With a focus on cluster-based development to achieve its 1-trillion dollar economy goal, the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh has identified Aligarh, Unnao, Jhansi and Prayagraj districts from the four geographical areas of the state to develop special investment regions (SIRs) for manufacturing by putting to use large chunks of “wasteland” available there, it is learnt.
The Yogi Adityanath-led Cabinet had recently given the go-ahead to develop four SIRs in the state.
While the Uttar Pradesh Nodal Investment Region for Manufacturing (NIRMAN) Bill will be tabled in the Assembly’s upcoming monsoon session starting July 29, the government has identified wasteland in Aligarh (west), Unnao (central), Prayagraj (east), and Jhansi (Bundelkhand) for the purpose.
These districts not only have large chunks of wasteland but are also near the existing or the proposed expressways, officials said.
While Aligarh is near the Yamuna Expressway, Unnao is alongside Lucknow-Agra Expressway.
For Jhansi, the state government has made budgetary provision to link it with the Bundelkhand Expressway through the Jhansi Link Expressway, while work is going on to connect Prayagraj with under-construction Ganga Expressway by the end of the year.
“The idea is to have the special investment regions in four geographical regions of the state. These four places have been proposed by the consultancy firm Deloitte. Some wastelands have been identified in some areas of Aligarh or Prayagraj. The idea is to develop these on the wasteland rather than on farmland. The Bill will be placed during the Assembly’s upcoming session,” said Anil Kumar Sagar, Principal Secretary, Infrastructure and Industrial Development Department.
On the reasons behind focusing on SIRs for manufacturing, Sagar said it had been seen that manufacturing gives a boost to the GDP (gross domestic product) which further will help the state achieve the 1 trillion dollar economy goal.
Once the Act is notified after being passed in the Assembly, the development authorities for these regions will get powers to provide licences, no-objection certificates (NOCs) and other approvals which otherwise were required at the level of the state government, the officials said. They will also get powers to prepare the master plans for the area and make the required changes, they added.
Each of these SIRs measuring over 3,000 hectares of land will provide basic infrastructure manufacturing and mixed-use categories, it is learnt. Also, the area under the Bundelkhand Industrial Development Authority, which is proposed to be about 5,000 hectares, might be included in the SIR for Jhansi, sources said. Out of the target of 5,000 hectares of land, at least 900 hectares have been acquired by the government.
The UP government has set a target of taking the state’s economy to 1-trillion dollars by 2027, when the next Assembly elections will be held in the state.
Manufacturing is also being seen as a means to boost employment at the local level for not only the skilled but also the semi-skilled and unskilled workforce, the officials said.
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