New Delhi: The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) in India on Thursday gave its approval to the proposal for creating Information Technology Investment Regions (ITIRs), endowed with excellent infrastructure and supported through investor-friendly policies.

According to CCEA, ITIRs were conceptualised keeping in view the need to boost the growth of both IT/ITES and electronic hardware manufacturing (EHM) units.

These regions would become major magnets for investment creating employment opportunities and economic growth in the area, besides reducing the pressure on existing urban centres by enabling growth of new townships and dispersal of industry.

The regions would be a combination of IT/ITES and EHM units, public uitilities, residential area, social infrastructure and administrative services.

Such regions could include new integrated townships, Special Economic Zones (SEZs) and industrial parks, CCEA stated.

There would be a clear delineation between the IT/ITES areas and EHM areas in ITIR and it would generate direct and indirect employment during the construction and operational phases.

Each ITIR is expected to be a specifically notified investment region with minimum area of 40 sq km planned for IT/ITES and EHM units, the CCEA informed.

The minimum processing area will be 40 per cent of the total area of the ITIR, while these regions will be developed in a phased manner.

According to CCEA, the state government would ensure that all physical infrastructure and utilities, including power, water, roads, transportation, sewerage and effluent treatment facilities, within its jurisdiction are provided.

The central government will facilitate development of National Highways, Airport and Rail links to the ITIRs, the CCEA revealed.

The public-private partnership (PPP) route is advocated for the development of ITIRs, where state government will select the developers and co-developers through a transparent process.
—iGovernment Bureau