The Union Cabinet has approved the development of 12 industrial smart cities in 10 states at a total cost of Rs 28,602 crore. The project is expected to attract investments worth Rs 1.52 lakh crores and create around 9.39 lakh direct jobs and has the potential to create 30 lakh indirect jobs.
In an announcement, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said that these projects will be implemented in six industrial corridors including:
- Amritsar-Kolkata,
- Delhi-Mumbai,
- Vizag-Chennai,
- Hyderabad-Bengaluru,
- Hyderabad-Nagpur and
- Chennai-Bengaluru.
These industrial areas are in Khurupia located in Uttarakhand, Rajpura – Patiala in Punjab, Dighi in Maharashtra, Palakkad in Kerela, Agra and Prayagraj in UP, Gaya in Bihar, Zaheerabad in Telangana and AP Orvakal and Kopparthi and Jodhpur-Pali located in Rajasthan.
The Cabinet also approved three major railway infrastructure projects with a total length of 296 km and an estimated cost of Rs 6,456 crore.
These projects are expected to significantly improve rail connectivity and boost regional development, particularly in areas like Navapada in Odisha and East Singhbhum in Jharkhand. The Cabinet also announced the expansion of the Agriculture Infrastructure Fund, which was set up in 2020 with an initial budget of Rs 1 lakh crores.
The fund focuses on post-harvest agricultural infrastructure, including packing houses, cold storage, refrigerated vehicles and primary processing equipment. The development includes integrated secondary treatment and coverage of component A of the PM-Kusum scheme, which provides credit protection for these projects.
The aim of the initiative is to help farmers increase the value of their products and create agro-based industries.
The government also announced capital support of Rs 4,136 crore for the development of hydropower projects in northeastern states with a hydropower potential of 62 GW. This clean energy initiative is expected to contribute significantly to the country’s climate goals and spur development in the Northeast region.
-Sanyogita
