Karnataka’s software exports up 23 per cent in 2008-09

The turndown notwithstanding, Karnataka comfortably maintained its position as the country's top software exporter, registering around 23 per cent growth, with Rs74,929 crore worth of IT and ITES exports during year ended March 2009.

''We have not fallen behind. We are expecting exports of Rs 100,000 crore by the end of this fiscal,'' state information technology and biotechnology minister Katta Subramanya Naidu told newspersons in Bangalore on Wednesday.

The state, which has been seeing 26-27 per cent export growth in the sector in previous years, accounts for 34 per cent of the country's software exports of Rs 2,22,360 crore, with 50 per cent of it coming from top 20 companies.

India's overall software exports also grew by a relatively healthy 21 per cent. Though competing states like Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, and Maharashtra have recorded marginally higher growth rates than Karnataka, their bases have been comparatively smaller.

Addressing the press meet alongside Naidu, Software Technology Parks of India, Bangalore director R Rajalakshmi said the last fiscal also saw 84 new units registering with the STPI. ''There is enough interest in the new units locating in the designated zones, with many of them opting for the special economic zone (SEZ) scheme,'' she said.

Exports from the SEZ have also seen a very rapid growth touching Rs4,554 crore for FY09, a year-on-year growth of 250 per cent. The number of people employed by the industry in Karnataka stood at 5.54 lakh in FY09 as against 5.2 lakh in FY08, Rajalakshmi said.