Dedicated industrial enclaves for Italian cos likely in Dighi, Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar in Maharashtra

As India proposes to set up dedicated industrial enclaves to conduct business in the country, two potential sites at Dighi near Mumbai and Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar (Aurangabad) in Maharashtra have been identified.

Terming the plan as an effort to create a “home away from home” for Italian companies, India’s Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said that the enclaves will be replete with Italian businesses, schools, colleges along with hospitals recognizing health insurance plans from Italy.

Goyal was speaking in Brescia in Italy where he had jointly chaired the India-Italy Joint Commission for Economic Cooperation with Italy’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Antonio Tajani.

Earlier, India had indicated plans to set up an investment enclave replete with plug-and-play infrastructure for Swedish companies in industrial parks located within industrial corridors.

India has planned 12 industrial parks across 10 states to boost domestic manufacturing, foreign direct investment (FDI) and generate jobs. The ₹28,000 crore proposal is expected to attract investment worth ₹1.5 trillion as it intends to set up residential and commercial zones as part of the slated “plug-and-play” industrial park to make the area work like a separate industrial city.

The proposed industrial parks are expected to focus on sectors like electric vehicles, food processing, technical textiles, fabrication, aero logistics, and tourism. Land acquisition and several regulatory clearances have already been completed by the government to avoid delays.

The proposed industrial parks are expected to come up in 10 states, including Khurpia in Uttarakhand, Rajpura-Patiala in Punjab, Dighi in Maharashtra, Palakkad in Kerala, Agra and Prayagraj in UP, and Gaya in Bihar, among others.