“I wish all of you a very happy new year.

It is a pleasure for me to participate in this function to lay the foundation stone of the TCS Global Learning Centre. I compliment TCS for this initiative.

The Centre will contribute toward an objective that is one of our national priorities - that of imparting skills training to our young men and women on a very large scale. We recognize that it is only by doing this that we can generate opportunities for productive employment for our youth in adequate numbers, while at the same time meeting the demands of our expanding economy for a skilled work-force. Therefore, our Government has set very ambitious targets for itself in the area of skill development and is working hard to achieve them. We have taken several initiatives in this area and some of them have involved partnership with the private sector.

I understand that the proposed Global Learning Centre of TCS will be the largest facility for Information Technology training in the city of Thiruvananthapuram. When fully functional, it will be able to train about 50,000 associates annually. It will also conduct holistic professional and personal development programs for TCS professionals. I am confident that the Centre, which proposes to integrate elegant design, ecological thinking and modern technology, will set global benchmarks for corporate learning institutions.

TCS is also setting up a software development Special Economic Zone in Thiruvananthapuram. The Global Learning Centre will further enhance the presence of TCS in the State of Kerala and Thiruvananthapuram in particular. I hope to see even more initiatives by TCS and other IT companies in Kerala especially in view of the high quality of human resource in the State.

TCS is a shining example of the success of Indian private enterprises in the last 20 years or so. It has carved a niche for itself in the global market for IT and IT-enabled services and has set benchmarks of excellence in the area of software development. Today, TCS ranks among the top ten IT services companies globally. It is not only the highest valued company in India but also the 2nd most valuable company in the world in the technology services industry.

I am happy that apart from being a global leader in the area of IT and IT enabled services, TCS has also been alive to the need for helping our society. It has taken up several projects in the areas of education, health and environment. The company has made a significant contribution to education through its Adult Literacy Programme which has covered nearly 2 lakh beneficiaries so far. Its BPO employability programme has trained over 22,000 graduates belonging to the weaker sections, many of whom have also been provided gainful employment in the company. TCS has also partnered with the National Skill Development Corporation under Project Udaan to upgrade the skill sets of Kashmiri youth and enable their mainstreaming with corporate India. In the area of health, the company has used its expertise in IT to develop an integrated Hospital Management System which is being used by several hospitals and social organizations.

The IT sector in India has witnessed phenomenal growth over the past several years, particularly in the area of software development. The Government stands committed to providing an enabling environment which encourages the sector to grow even further. Pursuant to recommendations of the Rangachary Report, several taxation issues confronting the IT sector have been addressed. We are also engaged in the resolution of issues pertaining to immigration and visas. We are trying to improve the hardware ecosystem in the country and are exploring the establishment of two semiconductor wafer fabrication manufacturing facilities.

Let me conclude by wishing the Global Center of TCS all success. I also wish TCS the very best for the future.

Thank you.”