The government expects 12 industrial cities to act as catalysts for achieving $2 trillion in exports by 2030 and generate around 1 million direct jobs along with up to 3 million indirect jobs.
Hailing the government’s move to set up 12 new industrial smart cities under the National Industrial Corridor Development Programme (NICDP), Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal’s office said it would boost MSMEs’ growth and employment generation.
“PM NarendraModi ji’s landmark decision to develop 12 new industrial smart cities is set to transform India’s manufacturing sector, create a virtuous cycle of growth and promote MSMEs & employment generation,” said Goyal’s office in a post on X on Tuesday.
The post was a comment on a long post by Vedanta Group’s Chairman Anil Agarwal underscoring the significance of proposed industrial cities worth Rs 28,602 crore.
“Industrial clusters are a globally proven approach where large anchor industries become the big tree around which hundreds and thousands of MSMEs take root, creating lakhs of jobs. It is good that the clusters are around cities because managers and workers need soft infrastructure like housing, healthcare and entertainment for decent living,” he said.
Vedanta recently announced setting up of two not-for-profit industrial parks, one for zinc and silver and a second for aluminium where businesses can set up with an investment of Rs 5 crore and above.
Spanning across 10 states, the 12 industrial cities — approved on August 28 by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs chaired by PM Modi — 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 Andhra Pradesh and Jodhpur-Pali in Rajasthan.
