Karnataka Chief Minister Dharam Singh, who presided over the IT event, said that IT exports recorded a 52 per cent growth and touched an impressive $6.3 billion during the last financial year.

Over 205 new IT companies set up their units in the state during the last year and from April last 97 new IT Companies had started business in the state, of which 57 of them were multinational companies, he said.

He said Karnataka was still an investors destination and enjoyed the confidence of IT investors. MNCs looked at Bangalore for making huge investments in research and development centres. Good infrastructure, excellent telecom connectivity and a pro-active government had also catalysed the growing trend, he added.

Referring to discordant notes about inadequate infrastructure facilities, he said the government was striving to set them right.

He also listed out the big initiatives the state government had taken to improve existing roads and constructing major arterial roads to ease traffic congestion; to upgrade Bangalore and Mangalore airports; creating special economic zones, etc.

Karnataka Governor T N Chaturvedi (right), former prime minister H D Deve Gowda (2nd from right), Karnataka Chief Minister N Dharam Singh (3rd from right), and Australia Minister for IT Helen Coonan (left) at the inauguration of Asia largest IT event -- 'Bangalore IT.in 2005' in Bangalore on Wednesday.

Photograph: UNI

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