The Hindu Business Line : IT.Com 2004 to focus on investments, jobs

Mr M. K. Shankaralinge Gowda, Secretary, Department of Information and Technology and Biotechnology, Government of Karnataka, and Mr B. V. Naidu, Director, Software Technology Parks of India, addressing a press conference in Bangalore on Monday. - - G. R. N. Somashekar

Bangalore , July 5

THE Karnataka Government announced on Monday that the seventh edition of BangaloreIT.COM, dubbed as Asia's largest information and communications technology event, would be held from November 1 to 5 this year.

Announcing the event, the Karnataka IT Secretary, Mr M.K. Shankarlinge Gowda, said the focus would be on attracting investments and creating employment in secondary cities such as Mysore, Mangalore, Hubli-Dharwad, Gulbarga and Belgaum.

The event as usual would feature both trade show and conferences with an emphasis on hardware, telecom, media and the business process outsourcing (BPO).

"We expect to make this year's event bigger than last year's", Mr Gowda said adding that the Student Internet World, which was part of the event wherein students from the Government schools were initiated to the world of Internet, would be organised at all the 27 district head quarters in the State.

Till last year, the Student Internet World was organised at Bangalore alone. An estimated one lakh students would be benefited by this event, he added.

Mr B.V.Naidu, Director, Software Technology Parks of India, Bangalore, said that this year's event would also focus on animation, games and media.

"Bangalore IT.com would further increase the confidence of the global investors," he said adding that the city attracted two new companies a week last year. About 164 companies set up their bases in Bangalore last fiscal, as compared to 110 in the previous year, he said.

"We expect the foreign participation to be higher for the conferences this year," Mr Naidu said.