Guwahati, Aug. 11: Subsidy on electricity bills, Internet bandwidth and bank interest are some of the major incentives being planned by the state government to build Brand Assam in information technology (IT) and IT-enabled service sectors and attract investments.

The draft of the Assam IT Policy 2016, which is being circulated among different stakeholders for suggestions, aims at boosting the IT infrastructure and create 10,000 jobs by 2022.

"The state government will continue to support industries in the sector by way of single-window clearance, developing Brand Assam and incentivising the investors. We will plan, develop and market the state as one of the most preferred IT/ITES/electronics investment and business destinations in the country," said the draft policy.

Dispur had first announced the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) policy in June 2000 followed by a second policy in August 2009 for promoting the IT sector and employment generation.

A minimum of three per cent of plan funds would be pooled by all departments and placed with the IT department for e-governance initiatives and for 24x7 delivery of services through common service centres.

Though the draft policy focuses mainly on investments for small and medium-scale IT companies, it would also consider special incentives to mega projects worth more than Rs 100 crore. It also proposes reimbursement of rental between 50 and 80 per cent for the incubation space for a maximum of three years.

"Thrust will be given to creation and improvement of civil infrastructure, connectivity among IT hubs and ancillary facilities. It will ensure the IT parks established in the state are equipped with green, eco-friendly, energy-efficient layouts and interiors to provide world-class, cost-effective work space to target small, mid-size and large Indian and multi-national IT/ITES companies to set up their operations within the IT parks. The government will aggressively market through media campaign, roadshows and other events to promote Assam to prospective investors," the draft said. It will also encourage and facilitate private initiatives to set up IT parks.

It aims to set up at least three electronic system design and manufacturing clusters in the state by 2022. An innovation zone is being planned in institutions of higher learning, focusing on specific technology verticals - telecom, gaming, very large-scale integration (VLSI), robotics, 3D printing and business analytics, among others.