STPI to go ahead with planned expansion to create demand, tap market opportunities: Official

Software Technology Parks of India (STPI) will not hit the pause button on its expansion blueprint, and work on new Centres of Excellence will proceed as planned to create demand and tap "possible opportunities" despite global uncertainties amid the COVID-19 crisis, a top official has said.

Software Technology Parks of India (STPI) will not hit the pause button on its expansion blueprint, and work on new Centres of Excellence will proceed as planned to create demand and tap "possible opportunities" despite global uncertainties amid the COVID-19 crisis, a top official has said. Stating that STPI is not a "profit body", its Director General Omkar Rai said the organisation will move forward on its plans for 21 Centres of Excellence (CoEs) over the next one year or so, and that the number could even go as high as 28. "We have planned Centres of Excellence around upcoming technologies like artificial intelligence, Internet of Things (IoT), fintech, virtual reality/augmented reality, gaming, visual effect, healthtech, meditech, and around all of these we are creating CoEs in a collaborative manner with industry and academia," he said. The centres are being created with funding from respective state governments and the Ministry of Electronics and IT, backed by industry participation. As many as 12 such centres are already approved, of which about half are functional. Asked if the global uncertainties will force a rethink of its expansion plans, Rai told PTI, "Not at all. We are facilitators as far as infrastructure is concerned, we work on augmentation of infrastructure, and creation of possible opportunities. We don't just work on demand, we create demand." STPI will create all the infrastructure it has planned for, he added. "We believe in creating market opportunity, and demand," he said. STPI expects global demand for technology and software services to surge as companies across the world accelerate digitisation plans on the back of the coronavirus pandemic, he added. The CoEs which have already taken off include financial tech in Chennai; IoT open lab in Bengaluru; CoE focusing on autonomous and connected vehicles arena in Pune; and a startup hub around AI, computer vision and data analytics within STPI Mohali. Those in the works include a meditech centre at Lucknow, and a CoE on blockchain in Gurugram, among others. Software Technology Parks of India is an autonomous society set up by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology in 1991, with the objective of encouraging, promoting and boosting the software exports from India. With a mandate to promote software and electronic hardware exports from the country by implementing Software Technology Park (STP) and Electronic Hardware Technology Park (EHTP) schemes, STPI focuses on building an enabling ecosystem to provide single-window clearance services, reliable internet connectivity, incubation facilities and other infrastructure services to encourage software exports. As many as 4,300 units operate under STPI, most of them involved in software exports. Rai had earlier stated that the value of software exports by STP-registered units crossed the Rs 46,550 crore-mark during the pandemic-triggered nationwide lockdown. Timely provisioning of business continuity plans and permissions kept operational impact to a minimum. STPI had issued a notification as early as March 11 enabling work-from-home provisions for STP-registered units. Exports had continued even during the lockdown as companies went live with business continuity plans and work-from-home was adopted on a wide-scale, asserts STPI. The exports clocked by STP-registered units stood at Rs 4,21,103 crore during FY19. The figure for FY20, which is under compilation, is likely to be higher by 5-6 per cent since the lockdown came in only at the tail end of the financial year.