The Uttar Pradesh government on Tuesday decided to set up a new industrial town in the state’s Bundelkhand region on the lines of the successful model of New Okhla Industrial Development Authority (Noida). A proposal in this regard was passed during the cabinet meeting which was chaired by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and held at Lok Bhawan. The decision not only paves the way for the integration of Bundelkhand’s districts into the broader development framework, but also promises to generate an abundance of employment opportunities through infrastructural enhancements. It may be noted that the decision to establish the industrial city Noida in UP was taken in 1976 and now after 47 years the decision has been taken to set up a new city. Giving details of the proposal approved by the cabinet Finance and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Suresh Khanna said, “Under the Chief Minister Industrial Area Expansion and New Industrial Area Promotion Scheme, the proposal to develop a new industrial township on the lines of Noida by the Bundelkhand Industrial Development Authority (BIDA) in Jhansi has been approved.”
He said, “In the first phase of the project, an industrial city will be set up by acquiring 35,000 acres of land from 33 revenue villages in Jhansi. The price of this land is Rs 6,312 crore.” Khanna said that for setting up of the BIDA a provision of 5,000 crores was made by the government in the financial year 2022-23 and a provision of 5,000 crores in the form of a loan has been made in the current fiscal under the CM Industrial Area Expansion and New Industrial Area Promotion Scheme. “Of the land that will be acquired, 8,000 acres belong to the village society,” he said. He emphasised that this is a significant step of the Yogi government. “This historic decision will accelerate the multidimensional development of Bundelkhand. The area around Jhansi will be developed on a large scale,” he said. The Finance Minister said, “Through this, there is a plan to develop an industrial city on a total of 14,000 hectares of land. This industrial city is proposed on the Jhansi-Gwalior route, which will also be connected to major cities in the country through the national highway.
Besides, it will be well connected to other cities in the state through the Bundelkhand Expressway, passing through the Jalaun district from NH 27.” He said that the BIDA will boast of all the necessary facilities required for industrial establishments, including townships. “Its formation will lead to the overall development of the area and the generation of employment on a large scale. The general public will get employment opportunities while the region will be developed benefiting the residents directly. This step will also make a huge contribution to the development of the state. The government’s resolve to become a one trillion economy will be achieved through this,” he said. The cabinet has also approved the proposal to implement the Aspirational City Scheme in the 100 most backward urban bodies with a population of 20,000 to 1 lakh. Under this, projects will be implemented through conversion by getting support from the government schemes currently running in these urban bodies as well as other institutions including the central and state Government, MP, and MLA funds.
The scheme will involve the selection of 100 aspirational urban bodies from among the 762 urban bodies by NITI Aayog, based on a set of 16 parameters. This scheme will remain in force till March 31, 2026, but its monitoring will continue until March 31, 2028, through the dashboard. This scheme will help prevent migration by making ideal use of resources and increasing opportunities for economic development. The cabinet has approved a proposal for the operation of AC electric buses in Saharanpur, Ayodhya, and Firozabad. It has been decided to form a new Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) under the chairmanship of the Commissioner of the division concerned under the Companies Act 2013 for the operation, management and maintenance of electric buses in these cities. SPV will have the right to decide the routes for running buses in cities. Apart from determining the fare on the routes, passengers will also have the right to discuss the facilities provided to them. It may be noted that the state currently operates a total of 740 AC electric buses through 13 SPVs in 14 cities.