IT major Infosys announced that it would invest Rs 500 crore in Orissa for establishing an SEZ in IT and ITeS segments and taking care of children’s mid-day-meal system and healthcare services.

Mr. T V Mohandas Pai, Director HR, ER and administration and member of board of Infosys, said, “We have proposed to set up an IT SEZ in Bhubaneswar. The project will require 50 acres of land.”

The company funding mid-day meal for 10,000 school children in Nayagarh region, also decided to expand the program to Gajapati and Kandhamal regions.

Besides, 30,000 children in Puri district were also getting midday meal in Puri district.

Mr. Pai together with famous cardiac surgeon Dr. Devi Shetty and employment planner Manish Agarwal urged Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to allot five-seven acres of land in the city for setting up a 1,000-bed heart hospital.

“We have been spending Rs 6.50 per child to provide quality food,” Mr. Pai stated pointing out that Infosys had spent Rs 5.5 crore towards its corporate social responsibility.

As the city was gradually becoming an IT hub of Eastern India with almost all major players opening their development centres, employees required quality heath service, Shetty said.

“We have also requested the state government to help Shetty set up a heart hospital here,” Pai told.

At 1:00 p.m., the shares of the company gained 2.0% to trade at Rs 1,927 on the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE).