New Delhi,29 Apr:Communications & Information Technology Minister, Shri A. Raja has thanked the Prime Minister for extending the STPI Scheme for a period of one year beyond 2009. In a letter addressed to the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh he has said that this decision will help the IT Industry especially the Small and Medium Enterprises, which have been under tremendous pressure due to rupee appreciation, wage inflation and several other factors.Thanking the Prime Minister for his “farsighted decision” he has said that the extension would encourage the industry to build up the momentum to meet the commitment of achieving IT exports of over US $ 60 Billion by 2010.