The Hindu Business Line : IT sector hopes for continued support under new govt

THE IT sector appears unfazed by the poll outcome and industry leaders believe that the new government at the Centre would continue with the reforms process.

"In India today, there is a broad consensus that reforms are irreversible. We are confident that whichever party comes to power, the process of reforms will continue," said Mr Nandan Nilekani, CEO, President and Managing Director, Infosys Technologies Ltd.

"The IT industry has reached a fairly self-reliant stage now and will continue its growth. The IT and the BPO sectors have a unique competitive advantage and we are certain that the new Government will provide all the necessary support. We believe that the primary concern of the government should be job-led economic growth, across all sectors including agriculture, manufacturing, retail as well as knowledge-driven industries.

"Some of the other focus areas, in our opinion, should be efficient and transparent governance, primary education, better infrastructure, healthcare and an efficient judicial system," Mr Nilekani added.

"We are pleased with indications that the country will once again have a stable coalition running the Central Government. We are certain that the new government at the Centre will continue the excellent support to this sector that we have received in the past, both in terms of infrastructure and favourable policies," said the Nasscom President, Mr Kiran Karnik.

"It is noteworthy that amongst the important milestones of India's progress in the IT industry was Rajiv Gandhi's enthusiasm and promotion of this sector. Nasscom looks forward to working closely with the new leadership team in Delhi and in different States," he added.

Wipro expects good governance from the new government at the State and Centre said a company spokesperson. "We have no apprehensions that a new government will not implement or continue business-friendly policies or good governance policies," the spokesperson added.

Mr Mike Weston, Chief Executive, LogicaCMG said, "Although the results are contrary to what the exit polls suggested, I am confident that the next Government will continue the good reforms and policies that are in force now."

"LogicaCMG is extremely bullish on India and will continue to invest and expand our Indian operations and we see no slackening in our growth rate. Our growth is governed more by client requirements than the political environment. We expect the new government to continue the support extended to the IT industry," he added.

"We expect the new government to continue to support the IT industry and drive new initiatives to encourage PC penetration in the country," said Mr Sanjeev Keskar, Country Manager, AMD Far East India Ltd.