Calcutta, March 23 :    Calcutta, March 23:  Bengal chief secretary Manish Gupta today left for the US to meet Microsoft boss Bill Gates and seek his support for a centre for higher studies in information technology. Gupta, who was invited by Gates to participate in the World Government Leaders' Conference in Seattle, is expected back on April 3. The three-day conference begins on March 27. Gates did not invite the Centre to the conference hosted by Microsoft. West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka only were invited. This led to some problems as the Centre was unwilling to clear the visits in the absence of an invite to its representative. West Bengal's progress in IT sector has reportedly been appreciated by the Microsoft chief. IT companies in the state earned Rs 700 crore in 1999-2000, against Rs 450 crore in 1998-99. Gupta was chairman of the Task Force on Information Technology set up by the state government on March 5, 1999. A few hours before leaving, the chief secretary said he would project the state's IT policy, proposed by the task force, at the conference. 'The government wants to set up a Centre for Excellence with Microsoft's assistance for higher research facilities for students of information technology. A high level of education among the youth will lead to growth in this sector,' he said. Gupta said the research institution would be a wing of the proposed Technology University to be set up in the state by 2002. The knowledge of information technology will gradually be made an essential requirement for some categories in government and public sector employment. IT services would also be included in vocational courses, he said. The chief secretary will highlight the incentives offered by the government to business houses in the IT sector during his meeting with Gates. 'The West Bengal government will promote the setting up of two world class software technology parks by 2004,' he said.