AP will support WIPRO's expansion plan: Palle

Hyderabad, July 27 (INN): Andhra Pradesh Information Technology Minister Palle Raghunath Reddy on Sunday said that the IT giant Wipro has plans to expand its activity in port city of Visakhapatnam and also set up a soap manufacturing near Hindupur in Anantapur District .

Briefing media persons at the State Secretariat after the meeting between WIPRO Chairman Dr Azim Premji and his team with Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu at Lakeview Guest House, the minister said that AP government had conceded Premji request for SEZ status for his new IT venture at Visakhapatnam over 3.1 acres.

'Sri Naidu has handed over the NOC for SEZ to Sri Premji at today's meeting,' said Raghunath Reddy. The Minister said Wipro was given 7.1 acres of land at Visakhapatnam in 2004 for software centre of which it had developed 2 lakh sft area over 4 acres of land and given 650 jobs so far .

'Now they wanted SEZ status for the rest of 3.1 acre area left unused so that they could set up to construct 5 lakh sft development centre and provide 7000 jobs in five years.

The minister said Wipro had agreed to expand their operations to tier 'two towns like Vijayawada, Kakinada and Tiruapti. The Azim Premji Foundation will also offer graduate and post-graduate programs for AP students and subsequently absorb them into their organization after providing them training in skills.

The Foundation will also help state on curriculum, assessment, educational leadership and management, policy issues and advocacy. It will also promote concept schools, provide quality free education besides developing new and innovative FONTs and Telugu language for localization and content development.

The Wipro chairman Azim Premji also offered to train the teachers in primary education, undertake Anganwadi training and awareness program in health care for protection and augmenting women and child welfare schemes. Wipro also offered to start a training centre for training technicians in Health care on medical servicdes such as CT scan, MRI and Ultrasound etc.,

The Wipro also plans to invest Rs.500 crore and set up a soap manufacturing and fatty acids plant near Hindupur, the assembly constituency of N Balakrishna and sought 50 acres. The chief minister welcome all the proposals of Dr.Azim Premji and assured him of all support to the Wipro to be a total partner in development activities of Andhra Pradesh ,said Palle Raghunath Reddy.