Rajya Sabha MP and head of UP Development Council (UPDC) Amar Singh has said that the US-based Dell Computers will soon be signing an MoU with the UP government to set up its BPO facility in the state. Addressing the media briefing called to announce the IT committee of the UPDC, Singh vehemently denied reports that the blue-chip company has shelved its plans in the state.

"We are very much in touch with them and the report that they are going to Pune instead of UP is not true. They are quite interested in establishing a big presence within Lucknow. The availability of high-quality manpower from national institutes like IIT Kanpur, BHU Banaras and IIIT Allahabad is reason enough for them to stay put with their UP plans," he said.

However, he declined to comment on the details of this project. "A team from Dell has already visited the state capital and we are engaged in advance stages of our talks with them. I cannot give you exact numbers and other details of their planned operations but it is going to be huge," he added.

Sources close to the IT industry in UP have confirmed that Dell has already proposed a plan to the government for a back-office center with around 15,000-seat capability in Lucknow. The MoU to this effect is being finalized.

It is also reliably learnt that the government has proposed Dell to construct a huge facility of their own and then start their operations. At a time when things move fast and IT companies try to keep pace with changing economies, how seriously will Dell take this proposition is something only time can tell.

SEEMA MISHRA and ZIA ASKARI/CyberMedia News

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