Agartala, May 28 (IANS) The Tripura government, supported by the Software Technology Park of India (STPI), is setting up a Software Technology Park(STP) to boost information technology in northeast India and to reach out to people of rural and remote areas with e-governance, an official said here Monday. This will be the fifth such in the region.

The proposed STP, being set up at a cost of Rs.43 crore, would further boost the information technology industries in the industry-starved northeastern region, Tripura Industrial Development Corporation (TIDC) chairman Pabitra Kar told IANS.

The TIDC is the nodal body of the STP while Hyderabad-based Avon Technologies India Private limited is the consultant and Mumbai-based D.K. Infrastructure Private Limited is executing the project.

He said: The STPI has prepared the detailed project report and would provide the entire fund of Rs.43 crore for the STP.

Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar Monday formally initiated the works for commissioning of the STP, to be built within 18 months from now.

The STP in Agartala would be the fifth information technology centre in northeast India after the Guwahati, Imphal, Gangtok and Aizawl STPs, which have either started functioning or are under construction.

Kar said that the STP would provide all sorts of facilities for the growth of information technology industries in the northeastern region for the purpose of socio-economic development.

The STP would help the authorities to reach out to citizens with more efficient and productive government services, Kar said adding that it would serve as an important tool to create maximum job opportunities as well as absorbing a large portion of the educated unemployed.

STPs are being set up in India by the STPI authority since 1991 to encourage, promote and boost software exports from India besides expansion of the information technology infrastructure and software industry.