Friday, December 9 2005 15:48 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Chennai: Impressed by the inherent strengths of the pool of talent available in this metropolis, Microsoft today (Dec 9, 2005) indicated that Chennai would be on the top of its list, when it finalised its expansion plans in India.

This indication was given by Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates, when he called on Chief Minister Jayalalithaa at the secretariat this morning, when she invited Gates to invest in a Centre at Chennai, an official press release said.

During the 20-minute meeting, she requested Gates to establish a High Performance Computing Centre and an Engineering product design and delivery centre of Microsoft at Chennai and assured him that the government would allot the required land and render whatever supported needed, the release said.

The release quoted Gates as saying that he was greatly impressed by the Tamil Nadu Government's achievement in implementing the AIDS control programme and said the state stood as a model.

Jayalalithaa appreciated the 'tremendous humanitarian work of Melinda Gates and Bill Gates on AIDS prevention.'

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, through Avahan AIDs initiative, had launched a series of initiatives in the state on AIDS prevention.

Jayalalithaa told Gates and his wife that prevalence of HIV infection in the state, which was 1.25 per cent in 2001, had come down to point 65 per cent in 2004 due to her Government's pioneering efforts.

"Jayalalithaa told Gates that her Government was firmly committed to leveraging Information, Communication and Technology (ICT) to leapfrog to the top in all spheres and bridging the digital divide. A conducive physical and policy environment had been created in Tamil Nadu," she said.

She requested Gates to include Tamil Nadu in Microsoft's new programme to equip schools with computers and appreciated the company's work in coordination with the Tamil Nadu Government on several E-governance initiatives.

"With an aim of leveraging IT for the prosperity of the state's citizens, she had launched an ambitious programme of taking computers to village panchayats and this would bridge the digital divide and take ICT to the grassroots," she said.

She sought Microsoft's support for the scheme, for which Gates readily agreed, sources said.

Earlier, Jayalalithaa launched a training programme 'Project Siksha' in which Tamil Nadu government and Microsoft were partners.

Under the project, Microsoft would set up and run an Information Technology Academy in Chennai for five years, in which teachers would receive 12 days training in computer literacy. The project would function in Chennai, Madurai, Tiruchirapalli, Tirunelveli, Salem and Vellore, benefiting 80,000 teachers directly and reach 35 lakh students in the next five years.

Gates and Jayalalithaa interacted with the teachers at these centres through video conferencing.