Modi Cabinet Approves 12 Industrial Smart Cities Across 10 States With 'Plug-N-Play' And 'Walk-To-Work' Concepts

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs on Wednesday (28 August) approved 12 new project proposals for Industrial Smart Cities with an estimated investment of Rs. 28,602 crore.

These industrial areas will be located in Khurpia in Uttrakhand, Rajpura-Patiala in Punjab, Dighi in Maharashtra, Palakkad in Kerela, Gaya in Bihar, Zaheerabad in Telangana, and Jodhpur-Pali in Rajasthan.

Uttar Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh have been allocated two of these cities each. They will be located in Agra and Prayagraj of the northern state and Orvakal and Kopparthy of the southern state.

"This 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," the government said.

The new industrial cities will be developed as greenfield smart cities of global standards, built "ahead of demand" on the 'plug-n-play' and 'walk-to-work' concepts, it added.

Aligned with the PM GatiShakti National Master Plan, the projects will feature multi-modal connectivity infrastructure, ensuring seamless movement of people, goods, and services.

These projects will be done under the National Industrial Corridor Development Programme (NICDP) which intends to foster a vibrant industrial ecosystem by facilitating investments.

The cities will be equipped with advanced infrastructure that supports sustainable and efficient industrial operations. They are envisioned to be growth centers for the transformation of the whole region.