Rs. 28,000 crore fund allocated by the Center
Rajat Kumar Saini, CEO and MD of NICDC, stated that after acquiring land for these industrial smart cities, the central government has allocated Rs. 28,000 crore for the projects, according to www.jagran.com. The corporation will now select construction agencies based on the plans and begin work in March next year.
Completion within three years
The projects are set to be completed within three years. Saini emphasized that through these smart cities, the government aims to provide a world-class environment with excellent facilities to attract domestic and international companies. This initiative will not only boost manufacturing activities in the country but also create significant employment opportunities.
In Uttar Pradesh, projects in Agra and Prayagraj are expected to generate over 87,000 jobs, while the project in Gaya, Bihar, will create employment for more than one lakh people.
States hosting industrial smart cities
Six projects under the Amritsar-Kolkata Industrial Corridor will include:
- Hisar in Haryana
- Rajpura in Patiala, Punjab
- Agra and Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh
- Khurpia in Uttarakhand
- Gaya in Bihar
Under the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor, two projects will be developed in:
- Dighi in Maharashtra
- Jodhpur-Pali Marwar in Rajasthan
Four projects will fall under the Visakhapatnam-Chennai, Hyderabad-Bengaluru, Hyderabad-Nagpur, and Chennai-Bengaluru Industrial Corridors:
- Kopparthi and Orvakal in Andhra Pradesh
- Zaheerabad in Telangana
- Palakkad in Kerala
Unique features of each smart city
Rajat Kumar Saini further stated that each industrial smart city will be tailored to meet the specific needs of different manufacturing units:
- Khurpia, Uttarakhand: Focused on automobiles, auto components, engineering, and fabrication industries.
- Rajpura, Patiala (Punjab): Planned as a hub for electronics system design and manufacturing, food and beverages, fabricated metal products, pharmaceuticals, rubber and plastics, and textiles and apparel.
- Hisar, Haryana: Will serve as a key center for aircraft maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) activities, along with food processing, ready-made garments, and engineering industries.
- Agra, Uttar Pradesh: Envisioned as a hub for leather products, food processing and beverages, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, engineering, and electronics system design and manufacturing.
- Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh: To be developed as a major center for e-mobility-based automobiles, food and beverages, leather products, ready-made garments, bicycle manufacturing, and packaging.
- Gaya, Bihar: Designed to focus on agriculture and food processing, building materials, leather products, ready-made garments, furniture, medical devices, handlooms, handicrafts, and engineering industries.