IT Mission’s ITES Habitat Centre keeps on fulfilling its mandate; Stage-II facility opens today

When Kerala State IT Mission set up ITES Habitat Centre in 2002, as a training and facilitation centre for
IT/ITES sector, young entrepreneurs made a beeline for it.

Availability of basic infrastructure facilities at nominal costs was the key. Now Kerala State IT Mission has
developed the Stage-II of the facility, which opens up opportunities for more entrepreneurs at the ITES
Habitat Centre. ITES Habitat Centre functions at the Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium complex,
Kaloor, right at the heart of Kochi.

Out of 25845 sq. ft. space now available with Kerala State IT Mission at Jawaharlal Nehru International
Stadium Complex E -sector, 14763 sq. ft. space has been already developed in 2002 and 2006 which
has been apportioned into cubicles of size ranging from 100 to 700 sq. ft. to accommodate small to
medium companies.

The newly developed Stage-II facility consists of 23 independent cubicles of size ranging from 100
to 500 sq. ft. to accommodate Small /Start up IT/ITES units .The estimated project cost for stage 2,3
development is estimated to be Rs. 237 lakhs.

ITES Habitat Centre is directly managed by Kerala State IT Mission and a Mission Coordinator is stationed
at the centre. The structure is designed in such a way as to operate the centre in a self-sustainable way
without government budgetary support.

Presently, more than 50 successful enterprises employ 300 people at this centre. With the Stage-II
commissioning 23 new IT/ITES units employing up to 150 people will be soon operational at the centre.
Once the total expansion work is completed it is estimated that this centre can employ 500 persons in
IT/ITES with 65 independent IT units.

Unlike major IT parks which demands huge investment to start a business, a young entrepreneur with
4 employees can straightaway start a business paying a paltry amount as licensee fee per month to
KSITM at ITES Habitat Centre. ITES Habitat Centre is an excellent example of an early investment by the
government that continues to pay for itself in terms of job creation and tax base appreciation.

The common services such as Front Office, Reception, Security & Maintenance services, Electric
Power with Back-up DG Supply, Air Conditioning, Housekeeping, Conference Hall, Dining Hall and
other common utilities are managed by KSITM, thereby making it the ultimate destination of a small
entrepreneur who has to arrange only the internet facility on his own, apart from paying the license fee.
Public parking is available a few hundred feet from the building.

Surely, Kerala State IT Mission’s initiatives like the ITES Habitat Centre work as catalysts in fostering and
developing more IT units in the state.

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