By UNI

KOLKATA: The information technology sector in Bengal has progressed by leaps and bounds as Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress Government has created a favourable environment for the growth of the sector and its related industries in the state.

Stating this, an AITC statement on Monday said this is evident from a comparison of the achievements of the Information Technology & Electronics Department in 2010-11, which was the last year of the Left Front rule, and 2017-18.

Plan Budget of the department: More than doubled, from Rs 93.7 crore to Rs 201.53 crore, signifying an increased focus on the information technology and electronics sector; Software export turnover: Grew by almost 2.5 times, from Rs 8,500 crore to Rs 21,000 crore.

Bangla is thus gradually turning into a hotbed of cutting-edge technology; Employment in IT sector: Significant rise from 90,000 to 1.5 lakh, ushering in a tech-savvy generation Investment for creation of IT hardware clusters: Nil earlier to Rs 14.86 crore; thus, the State Government, for the first time, under the direction of Trinamool Congress, is focussing on the creation of hardware clusters Investment for creation of IT parks: Grew by more than 16 times, from Rs 37.18 crore to Rs 612.11 crore, thus bringing about an unprecedented focus on infrastructure creation 15 IT parks have been completed and 10 more are under construction.

Under the direction of Ms Banerjee, the department is bringing about an all-round development, opening numerous employment opportunities, both in software and hardware.