Aiming at making Telangana the “most preferred destination for any IT company” in the world, the state government today unveiled its ICT and four other policies as it promised a hassle-free environment to do business. Besides Information and communications technology (ICT), the other policies are Rural Technology Centres, Innovation, Electronics and Gaming and Animation. Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao released the main ICT policy in the presence of Governor E S L Narasimhan, Infosys Chairman Emeritus N R Narayana Murthy, its co-founder TV Mohandas Pai, NITI Ayog member VK Saraswat and other leading personalities of the IT industry. On the occasion, 25 MoUs and LoIs (Letters of Intent) were signed by different firms and organisations with the state government. Saying that his government has given clearances to 1,691 firms through its industry-friendly policy in the last one year, Rao promised a hassle-free and corruption-free environment to do business in the state. Murthy suggested that the state government benchmark itself with the best global places, including Silicon Valley (US) and Cambridge Science Park (UK), and not just other Indian cities. He urged the state government to be open-minded, fair, quick in decision-making and also to be humble and avoid using “superlatives”. The Governor expressed happiness over Rural Technology Centres finding a place in the policy framework. According to the government, the incentives applicable to all kinds of IT companies include allotment of government land on availability, sops in levying power tariff and those mentioned in state industrial policy. (Photo: Zabi)