SoftTown has started on an initiative with Andhra Pradesh state government to allocate state government IT projects to local rural IT companies. This policy will improve the rural economy in the state and contributes for an inclusive growth. Creating such a policy by the AP state government will increase spending power in rural areas as the high paid IT workers can be retained in the rural areas of Andhra Pradesh – rather than letting them go to nearby cities like Chennai/Bangalore and Hyderabad.

Today IT engineers are considered to be high spenders for any business. The business of a Movie Theater to Beauty Parlors depends on Software industry. I am sure most of you might have heard the slang that software is down, so our business is also not that good. That is because of their high earning potential - salaries which are high compared to other non IT related jobs. If we can retain these high spending power individuals in the rural areas where they hail from, that rural area also can become Hyderabad…We do not have to fight today on who should get Hyderabad and fight on how to separate the state of Andhra Pradesh. The very notion of separation might not have come if the development had happened inclusively all over the state rather than just in Hyderabad or some selected places. All the malls , high raised buildings could have been in Chittoor also....Chittoor could have also become a IT hub of the state along with another 50 such places in the state..Had these kind of policies have been implemented 15 years ago….

Another aspect is that agriculture can also be continued because most of these IT engineers are farmers sons and daughters. They can stay with them and help them in farming – which can make our state self sufficient for the food we eat. All of us can  breathe greener air.

SofTown Director Mr.Praveen Nallapothula says that he is working with the government to create such a policy which will encourage other entrepreneurs to setup rural IT parks and provide high paid jobs in their home towns. Rathar than providing land to set up software companies, government can provide its own e-governance projects to such rural IT companies. They can select IT companies in rural areas who has good setup and policies rather than giving to IT companies who as setup their shops in apartments and small rental houses – who does not have commitment and has high risks of executing the projects. There are several e-governance projects that are going on like the e-district, me-seva, online permit system for mines department, distribution system for excise department etc..If these kind of projects are given to rural IT companies, they have potential to create thousands of IT jobs which will contribute in inclusive growth.