Infosys to invest Rs 300 cr in its 2nd Orissa arm

IT major Infosys would soon set up its second project in Orissa at an investment of Rs 300 crore (Rs 3 billion), official sources said. Infosys's plan for the state was announced by its director (human resource) T V Mohandas Pai after meeting the chief minister Naveen Patnaik here last evening.

While as many as 3,000 IT professionals were now busy working at the first Infosys project in the state, he said about 5,000 workers would get placement in its second project.

The second project would come up at IT valley on the side of the National Highway no-5 between the state capital and Khurda town. Work on the second project would start soon, Pai said.

The state government had agreed to provide required water and power to the second project.

The IT major was presently exporting software products worth Rs 850 crore (Rs 8.5 billion) per annun from its existing project in the state, he said. Pai and Patnaik also discussed on mid-day-meal project of Akshya Patra, presently being given to 61,000 students in Puri and Nayagarh district.

The number of beneficiaries of the MDM programme was targetted to touch 2,50,000 in next two years, they said.