NEW DELHI, Aug 28: The cabinet has given clearance to a mega project to build 12 industrial smart cities across 10 states, Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced on Wednesday.
The cities will come up along six major industrial corridors. The government has earmarked ₹ 28,602 crore for this big push on manufacturing, the minister said after a meeting of the Union cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The industrial areas will be located in Khurpia in Uttrakhand, Rajpura-Patiala in Punjab, Dighi in, Maharashtra, Palakkad in Kerela, Agra and Prayagraj in UP, Gaya in Bihar, Zaheerabad in Telangana, Orvakal and Kopparthy in AP and Jodhpur-Pali in Rajasthan.
“The move is set to transform the industrial landscape of the country creating a robust network of industrial nodes and cities that will significantly boost economic growth and global competitiveness,” he said. It would also provide a massive scope for employment. Altogether, the smart city project would employ nearly 10 lakh people. It would also indirectly create 30 lakh new jobs, the minister said.
The world-class Greenfield industrial smart cities will be built with “plug-n-play” and “walk-to-work” concepts, the government has said in a statement. The investment potential of the project will be around 1.52 lakh crore. It is designed to foster a vibrant industrial ecosystem by facilitating investments from large anchor industries and Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises or MSMEs.
These industrial nodes will act as catalysts for achieving $2 trillion in exports by 2030. The Cabinet green light for the Smart Industrial cities project is a “step forward in realizing the vision of ‘Viksit Bharat’ – a developed India,” the government has said.
“By positioning India as a strong player in the Global Value Chains” this project will provide developed land parcels ready for immediate allotment, making it easier for domestic and international investors to set up manufacturing units. “This aligns with the broader objective of creating an ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ or a self-reliant India, fostering economic growth through enhanced industrial output and employment,” the government said.
(Manas Dasgupta)