Victoria to open ICT office in India
Victoria to open ICT office in India
Apr 15, 2005: The ICT ties between Victoria and India seem to be getting stronger all of the time, with a recent announcement being made that the State Government plans to set up an office in Bangalore to make the most out of trade between Victoria and India.
Following the ICT business explosion in Bangalore, which India considers to be the nation's version of Silicon Valley, Victoria wants to make sure that it is the preferred place for investment, and it believes that this new office is the best way to create a direct link.
Premier Steve Bracks, said: "With trade between Victoria and India accounting for around $574 million each year, the office will capitalise on this strong base and create more jobs for Victorians.
"Nine of the top 15 Indian ICT companies already have offices or interest in Victoria employing more than 1,000 people including Tata Consultancy Services, Infosys, Wipro, Satyam, Patni Computer Systems, Perot Systems, NITT Ltd, iGate Global Solutions and Birlasoft."
A memorandum has also been signed between the Chief Minister of the State of Karnataka, Dharam Singh, and Bracks, which aims to consolidate links between India and Victoria in education, tourism, ICT, manufacturing and biotechnology.
Dr Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, who runs Biocon, praised Victoria's reputation for world class education.
"Of the 20,000 Indian students studying in educational institutions in Australia in 2003, 10,000 of them, or around 50 percent, have chosen to study in Victoria.
"Victoria is also an attractive tourist destinations for Indians. In 2003, there were more than 40,000 visitors from India to Australia, and more than 40 percent of them came to Victoria.
"With more than 50 million people living in Karnataka, the opportunities for business growth and tourism are enormous. Already in the areas of ICT, agriculture and food, we have send increasing collaboration between the two states and we hope to build on this in the future."
The Victorian Government has other offices around the world, including Shanghai, Nanjing, Hong Kong, San Francisco, Chicago, New York, United Arab Emirate, the United Kingdom, Frankfurt and Tokyo.
Related Article: