-Governance initiatives and projects of the Government of Tamil Nadu. As the first initiative e-Governance cell at ELCOT in the name and style of "TN e-Gov Mission", is formed which will form a part of the Directorate later.

ELCOT has been nominated as Optional Procurement Agency by State Government for procurement of IT related products required by various Government Departments and Organizations. During the year 2003-2004 ELCOT had successfully completed the procurement of IT Hardware and Software products for nearly 145 Departments and Public Sector Undertakings of the Government for a total value of Rs.3164 lakhs.

ELCOT has done Computer Education Project for 666 Schools in Phase-I and 531 Schools for Phase-II.

A Call Centre at a cost of Rs. 45 Lakhs, for attending the complaints related to break down and fuse-off calls has already been set up for TNEB, Chennai and inaugurated by our Hon’ble Chief Minister on 12^th November, 2003. A Call Centre (12 Agents, 4 VHF Operators and one Supervisor) for Modern Control Room at Egmore for Chennai City Police has been installed to attend to the complaints received on Dial 100 for Law & Order and 103 for Traffic, by ELCOT at a cost of Rs.135 lakhs. The Call Centre has also an integrated Automatic Vehicle Tracking System using Global Positioning System (GPS) for tracking the 50 patrol vehicles. The Hon’ble Chief Minister inaugurated the Call Centre on 18^th February 2004. Another Call Centre for ELCOT with a help desk is also set up at ELCOT, to give customer support of Hardware and Software and links to its clients for better service. Further service support on the calls escalated on Hardware and Software will be provided by the original vendors.

The procurement portal for enabling customers to track their purchase orders placed with ELCOT to assist them through Web is also under progress and will be implemented shortly.

Tamil Virtual University

The Government of Tamil Nadu established Tamil Virtual University (TVU) as a Society for Providing internet based resource and opportunities for the Tamil Communities living in different part of the globe as well as others interested in learning Tamil and acquiring knowledge of the history, art, literature and culture of the Tamils.

The academic programmes inaugurated by the Hon’ble Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu in June’02 has successfully emerged forward and 55 students from California Tamil Academy, U.S.A., completed the Level-I course and certificates were awarded during July’03. The awareness was created and subsequently 23 students from California and 2 students from New York, completed Level-I course in July’04 and the certificates were awarded. Now another 21 students from Mauritius Tamil Culture Center, Mauritius are going to take Certificate course Level-I examination during the current year. Similarly 27 students from California and 2 students from New York are also going to take Level –II exam in this year. TVU has also signed an agreement with IGNOU for sharing their resources for the students of TVU. Further academic programmes are being organized by TVU and has planned to conduct first Semester exam for the integrated Degree Course (B.A.Tamil) in July 2004. TVU is programming to start M.A. Tamil course on getting approval of the syllabus from Tamil University, Thanjavur during the current financial year. TVU has opened so far 9 study centers for the benefit of the students in various countries. It is proposed to open 3 more study centers one each in U.K., Germany and France shortly. Nearly 13 Lac people had visited the TVU website. 1062 students have registered for its Certificate programme from 33 countries and 1142 students for Degree Course from 25 countries.

To provide culture, history and heritage TVU is having a rich Digital Library comprising of

Apart from the above, Photo & Video Gallery on Saiva & Vainava Temples is also available. The membership fee of US$50 per annum has now been waived making it free for all those interested to read literature and learn technical words. TVU is making effort to add more literature in its Digital Library content.

Government of Tamil Nadu is taking sustained action to promote development of software in Tamil under Tamil Software Development Fund. Hon’ble Chief Minister released the ‘Tamil OCR’ during June’02. and ‘Machine Aided English-Tamil Translation’ in August’03. Subsequently, Tamil softwares like ‘Tamil Linux’, ‘OCR for Tamil Handwriting’, ‘Tamil Database Management’, ‘Tamil Wordnet to enhance Machine aided Translation’, ‘Tamil Text to Speech Synthesizer’ are being funded under the above fund and are under completing stages. The Government will strive to develop these R& D projects into commercial products.

To have compatibility among the various Tamil Softwares developed, the developers should follow a standard approved by the Government, viz, TAM/TAB. New softwares developed, are being certified by TVU for their compatibility. So far, 8 such packages have been certified by TVU. Such certification will help the users to know the compatibility for use with other Tamil software. TVU will continue with such certification and develop further standardization.

To conclude, the Information Technology Department with its two wings ELCOT and TVU has taken upon itself to position Tamil Nadu as the premier state for IT and ITES investments as well as usage of IT ‘by and for the citizens’.