Union Cabinet Approves Development of 12 Industrial Smart Cities Across 10 States..
Delhi: The Union Cabinet has approved the development of 12 industrial smart cities across 10 states in India, with a total estimated cost of ₹28,602 crore. This initiative is projected to attract investments worth ₹1.52 lakh crore and generate approximately 939,000 direct jobs, along with the potential to create up to 3 million indirect jobs.
Announcing the decision, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw stated that these smart cities will be developed within six industrial corridors: Amritsar-Kolkata, Delhi-Mumbai, Vizag-Chennai, Hyderabad-Bengaluru, Hyderabad-Nagpur, and Chennai-Bengaluru. The specific locations for these projects include 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, and Jodhpur-Pali in Rajasthan.
Additionally, the Cabinet has approved three major railway infrastructure projects, totalling 296 kilometres in length and costing ₹6,456 crore. These projects aim to enhance rail connectivity and promote regional development, particularly in districts like Odisha’s Nuapada and Jharkhand’s East Singhbhum.
The Cabinet also expanded the Agri Infrastructure Fund, initially launched in 2020 with a budget of ₹1 lakh crore. The fund, which focusses on post-harvest agricultural infrastructure such as cold storage and processing units, will now include support for integrated secondary processing and projects under Component A of the PM-Kusum scheme, providing credit guarantees to bolster agri-based industries.
Moreover, the government has announced ₹4,136 crore in equity support for the development of hydro-electric projects in the North Eastern states, which have the potential to generate 62 GW of hydro-electricity. This initiative is expected to significantly contribute to India’s climate goals and drive development in the North East.
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