STPI Incubation Center to Boost India's Tech Hub Status

Kolkata, Feb 19 (PTI) Software Technology Parks of India (STPI) set up with the mandate to promote IT and ITeS exports, will help the country keep pace with changing technology in the world, Union minister Jitin Prasada said on Wednesday.

Inguarating an STPI incubation facility centre at Salt Lake Electronics Complex in the metropolis, Prasada said the government will provide opportunities by giving access to cheaper space, handholding and financial help to start-ups.

"The new STPI incubation centre shows the government's commitment in making India the tech hub in the world," the Union minister of state for commerce, industry, electronics and information technology said.

The new STPI incubation facility will be one of the 67 centres spread across the country. With the new centre, West Bengal will be home to a total of five such facilities. The other four STPIs are located in Kharagpur, Siliguri, Haldia and Durgapur.

The Salt Lake facility has a built up space of two lakh square feet on three acres of land provided by the West Bengal government. The facility will offer plug and play facilities, an auditorium and conferencing centres among others.

Prasada said, "We hope to make more of these STPIs across the country."

Total IT and ITeS exports from STPIs till date stood at Rs 9.43 lakh crore.

Prasada also said India is also gearing up towards making India as a leader in artificial intelligence (AI) using large language models.

Aided by Aadhaar, mobile and internet connections, there is no dearth of data availability in the country.

For this, Rs 10,000 crore has also been allocated under the IndiaAI scheme, he said, adding Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself is monitoring the progress in this regard.

The STPIs will also help collaboration between academia and companies, he said.

Leading semiconductor manufacturing form of US Global Foundries had taken up space in the Salt Lake STPI to build a state-of-the-art laboratory facility. PTI dc