Date:21/08/2004 URL: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2004/08/21/stories/2004082101711900.htm

Back What Chennai must do to make IT big

Our Bureau

Chennai , Aug. 20

CHENNAI will not make it to the big league in information technology unless some of the basic issues such as water supply and quality education are sorted out, said Mr V.K. Raman, CEO, Global Realties Outsourcing (GRO).

The city had faced water problem earlier too, but today it is a serious issue.

The education syllabus in the State, and in the country in general, still has chapters talking about 17th and 18th centuries that are less important to the present generation, he said.

According to Mr Raman, GRO, a business process outsourcing firm, visited various colleges in Tamil Nadu to recruit graduates for the firm.

Of the 1,300 graduates, the company could select only 15-17.

Educational institutions should co-ordinate with the industry and teach students vocational skills, he said at the Srikanth Memorial Annual Lecture here on Friday.

Satyam Computer Services Ltd and the Institute for Financial Management and Research organised the commemoration lecture for Srikanth Ananthanarayanan, who was an associate consultant at Satyam and earlier a research analyst in The Hindu Business Line.

Mr K. Jayaramakrishnan, Vice-President, Tata Consultancy Services, said that Tamil Nadu's biggest advantage was the presence of 265 engineering colleges.

There should be greater interaction between industry and academia on each other's requirements.

Other than Chennai, Madurai and Coimbatore, small towns like Kumbakonam are also coming upin IT-related services.

In Kumbakonam, a few chartered accountants plan to set up BPO operations, said Mr Jayaramakrishnan.

In his remarks, Mr D. Sampathkumar, Associate Editor, The Hindu Business Line, said that no city could claim an exclusive advantage. Problems such as water shortage and lack of power supply are present in every major city.