Surat: Diamond city shines as IT hub

Famous for its multi-billion Diamond industry, Surat is the fasted developing city in India. Considered to be the first ‘Smart City’ in the country, Surat is a major economic and commercial hub in the state of Gujarat. The presence of several MNC IT giants has transformed Surat into the technology hub, making it the second significant center of IT in Gujarat after Ahmadabad.

 Economic Powerhouse

Surat is the fastest growing city in terms of economic prosperity. According to the data compiled by economic research firm Indicus Analytics, Surat has registered an annualised GDP growth rate of 11.5 per cent over the past seven fiscal years. As per GDP ranking of Indian cities, it is ranked 8th with a GDP of $40 billion, with estimates of $57 billion GDP by 2050.

Diamond and textile industries have largely contributed to the growth as the economic powerhouse of India. Surat single-handedly accounts for 90 percent of global diamond polishing and cutting industry. The city exports $15 billion worth of diamonds from India, which is highest in Asia. The textile industry has also witnessed a significant growth and emerged as the major revenue contributor to the GDP.

Best in class infrastructure, easy availability of resources, high employment rate and availability of human talent are some of the key factors responsible for the rapid economic growth of Surat. The pro business environment has facilitates the concentration of small, medium and large scale industries in the city.

 Safe City to Smart City

Surat became the first city in India to come under round the clock electronic surveillance after former chief minister Narendra Modi unveiled Rs 80 crore Safe City project in 2011. The vigilance network covers over 200 km radius of Surat city. More than 100 CCTV cameras are installed at 26 strategic places. The project also includes 2D city mapping which provides reports on physical security, fire alarm, water levels, excavation plan and disaster recovery amongst others. The safe city project has been installed on PPP base with the help of local businessmen, social persons, Surat Municipal Corporation and Surat City Police. Since the inception of the project, there has been massive transformation in the law and order situation in Surat.

After the successful implementation of the Safe City project, Surat has also been selected for the ambitious Smart City Project. Several IT giants are keen to be part of this project. Microsoft CityNext has partnered with the Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) to develop Surat as a smart city with advanced urban planning and citizen empowerment processes never heard in India. Apart from Microsoft, other IT majors like Tata Consultancy Services, IBM and Wipro would also play critical role in the project. Four different methods of Retrofitting, re-development, green field development and Pan City initiative are being adopted to make Surat one of the smartest cities in the country.

 Education Hub

Surat could be termed as the mine of CA professionals. There are many renowned institutes which provide best in class education. Sardar Vallabhbhai National Institute of Technology is one of 30 National Institute of Technology in India that are recognized as an Institute of National Importance by Government of India. Along with this Surat Metropolitan Region is also having good number of Degree, Diploma, Post Graduation Engineering colleges, MBA colleges affiliated to GTU-Gujarat Technical University provides quality education. Surat Metropolitan Region has more than 80 BCA, BSc (Computer/IT) colleges serving Bachelor level professional education in IT, Computer and Electronics. The Indian Diamond Institute (IDI), established in 1978 offers training in the field of diamonds, gems and jewellery.

 Growth of IT

The IT industry has grown at the rate of 10-15 percent in last three years. There are many SME Domestic IT Companies present in Surat. MNC IT companies like IBM, TCS, HCL, Wipro are having satellite or virtual Branch in Surat. Almost all the prominent IT hardware vendors have their active presence in the city. The desktop segment has seen a sharp declined in the business. However, mobility, security and surveillance are the new areas of business which are growing rapidly. The software industry is also slowly making its space in Surat. With no shortage of IT talent, many IT professionals are exploring career opportunities in the software space by way of apps development. Surat city administration is contemplating for setting up of an Information Technology (IT) hub and an Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIIT) on the outskirts of the city. The proposed projects are expected to boost the growth of IT in Surat in the near future.

 Surat at a Glance...

 Number of Resellers: 200 (Approx)

Prominent Brands: Dell, HP, Lenovo. Quick Heal, ESET, Netgear, D Link

Prominent IT Association: Surat Information Technologists Association

Key Verticals: Diamond industry, Government, Education, IT, Textile

Interview 1

 Paresh Babaria, President SITA 

 How do you analyse the growth of IT industry in Surat in last 2 years?

Paresh Babaria: There has been 10 to 15 per cent growth in all the industries in Surat. The same growth has been reflected in the IT industry as well. Earlier, hardware was the major revenue contributor, but now software industry is also rapidly growing in Surat. Mobility and Security & Surveillance are the segment which is growing at a fast pace here.

 How the ‘Safe City’ project and ‘Smart City’ have project benefited Surat?

Paresh Babaria: Both the projects are the landmark projects and have changed the security scenario in Surat. The entire city has been covered with CCTV surveillance and it has helped the law enforcement forces to curb the crime to a large extent. These projects have also enabled local players to work with MNCs in deployment and integration at the local level.