IT institutes eligible for concessions

CHENNAI   DEC. 3.  Training institutions will be eligible for concessions in keeping with the Government's commitment to promote information technology in Tamil Nadu.

At the formal launch of the NIIT's "computer literacy for all" programme here yesterday, the Information Technology Minister, D. Jayakumar, said IT companies making an investment of Rs. 50 crores-100 crores would be exempt from capital tax.

Every year, by producing 92,500 IT literate higher secondary students who could access the Internet and send e-mail, the State had become a model for the country, he claimed.

The NIIT vice-president, Sudha Raju, said computer training would be imparted in Hindi, Tamil, Gujarati and Marati.

This year the institute aimed at assisting two lakh participants to bridge the digital divide.

As an initiative on the occasion of World Computer Literacy Day, she announced free IT literacy training for physically challenged children and 300 children identified by CRY.

The institute would launch free computer literacy classes for 10,000 principals, teachers and students of government schools under its `each one teach two' programme.

Ms. Raju also announced a free computer literacy course for MLAs.