The Indian government has approved an ambitious project to develop 12 industrial smart cities across 10 states, aimed at significantly boosting the country’s manufacturing sector.
Announced by Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw after a Union cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday, the project is part of a broader initiative to enhance industrial infrastructure and economic growth.
These industrial smart cities will be strategically located along six major industrial corridors, with the government allocating Rs 28,602 crore for the development. The cities will be established in the following locations:
– Khurpia in Uttarakhand
– Rajpura-Patiala in Punjab
– Dighi in Maharashtra
– Palakkad in Kerala
– Agra and Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh
– Gaya in Bihar
– Zaheerabad in Telangana
– Orvakal and Kopparthy in Andhra Pradesh
– Jodhpur-Pali in Rajasthan
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These smart cities are designed to transform India’s industrial landscape, fostering a robust network of industrial nodes and boosting economic growth and global competitiveness. The project is expected to create around 10 lakh direct jobs and indirectly generate an additional 30 lakh jobs.
The government envisions these industrial cities as world-class, greenfield developments with “plug-n-play” infrastructure and “walk-to-work” concepts, making them attractive for large anchor industries as well as Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).
The project has an investment potential of around Rs 1.52 lakh crore and is expected to play a crucial role in achieving India’s target of $2 trillion in exports by 2030, furthering the nation’s goal of becoming self-reliant and globally competitive.
