TN promoting rural BPOs

As part of its policy to take the IT sector to rural areas, Tamil Nadu government is holding talks with various companies and colleges for setting up of Rural business process outsourcing centres.

The government recently unveiled its ambitious rural business process outsourcing Policy, unveiling an incentive-based approach to encourage establishment of BPOs in rural areas.

"We are holding talks with several companies and engineering colleges as part of the process", officials said.

The government wanted the colleges to offer training to the students so as to make them employable in BPO sector when they passed out as graduates, they said.

"It will take some more time (on setting up of the BPO centres in rural areas), they said, adding the government was looking to bring the BPO provider and entreprenuers under one platform.

"Our job is to bring the entreprenuers and companies on to one platform. First we have to finalise the companies (for providing the work) and we have to identify those entrepreneurs who are ready to provide basic infrastructure", the officials said.

According to government sources, the Rural BPO policy offers two forms of subsidy -- capital and training -- to BPO units located in village panchayats.

A BPO unit can avail itself of both categories of subsidy and may get a total of Rs 750,000.

The state Information Technology Department would play the role of a facilitator in exchanging information with the BPO industry.

According to industry sources, the Rural BPO Policy is the outcome of the success of the establishment of the rural BPO units in Sanasandiram Chennathur Panchayat in Hosur three years ago.

According to the policy document, a 15 per cent capital subsidy would be provided on investment to a maximum of Rs 300,000 to a company that is functioning for a minimum of three years and directly employing at least 100 trained persons.

The Information and Communication Technology Academy of Tamil Nadu would be involved in monitoring and reviewing the working of rural BPO centres, they added. Officials said under the e-district scheme, the government would soon launch online revenue services scheme in Krishnagiri District.

The e-district is a state mission mode project under the National e-governance Plan.

The project aims at targeting high volume services and undertake back-end computerisation to electronically enable the delivery of these services through Common Service Centres.

Perambalur, Ariyalur, Tiruvarur, Coimmbatore, Nilgiris and Krishnagiri districts are initially covered in this project.

"The core factor of this scheme is the integration of the revenue department which we done in Krishnagiri district", the officials said.

The project was also being used to release scholarships to Backward Class and Most Backward Class students.

On August 24, Rs 84 crore (Rs 840-million) worth scholarships were sanctioned. Around 1,200 colleges involving 300,000 students were covered under this scheme, they added.

He said a new system was also introduced in the five districts whereby SMS message would be sent to the students about grant of scholarships.

The e-district project envisages automation of workflow and internal processes of District Administration with integration of various departments including Revenue, Adi Dravidar and Tribal Welfare, BC & MBC Welfare, District Social Welfare for providing services to the citizens.

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