The State of Orissa situated in the east coast of India was always known for its mystique beauty because of being nestled along the Bay of Bengal. The people of the State are known for their affable temperament. The State has never faced major law and order problem. For this very reason, technical institutes have mushroomed in the State. And, today, Orissa has turned out to be a centre of technical manpower. Following the educational revolution in the State, people around the country have started noticing Orissa as a safe place for investment. Therefore, steel barons around the world have chosen Orissa as a hotspot of their projects. Rich mineral resources attract investors in large numbers. When the State is being treated so highly by others, why should the IT industry, particularly the software industry, fail to take notice of? It was in the 1990s that Infosys noticed the advantages of the State and opened a small centre in Bhubaneswar. Gradually, when the political conditions became more stable and the Government brought out a sustainable IT policy, other software companies like TCS, Satyam, MindTree Consulting, etc. opened their centres.

P. K. Mohapatra, IAS, Commissioner-cum-Secretary & Chairman, OCAC Information Technology Department, Government of Orissa, who is the first independent Secretary of the IT Department, says, “Orissa is an attractive option for the IT industry now because of the disadvantages that big cities are offering these days. We have a very good ICT policy, wherein we are allotting land at a much cheaper rate. The entire government machinery with the leadership of our honorable Chief Minister is very much driving the IT industry because it gives enough potential for employment. Connectivity to Bhubaneswar city has really improved. Most importantly, the congestion that IT companies are facing in bigger cities is not found in Bhubaneswar. This is the best place for them to live also. Secondly, every year, our colleges all over the State are producing around15–20 thousands of technically-trained students. Therefore, Orissa possesses an advantage for the major IT companies for sourcing cheap manpower.” 

In 2006-2007, Orissa was responsible for exporting software worth around Rs.80 crore. If things go right, Mohapatra says,”“We expect to reach one billion dollar of exports by 2010-11 time frame.” It is because all the major players around the country want to start full-scale operations within 2009-10 time frame. 

However, the State, especially the city of Bhubaneswar, which is being highlighted by the State as the hub of IT industry, has not been able to make a name like the cities of Delhi, Bangalore, Hyderabad, etc. as yet. Mohapatra says, “We came into picture a little later than the big cities, but the way we have come up is quite fantastic. We have all the big companies operating in our State. Recently, we have given Genpact a stretch of land and they have started their construction. We are also following up with other companies.” 

Apart from Bhubaneswar, the State is also emphasizing on developing cities like Berhampur, Rourkela, Sambalpur and Balasore. To develop these cities means attracting more and more IT companies and the Government is trying to make the IT policy more industry-friendly this year. Mohapatra adds,”“Whatever incentives we provide, these are by far the best compared to other states and we will continue with our efforts.” 

Call centre and BPO is a big industry across the country, which employs a large pool of educated youth, but Orissa has not done much in this respect. There is surely a week point for the State as the quality of English is less compared to other states. However, the Government has started concerted efforts, which will improve the quality of English. It has started training college teachers, who in turn are helping the students to handle the BPO jobs of Infosys, Wipro and TCS. Mohapatra says, “We are also tying up with Genpact to have their recruitment drive here. If they get lots of manpower, they will love to set up their call centre here. From the company’s point of view, it will be cheaper for them to operate from Orissa than any other state. We have the basic cost advantage over big cities.” 

Without IT, to manage the large population is completely impossible. We want to complete the important eGovernance plan in 2008-2009. That is also an important agenda; lots of money is coming from different parts of India. Our priority is to IT enable the registration activities, so that people can get the benefit.