New Delhi, Nov 17: Electronics and Computer Software Export Promotion Council today demanded that IT and IT-Enabled Services should be declared Essential Service under Essential Services Maintenance Act so that trade unions and other labour laws did not apply to these segments. "Some states like Punjab and Andhra Pradesh have already declared both IT and ITES as essential service under ESMA. It is high time that other states take notice of this and emulate the two states so that trade union and other labour laws do not apply to these segments," D K Sareen, executive director of ESC, said in a statement.
During the year 2001-02, exports of ITES have grown by 70 per cent as compared to the previous year. According to ESC, in absolute terms the exports have gone up from Rs 4295 crore in 2000-01 to Rs 7300 crore in 2001-02. Bureau Report