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INDIA
BUSINESS WORLD -
DECEMBER 2005
THE MONTH THAT WAS
MICROSOFT TO INJECT $1.7B INTO INDIA IN 4 YEARS
As part of its plans of making India a hub for research, product and applications development, Microsoft Corporation announced plans for investing $1.7 billion over the next four years, and increasing local headcount by 3,000 to 7,000-level.
MS chief Bill Gates said this investment will be in line with the growing importance of India's role in the global economy, as well as its emerging significance within Microsoft.
“India can play a unique role in giving services on a global basis,” Mr Gates said.
Half of the proposed $1.7-billion investment will be used for expanding existing research, product applications and technical support facilities, namely, Microsoft Research India, Microsoft India Development Centre, Microsoft Global Technical Support Centre, Microsoft Global Development Center India and the Microsoft Global Services India. In addition, Bangalore will play host to a world-class Innovation Centre in January 2006.
To strengthen the software major's market penetration in India, plans are afoot for setting up offices in 33 cities and putting in place over 700 retail outlets.
To fulfil Mr Gates dream of helping the proliferation of low-cost computing in the country — which he described as ‘computers at every hand, at every home' — Microsoft plans to adopt around 100 schools in six states to provide an interactive learning environment in the classroom. The experience that can be subsequently rolled out across the country, he said. The software major will support the communications & IT ministry in establishing 1 lakh Common Service Center kiosks. Microsoft had in 2002 announced an investment of around $400 million for India.
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