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Cognizant begins operations in Kochi

Special Correspondent
`State has good engineering talent'





KOCHI: Cognizant has started operations in Kochi, which adds an eighth city to its footprint across the country.

It now has operations in four southern States — Tamil Nadu (Chennai and Coimbatore), Karnataka (Bangalore), Andhra Pradesh (Hyderabad) and Kerala (Kochi).

Cognizant has taken up approximately 74,000 sq.ft. of leased space in Kochi. This new development centre, said R. Chandrasekaran, president and managing director of the company, would have the capacity to accommodate approximately 800 professionals.

Phase 1 of the facility would be fitted out by end of April 2007, which would create a capacity for 400 professionals, and phase 2 by July 2007 for an additional capacity for 400 professionals.

In a release here on Thursday, the company said that Kerala had good engineering talent, the primary source for recruiting. It had about 82 engineering colleges that produced more than 23,000 qualified engineers each year. In addition, it has 186 science and arts colleges.

Cognizant had been a power recruiter from Kerala for the last eight years, having a premium slot across most premier engineering colleges.