Chavan lays foundation stone for Infosys' campus at Mihan

The third campus of IT giant Infosys in Maharashtra will be set up on 142 acres of land in the Multi Modal International Cargo Hub and Airport (MIHAN) here, which will give a boost to generate employment opportunities for youths.

"The Congress-led government in the state has brought two global IT companies, namely Infosys and TCS, besides the Air India-Boeing Maintenance Repair Overhaul (MRO) facility which would provide employment opportunities to thousands of youths in the region," Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan said after laying the foundation stone for the project.

The project is expected to be completed in phases within two years. In the first phase of construction, the company will make investments to the tune of Rs 475 crores to create a built-up area of 9.5 lakh sq ft area to accommodate 5,000 software professionals.

With the 2014 Lok Sabha and Assembly election in the state are around the corner, Chavan in his speech listed out various measures undertaken by his government to create jobs for youths.

Mihan falls in politically crucial Vidarbha region of the state.

"This government has done so much for the region by setting up big companies and manufacturing units so as to create job opportunities for the youths," the chief minister said.

Infosys Executive Chairman Narayan Murthy presided over the function.

The campus has been designed by the architectural firm Morphogenesis and will be developed and executed as per guidelines of Green rating for integrated habitat assessment (GRIHA).

The building will have leverage radiant cooling technology, natural lighting, water recycling and environment friendly material for construction.

This will be the third Infosys campus in the state. The other two campuses situated in Pune, began operations in 1996 and 1999 respectively.

In his speech, Murthy said Infosys has emerged as the largest software exporter from Pune and accounts for 11 per cent of the total exports.

Chavan said his government will expeditiously complete all the formalities needed for the project to take off even as he admitted that the ambitious Mihan project, launched in 2003, slowed down due to sluggish global economy.

"A positive atmosphere is now prevailing for Mihan and as a result of which industrial biggies were coming to Nagpur," the chief minister said, adding the city offers advantage in term of logistics and also location for companies interested in setting up their shops.

"...Now Mihan is getting its due as industries are getting attracted here," he added.