2 Oct 2024
In September, the Union Cabinet approved the development of 12 smart cities, each serving a specific industry, for an investment of ₹28,602 crore.
The Union Cabinet approved 12 smart cities, including Khurpia in Uttarakhand, Prayagraj and Agra in Uttar Pradesh, Rajpura-Patiala in Punjab, Jodhpur-Pali in Rajasthan, Dighi in Maharashtra, Palakkad in Kerala, Zaheerabad in Telangana, Kopparthy and Orvakal in Andhra Pradesh, and Gaya in Bihar.
Each smart city will serve a specific industry and be constructed in around three years, with contractor onboarding scheduled for March 2025. They will span ten states and six significant industrial corridors. They will offer coexisting residential and commercial setups with plug-and-play infrastructure, 24x7 electricity, portable drinking water, and amenities to facilitate the walk-to-work concept.
Palakkad may build infrastructure for medicines and botanicals, Agra for Electronics System Design and Manufacturing and EVs, Gaya for light engineering, food processing, and metal industries, Bidkin for automotive and Dighi and Krishnapatnam for port-led industrialisation promoting ecotourism.
Singapore, Switzerland, Japan, and Taiwan are keen to have dedicated spaces in these cities.