A call centre at Mohali in Panjab

Guwahati, March 3: It is time for a real-IT-y check and Dispur is not going to get swayed by hype.

A mismatch between hype and reality has forced the Assam government to tie up with leading IT companies Genpact and NIIT to screen and train those aspiring to work in the BPO and the IT-enabled sectors.

?There is a hype that we have good English-speaking and IT-inclined population, but the truth is that most of them don?t meet the requirement of the call centre and BPO sector. The rejection rate is high,? an official in the state information and technology department said.

Dispur?s basic objective in tying-up with the IT giants is to make the state attractive to IT companies as an investment destination. The ?ambitious? programme will also provide an incentive to the educated youth to streamline their career, the official added.

?The state IT department initiated the scheme to enable our educated youth to get the best of training and subsequent placement. We have to ensure that hype is converted into reality,? the official said.

The department had screened around 200 aspirants during two walk-in interviews held in February and plans to screen 200 more before March-end. Around Rs 15,000 to Rs 20,000 will be spent on an aspirant by the government in making them eligible for taking on BPO jobs.

?We started the groundwork in August. The IT giants will help us in training the youth for one to two months in Guwahati, Calcutta and Delhi,? the official added.