IANS

Mysore, Jul 31: The Karnataka government has decided to seek the services of Infosys Technologies' chairman and chief mentor N R Narayana Murthy to guide the state's vision group on IT after he retires from the company Aug 20.

Expressing his government's intention to benefit from Murthy's vast experience and visionary zeal, Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy said here on late Sunday that the Infosys co-founder would continue to head Karnataka's vision group on IT.

"With Murthy stepping down formally from the company's helm of affairs next month on attaining 60 years, the state government would like to benefit from his vision, enormous experience and desire to work for Karnataka," Kumaraswamy said during his speech at the IT bellwether's silver jubilee celebrations.

Lauding Murthy's singular contribution to the growth and development of the Indian tech sector, making Infosys a global firm and thereby putting Karnataka on the world IT map, Kumaraswamy said in a span of 25 years, the company had become a legendary brand with international recognition for its innovation, success, and above all, humility.

"Murthy, who stands as a colossus in the Indian business world, rose to his present status from a very humble origin. He continues to be full of humility though he is counted among the most important business leaders of the 21st century in India and the world over," said the chief minister at the function held in the sprawling Infosys campus, 150 km from Bangalore.

Hoping Murthy would have enough time to head the vision group after his retirement, Kumaraswamy said Karnataka would like to use the IT czar's services on guiding the development of knowledge-based industries like IT, bio-technology and precision engineering, including nanotechnology-based enterprises.

"The vision group will be meeting soon under Murthy's chairmanship to chalk out plans for promoting knowledge-based industries and showcasing the state's eco-system through the upcoming Bangalore IT.in 2006 event in the end of October," Kumaraswamy said.

A new venture capital fund (VCF) would be set up soon to assist young entrepreneurs in creating start-ups or small and medium enterprises in the knowledge-based sector, he said.

"We want the IT revolution, pioneered by Murthy and (Wipro's Azim) Premji in Bangalore, to spread across the state, especially in tier-two cities, like Hubli-Dharwad, Belgaum, Gulbarga, Bidar and Raichur in north Karnataka and emerge as major destinations for IT-enabled services like BPO and call centres," the chief minister said.

While the young and energetic chief minister showered bouquets on Murthy, it was not long ago when the latter was at the receiving end of his father and former prime minister H.D. Deve Gowda.

During the previous coalition government with the Congress, Deve Gowda had berated Murthy for his pro-urban and pro-IT views last year.

What's more, Gowda went to the extent of accusing Murthy and his company of land grabbing in the name of IT for having sought additional land to build the company's second software development centre on the outskirts of Bangalore.

Gowda also belittled Murthy's contribution to the upcoming Bangalore international airport, leading to the latter's resignation from the chairmanship of the project consortium in October last year.