'Kerala could become India's new IT hub'

Kerala could well become an IT hub as the advantages enjoyed by Bengaluru, the country's 'Silicon Valley', start to wear thin, said a senior IT official here.

Gigo Joseph, CEO of Infopark Kochi said the congestion in India's leading IT hubs has presented Kerala with the unique opportunity to market itself as an alternative investment destination for IT and IT-enabled services companies.

"Moreover, it can benefit from IT companies starting to prefer the lower operating expenses of Tier-II and Tier-III locations for their bases," Joseph was quoted by Gulf News to have said.

A study by the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India suggested Bengaluru's credentials were on the decline for a number of reasons, most of all due to crumbling infrastructure. It added that 55 per cent of the IT companies located there preferred to shift operations to alternative sites.

By 2015, Kerala is expected to have 2,00,000 direct job opportunities in IT and related industries, with Infopark expected to create more than 1,00,000 jobs, said the report.