With the aim firmly fixed on increasing IT jobs in Goa, the State government has increased its focus on Start-ups in Goa. Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar while announcing allocations under the budget for IT, allotted about ₹ 169 Cr for the IT sector, including ₹ 15 Cr for Start-ups with the aim of creating 4,000 IT jobs in Goa per year.
The Goa Government will also set up a Start-Up Promotion Board in the coming financial year. ₹ 50 lakhs has also been allocated to encourage incubation centers and entrepreneur development centers in the state to boost IT jobs in Goa.
While speaking about the budget allocation, Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar said, “There is no evidence that more regulations make things better. With minimising regulations my government will emphasize on ease of doing business initiatives in Goa and implement the business reform action plan in the state, to be among the top 10 Indian states through an e-governance platform, integrating and synergising all government departments and entities.”
He also stated that the government will also focus on the implementation of the Goa IT Investment Policy 2015. Parrikar assured that the Chimbel IT Park would be completed in the next two years after taking all the stakeholders into confidence.
Goa IT Professionals have praised the move to boost IT jobs in Goa
The Goa IT Professionals (GITP) have welcomed the Goa Budget Commitments for IT and Employment. Being in the loop and closely connected with IT in Goa, GITP has recommended ways to fulfill the aims of the budget.
“The Chief Minister’s strong commitments in his budget towards Goan education reforms to align with international benchmarks, and, generation of high-income modern employment for Goans to prosper in Goa,” says a member of the GITP.
“GITP is glad to have contributed in various ways to this endeavour so far, and assures full-hearted support to turn these words into reality on a war-footing given the urgency of the situation in Goa,” adds the member.
The declarations and provisions made in the budget have sparked a new hope among thousands of Goan IT professionals and their families.
GITP appreciates the importance laid on the IT industry as it employs professionals from several educational streams and stands to eliminate Goa’s long-standing problem of unemployment, brain drain and outward migration.
Recommendations made by GITP to fulfil aims of the budget
Government projects
The budget lays stress on digitisation of government records. Many government departments will have to undertake IT projects. The startup policy should make provision for preferring companies with local presence for these projects.
Ease of Doing Business
All procedures and necessary forms should be available on a website. There should be a single window that needs to be approached for starting a business. Many states have enforced time-bound clearances of industrial projects. A project is deemed to be approved if there is no response from the government within 15 days. As a small state, Goa can do far better than this.
Plug and Play centers
The incubation centers proposed in the budget should offer plug and play services and should not be restricted for startups that need incubation. A company looking for setting up in Goa should be able to start on a small scale in these centers and later move to the IT Park. All necessary infrastructures such as reliable power, internet, etc. should be managed by the center, allowing prospective companies to immediately start their business without infrastructural hassles.
Effective Marketing
The government needs to get into overdrive to visit mid-sized companies in other parts of the country and understand their needs. From the interaction we have had so far, most companies need and environment that lets them focus on their business without worrying about regulations, water supply, transport, internet and power generation.
Utilisation of existing spaces
Though the IT park is 2 years away, the government and IPB should facilitate the setting up of development units in the state in existing workspaces. Most of the large companies in other cities have started on a couple of floors before moving to larger premises.
Tax relief
The government should announce a tax relief to IT and ITES companies for at least 5 years proportionate to the percentage of local manpower. This will make Goa a profitable location and will encourage companies to hire local talent. Once we have a sizable number of companies in Goa, there will be enough manpower to attract more companies to the state.
Upgradation of school labs
IT-literacy in rural Goa is suffering due to non-working PCs in schools. These can easily be revived with cost effective solution proposed and demonstrated by GITP using devices such as Raspberry Pi.
