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ICT Policy 2021-26

Telangana's 2nd ICT Policy 2021-2026

Instrument
No G.O. or gazette citation 1
Issued by
ITE&C Dept., Govt. of Telangana
Reviewed
23 Oct 2026

Intent

Set the state's IT, electronics and digital-government agenda for five years, after the first ICT policy's 2016-21 cycle.

Source 1 p.1 1 p.3

Mechanism

  1. 1 Set targets Twelve focus areas, each with numeric targets to 2026. 1 p.6 1 p.8
  2. 2 Name incentives Seventeen incentive categories, with no rates, caps or eligibility. 1 p.12
  3. 3 Defer the terms Detail left to Operational Guidelines and later sub-sector policies. 1 p.12 1 p.34
  4. 4 No review duty The policy sets no review, monitoring or reporting clause. 1
IT exports
Rs. 3.13 lakh cr
Target met a year early
Target Rs. 3 lakh cr by 2026
2024-25 Source Statistic 4 p.141 1 p.8
IT employment
9,39,054
  1. 6.29L 20-21
  2. 7.78L 21-22
  3. 9.06L 22-23
  4. 9.46L 23-24
  5. 9.39L 24-25
Target 10 lakh by 2026
2024-25 Source Statistic 4 p.141 3 p.108 2 p.210 6
Gram Panchayats on T-Fiber
8,895 of 12,751
424 of 589 Mandals
Target 100% connectivity by 2026
2025-26 Source Statistic 4 p.150 1 p.30
Tier-II and III jobs
Not reported
No figure published
Target 25,000 by 2026
Policy period to Mar 2026 Source Instrument 1 p.33

Signals

The questions readers ask, answered in 25 words or fewer. Open "Why" for the reasoning.

  1. Key signal · Finding Derived Official claim

    Is this policy still in force?

    No, it lapsed

    The policy period ended 31 March 2026. No extension or successor is published, and the document is no longer on the department site.

    Why

    The policy states its period only as "2021 -2026" on its cover, with every target set "by 2026". Its own PDF now returns 404 while the 2016 policies it followed are still served, and the Telangana G.O. register was not searched.

    1 p.1 10 4 p.142 PolicyResearchInvestor Trajectory →
  2. Finding Source Statistic

    Did IT exports reach the Rs. 3 lakh crore target?

    Yes, a year early

    Exports reached Rs. 3,12,941 crore in 2024-25, past the Rs. 3 lakh crore target set for 2026.

    Why

    The state reports 16.6% growth over 2023-24. The department forecast in 2023 that both targets would be met by 2024. No source credits the policy for the outcome.

    4 p.141 1 p.8 6 PolicyInvestor Evidence →
  3. Finding Source Statistic

    Did IT employment reach 10 lakh jobs?

    No, and it fell

    Employment was 9,39,054 in 2024-25 against a 10 lakh target, down from 9,46,285 the year before.

    Why

    The series rose from 7,78,121 in 2021-22 to a peak of 9,46,285 in 2023-24, then turned down in the policy’s final year. Each year comes from a different annual edition.

    4 p.141 3 p.108 2 p.210 1 p.8 PolicyResearch Evidence →
  4. Finding Source Instrument

    What does the policy give a company that invests?

    Nothing directly

    It lists seventeen incentive categories with no rates, caps or eligibility, and defers the terms to guidelines and later sub-sector policies.

    Why

    The incentive table names categories only. The document says further detail will come through Operational Guidelines, and that Tier-II incentives "will be launched shortly through sub-sectoral policy".

    1 p.12 1 p.34 InvestorLegal Provisions →
  5. Caution Derived Official claim

    Did IT jobs move beyond Hyderabad?

    Not reported

    The policy targeted 25,000 jobs in Tier-II and Tier-III cities. No source publishes a figure against it, and the later dispersal policy builds within Hyderabad.

    Why

    In 2023 the department named IT towers in Warangal, Karimnagar, Khammam and Mahbubnagar. The Growth in Dispersion Policy now names towers at Kandlakoya and Malakpet, both in Hyderabad.

    1 p.33 6 4 p.149 PolicyResearch Evidence →
  6. Caution Derived Self-reported

    Is the fibre network as built as the headline says?

    No, that is planned

    T-Fiber publishes 43,000+ km as a plan. The state reports 8,895 of 12,751 Gram Panchayats and over 3,500 government institutions connected.

    Why

    The T-Fiber site labels the figure "OFC Plans" and the institutions figure "Towards Connecting 39,000+". The policy’s target was 100% connectivity by 2026.

    8 4 p.150 1 p.30 PolicyResearch Evidence →
  7. Open Source Official claim

    What comes next?

    A GCC policy

    No third ICT policy is published. The state’s 2026 plans name a GCC Policy for 2025-2030 and a Telangana AI Hub, framed by Vision 2047.

    Why

    The GCC policy would anchor clusters in Warangal, Karimnagar and Nizamabad, the Tier-II cities this policy named. TGDeX and the AI mission move to the new AI hub.

    4 p.142 4 p.147 Watch →

Provisions

Source
Targets
Twelve focus areas, each carrying numeric targets to 2026. 1 p.6 1 p.8
Incentive categories Unclear
Seventeen categories named, from capital subsidy to land rebate. No rates, caps, durations or eligibility are stated. 1 p.12
Operational Guidelines
Incentive detail deferred to a document "to be released". 1 p.12
Tier-II incentives
Deferred again, to a sub-sectoral policy the document does not name. 1 p.34
Chief Relations Officer
Single point of contact for IT/ITeS firms setting up or expanding. 1 p.10
Advisory Committee
Oversees development across the thrust areas. Members are industry executives. 1 p.10
Review Unclear
No review, monitoring, reporting or sunset clause appears in the document. 1

Who it affects

  • IT and ITeS investors Benefit A named contact and an incentive list whose terms sit elsewhere. 1 p.10 1 p.12
  • Tier-II and Tier-III cities Benefit Named for IT towers and 25,000 jobs. No incentive attaches directly. 1 p.33 1 p.34
  • Government departments Duty Cloud-first adoption, 1000+ services online, T-Fiber as primary connectivity. 1 p.27 1 p.44
  • Citizens Benefit Digital literacy and contactless service-delivery commitments. 1 p.36 1 p.37

Evidence

What the record shows, with its basis and date. State figures are labelled as state-reported.

Measure Value As of Grounding and sources
IT exportsState-reported, 16.6% growth Rs. 3,12,941 cr 2024-25 Source Statistic 4 p.141
IT employmentState-reported 9,39,054 2024-25 Source Statistic 4 p.141
IT employment, previous yearState-reported, the series peak 9,46,285 2023-24 Source Statistic 3 p.108
Gram Panchayats connectedT-Fiber, against a 100% target 8,895 of 12,751 2025-26 Source Statistic 4 p.150
Government institutions on T-FiberConnected, after G.O. MS No. 9 of Dec 2024 over 3,500 2025-26 Source Official claim 4 p.150
TASK studentsAgainst a target of 50,000 a year 66,333 2025-26, to Nov 2025 Source Official claim 4 p.144 1 p.24
TASK placements288 job drives, 25 districts 5,637 Apr-Nov 2025 Source Official claim 4 p.145

Data warnings

  • State sources give four different counts of online services: 600+ in 2021, 450+ in 2023, over 500 in 2026, and 580 for the WhatsApp channel. One edition gives two of them. 1 p.27 6 4 p.373 2 p.212
  • TGDeX dataset counts conflict: 480 at launch, over 1,000 in 2026, and 2,000+ in a document that uses the figure as both a count and a five-year target. 9 4 p.147
  • T-Fiber and the ITE&C department disagree on the denominator: 621 Mandals and 12,769 Gram Panchayats against 589 and 12,751. 8 4 p.150
  • The policy puts "over 6.5 Lakh" IT employees in Hyderabad and "over 6,25,000" in Telangana on facing pages, a city figure larger than the state. 1 p.9 1 p.10

Gaps in the record

  • No source attributes any outcome to this policy. The state’s statistical annuals never name it. 4 p.141
  • No evaluation, audit or review of the policy was found, and the policy sets no review clause.
  • The department’s annual report series ends at 2022-23, three years before the policy period closed. 6
  • No measurement is published against the 25,000 Tier-II and Tier-III jobs target, or the 5% of exports target.
  • No source was found for TASK’s cumulative totals, Khammam’s occupancy, or a goal of 100 unicorns by 2034.
  • The Telangana G.O. register was not searched, so whether a G.O. issued or closed this policy is unknown.
  • No source states why the policy document was withdrawn from the department’s site.

Watch

Confirmed, announced and expected changes are kept apart. Forecasts are not facts.

  • Announced GCC Policy 2025-2030 Envisaged in Vision 2047 4 p.142
  • Announced Telangana AI Hub, taking over TGDeX and the AI mission Being established 4 p.147
  • Expected A successor ICT policy None published as at 23 Oct 2026 10

Connections

  • Supersedes ICT Policy Framework 2016 The first cycle, which this policy replaced. Still published, while this one is not. 1 p.3 1 p.4
  • Implements SpaceTech Framework Issued under this policy by name, and carrying its Rs. 1,300 cr startup fund. 7
  • Sibling Growth in Dispersion Policy The later dispersal instrument. It builds IT towers within Hyderabad. 4 p.149
  • Mentioned in TG-iPASS The policy’s worked example routes building permits through the portal. 1 p.50
  • Vision Telangana Rising 2047 The successor framing: a GCC policy and an AI hub, not a third ICT policy. 4 p.142 4 p.147

Trajectory

Dates are shown only as precisely as the source gives them.

  1. 1 Apr 2016 ICT Policy Framework 2016, the first cycle 1 p.4
  2. 2 By Sep 2021 ICT Policy 2021-26 published 1 p.1
  3. 3 Apr 2022 SpaceTech Framework issued under the policy 7
  4. 4 By Oct 2022 IT Towers at Nizamabad, Mahbubnagar and Siddipet near completion 5
  5. 5 6 May 2023 Mahbubnagar IT Tower inaugurated, for 44 companies 6
  6. 6 Jun 2023 Last departmental annual report, for 2022-23 6
  7. 7 By Mar 2024 Policy document no longer served on the department site 10
  8. 8 Dec 2024 G.O. MS No. 9 makes T-Fiber the primary connectivity provider 4 p.150
  9. 9 2025 Exports pass the Rs. 3 lakh crore target, in 2024-25 4 p.141
  10. 10 Jul 2025 TGDeX launched 9 4 p.147
  11. 11 31 Mar 2026 Policy period ends 1 p.1

Sources

Source Derived Interpretation
  1. primary Telangana's 2nd ICT Policy 2021-2026 ITE&C Dept., Govt. of Telangana · 2021 · Removed from the department site, which returns 404. Read via the Wayback Machine. The PDF is image-only; page numbers are the printed footers.
  2. primary Socio Economic Outlook 2024 Planning Dept., Govt. of Telangana · Jul 2024
  3. primary Socio Economic Outlook 2025 Planning Dept., Govt. of Telangana · Mar 2025
  4. primary Socio Economic Outlook 2026 Planning Dept., Govt. of Telangana · 2026 · Does not name the ICT Policy 2021-26 anywhere.
  5. primary IT&EC Department Annual Report 2021-22 ITE&C Dept., Govt. of Telangana · Jun 2022
  6. primary IT&EC Department Annual Report 2022-23 ITE&C Dept., Govt. of Telangana · Jun 2023 · The last report in the series.
  7. primary SpaceTech Framework ITE&C Dept., Govt. of Telangana · Apr 2022
  8. primary T-Fiber website Telangana Fiber Grid Corporation Ltd. · read 23 Oct 2026 · Undated page. Its headline figures are labelled as plans.
  9. primary Minister launches the Telangana Data Exchange platform at T-Hub ITE&C Dept., Govt. of Telangana · 2 Jul 2025
  10. primary ITE&C Department downloads page ITE&C Dept., Govt. of Telangana · read 23 Oct 2026 · Lists the 2016 policies. The 2021 policy is absent.

Signals and summaries are written by Social Systems Lab from the sources above. They describe the law and the public record, not legal advice.