'TN to lead India’s march in becoming next innovation capital'

CHENNAI: In an exclusive interview for DT Next, Neeraj Mittal, Secretary of Information Technology (IT) Department, said that India has all required potential to become the next innovation capital of the world and all the technological majors and research institutions are ready to march towards Tamil Nadu where the innovation environment is conducive. Neeraj Mittal also spoke in detail about the steps to be taken by the state government to encourage innovation in every single field.

Recently, you visited several foreign countries and met the heads of several companies. What was the agenda behind the meeting?

India is seen as the next innovation capital of the world and many tech majors and research institutes are keen to invest here. During my trip to foreign countries, I met several prominent heads of research institutes such as UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and invited them to India.

What is the role of Tamil Nadu in the country being the innovation capital?

Tamil Nadu is the leader when it comes to innovation in India. It is mainly due to the qualified and English-speaking graduates. In Tamil Nadu, every year half-a-million graduates pass out adding to the human resources. Moreover, when compared to other cities like Bengaluru and Hyderabad the attrition rate is 10 to 15 per cent lower, which contributes for a stable growth. Also, according to my experience, among the top companies one-third of people are from Tamil Nadu who are interested to invest back in the state.

What has the state government done to improve the innovation ecosystem in the state?

The state government has proposed to establish Tamil Nadu Technological Hub (iTNT Hub) in Anna University in Chennai at an area of 25,000 to 30,000 acres and the land has been confirmed. The hub will facilitate innovation via startups in the IT and deep technology space. The primary objective of the iTNT hub will be to nurture the innovation ecosystem in the state that can guide, develop, implement and support startups.

Will the government establish such iTNT hubs in other parts of the state?

Apart from Chennai, the state government has proposed to establish iTNT hubs in Madurai and other tier-II and tier-III cities, but it will take some time as we are focused on the iTNT hub in Anna University at present.

The IT Department started the ambitious project of e-office to facilitate government officials work from remote locations. How is the progress of the project? How far can confidentiality be maintained when officials work from remote locations?

e-office project is now successfully implemented in all the departments. It is the most confidential system ever developed by the state government. When I sign a file there are chances that my Office Assistance (OA), personal secretary and others can see while transporting the file to other officials, but in e-office the confidentiality is maintained strictly as I will sent the files only to a concerned person and if information gets leaked I can pinpoint the person who has leaked the information.