KOLKATA: The twelfth edition of Infocom, a three-day annual Information Technology (IT) conclave from the Kolkata-headquartered media company, ABP group, kicked off in the city today.

 
Driving IT awareness and envisioning organisations and individuals to be IT enabled has been of prime focus of the conclave every year. Now in its 12th edition, Infocom has chosen “Empowerment” as the theme for 2013. The focus of the conclave this year would be on digital empowerment and also on empowerment with innovation and creativity.

ABP managing director and CEO DD Purkayastha on the sidelines of the event said that with India envisioning to become a developed nation in the next few years, there is a growing need to incorporate the concept of creativity in our developmental planning. “And with the aid of technology we also have to drive innovations. These would be areas under focus this year,” he said.

“When we talk about empowerment, the emphasis is on the fact that we want to empower individual consumers, citizens of the country as well as organizations digitally, technologically, socially, gender-wise, educationally, occupationally and many more ways. India needs young entrepreneurs,” he said.

West Bengal IT minister Partha Chatterjee, who inaugurated the event said, “Despite economic downturn, the IT exports from the state stood at Rs 11,200 crore in the last fiscal year 2012-13 as compared to Rs 9,500 crore achieved in the financial year 2011-12. The IT industry gives direct employment to around 1.30 lakh IT professionals and an indirect employment to around 6 lakh people in the state.”

The event is expected to bring together over 1,200 delegates, 75 speakers and 40 sponsoring companies. Besides, more than 100 exhibitors from across the globe would display their products and services.