The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has greenlit the development of 12 industrial smart cities across six major industrial corridors in 10 states, with an estimated investment of Rs 28,602 crore.

These projects are designed to attract substantial investments, with expectations of approximately Rs 1.52 trillion from both large anchor industries and MSMEs (micro, small and medium enterprises). This initiative is projected to generate 1 million direct and 3 million indirect jobs.

These smart industrial cities, part of the government’s broader strategy to attract foreign investment, boost domestic manufacturing, and drive employment, will be strategically located in key regions, including 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.

The name of one city has not been revealed as the Model Code of Conduct is in force in poll-bound states.

The projects aim to set up robust infrastructure to drive “balanced” regional development. To be developed under the National Industrial Corridor Development Programme (NICDP), these industrial nodes will function more like industrial cities, where residential and commercial setups will co-exist.