Patna, Feb 19 (IANS): Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar Wednesday said his government will set up an IT city in the state's Nalanda district that will help create job opportunities.

"Bihar government has decided to set up an IT city...," the chief minister said here after inaugurating projects like state data centre, portal and service delivery gateway, city surveillance and dial 100.

"We will provide 200 acres of land near upcoming International Nalanda University for setting up the IT city, first of its kind in Bihar," Nitish Kumar said.

"The university is taking shape and its academic session will start from this year, the IT city will add charm to it and the state," Nitish Kumar added.

Upbeat with response of people associated with information technology sector across the country and abroad to turn Bihar as a new IT hub, Nitish Kumar said the government would soon set up IT parks in different parts of the state, including Patna.

He told IT experts who gathered here for two-day conference - eBihar - that "the government is ready to help IT investors and IT developers".

On the lines of Hyderabad's Software Technology Park and Bangalore's International Tech Park, Patna is all set to get an IT Park this year itself, officials said.

Till last year, the government was interested in setting up Bihar's first IT park in Bihata, near Patna, but later the location was shifted to Rajgir in Nalanda.

Nalanda, about 100 km from here, is home district of Nitish Kumar.