In a recent meeting with District Collector Dilip Swami and ZP CEO Vikas Meena, industrialists in the city of Aurangabad have expressed a strong desire for the establishment of a Software Technologies Park of India (STPI) Centre of Entrepreneurship (CoE) in the region in order to support industrial growth.
The meeting, presided over by Swami and Meena of the District Skill Committee, focused on the urgent need for the establishment of a CoE by STPI. Swami provided assurance during the meeting that a proposal to set up a CoE through STPI will be promptly submitted to the head office in Delhi. Attendees of the meeting included Suresh Varade, District Planning Officer, Abhijit Alte, District Vocational Education and Training Officer, Ashish Garde, former chairman of CMIA and the director of MAGIC, as well as representatives from various skill and training institutes in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar.
Garde highlighted the successful development of IT parks in various cities across the country with the support of STPI. Notably, a software technology park was established in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar 27 years ago. Due to its close proximity to major metro cities such as Pune and Mumbai, there is a clear need for significant investments in the field of information technology (IT/ITES) in cities like Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar.
Furthermore, there is great potential for growth in emerging sectors such as the Internet of Things (IoT), blockchain, fintech, artificial intelligence (AI), augmented and virtual Reality (AR/VR), drones, ESDM, data science and analytics, medical electronics and healthcare, gaming and animation, machine learning, and Cyber Security. To realize the potential of these sectors, the government has already established 25 Centers of Entrepreneurship (CoEs) through STPI across the country, with two in Maharashtra. Therefore, there is a compelling demand for the establishment of a theme-based CoE in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, in collaboration with CMIA and MAGIC, thanks to the support of the state and central government.
In light of the upcoming Information Technology Policy 2024 in the country, STPI and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) recently convened a brainstorming session in Pune. This session brought together esteemed stakeholders and industry figures to discuss the framework for the Information Technology Policy. In this context, Ashish Garde, former president of the Chamber of Marathwada Industries and Agriculture (CMIA) and Director of MAGIC, emphasized the need for establishing a thematic CoE for skill development, innovation, and entrepreneurship in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar.
CMIA president Arpit Save expressed that this collaborative initiative, involving STPI, the Maharashtra government and MeitY, will act as a driving force for the development of the region. Efforts are underway to designate a special zone for IT and electronics companies in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (AURIC).