Kozhikode: To boost employability among IT graduates in rural areas in Kerala, the Department of Electronics and Information Technology has launched a project named FOSTeRA.
The project aims to procure 10,000 jobs in grama panchayats in the state for unemployed IT/ITeS/BPO graduates residing in villages, said Santhosh Babu, Managing Director, Kerala State Information Technology Infrastructure Limited (KSITIL).
Addressing the media during his visit to the Government Cyber Park in Kozhikode, Babu said under the scheme, the grama panchayats will also be able to start IT/ITeS/BPOs.
The project is expected to allow mid to large-sized IT/ITeS/BPO companies to reduce their cost of operation, infrastructure creation and development in rural areas.
The minimum seat capacity of a FOSTeRA is 50 per location while the maximum is 1,000, which can be further split.
Babu said that the scheme will provide financial support of upto 50 percent of the expenditure on setting up the operations towards capital expenditure (CAPEX), subject to an upper ceiling of Rs 1 lakh/seat. Besides, upto 50 percent of financial support for operational expenditure (OPEX) at actuals on admissible items will also be provided.
“It allows special incentives for diversity, that is if the firm appoints 50 percent women employees, it gives 5 per cent further reduction and if the appointment is 100 percent, it allows a 10 percent further reduction. The appointment of differently-abled people or third-gender persons will allow special incentives of four percent,” said Santhosh Babu.
Citi 2.0, an initiative to make Kozhikode an IT hub
Santhosh Babu said that efforts were on to make Kozhikode an IT hub with an initiative called Citi 2.0. It is jointly launched with nine stakeholders under the leadership of the Malabar Chamber of Commerce in Kozhikode.
He said that the first phase, Citi 1.0 (Calicut Innovation and Technology Initiative) made a noticeable contribution to facilitate the IT industry in Kozhikode. Now with the support of more stakeholders, it explores a more rigorous task, he added.
“More firms, especially some top brands, must be attracted to the city. For that we have to conduct road shows in different states and annual conclaves for publicity,” said Babu.
A new block has been proposed for the Cyber Park that is to be built on 4 lakh square feet. The construction is expected to begin next December. “The process to register Citi 2.0 as a society is underway,” said the president of the initiative, Ajayan K Anat.
MA Mehaboob, President, the Malabar Chamber of Commerce, said Kozhikode has gained tremendous achievements in the IT sector during the last two years, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.
