The Uttar Pradesh Cabinet has greenlit the establishment of the ‘Bundelkhand Industrial Development Authority’ in a move reminiscent of Noida’s development, aimed at expediting progress within the region. This significant decision was reached during a meeting presided over by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
The proposed industrial township is slated to span a sprawling 35,000 acres of land, encompassing 33 revenue villages within the Jhansi district, marking the inaugural phase of this ambitious project. State Finance and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Suresh Khanna elaborated on the development, stating, “The decision has been taken to cultivate a new industrial township akin to Noida (New Okhla Industrial Development Authority), which was established in 1976. The township will be established across 35,000 acres of land, with an estimated cost of Rs 6,312 crore, of which a provision of Rs 5,000 crore was allocated in the preceding fiscal year. Provisions for the remainder will be made promptly. An additional allocation of Rs 5,000 crore, in the form of a loan, has been included under the Chief Minister Industrial Area Expansion and New Industrial Area Promotion Scheme,” Khanna added.
The Minister asserted that this decision represents a pivotal moment in Uttar Pradesh’s development, further propelling the state towards its goal of achieving a 1 trillion-dollar economy.
Notably, the government already possesses 8,000 acres of gram sabha land at its disposal, as confirmed by Khanna. He continued, “This decision will catalyze extensive growth in Jhansi, a city that is also set to welcome a new airport while the Bundelkhand Expressway has already become operational. This township, strategically located along National Highway 27, will be seamlessly connected to other expressways through the Bundelkhand Expressway.”
A government spokesperson emphasized that this decision would not only foster Bundelkhand’s integration into a broader development framework but also spur job creation and infrastructure development within the region. Bundelkhand has witnessed a surge in major projects recently, partly attributable to the region’s four Lok Sabha constituencies—Jhansi, Jalaun, Hamirpur, and Banda—voting for the BJP in the past two parliamentary elections. In July of the previous year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the 296-km-long Bundelkhand Expressway, constructed at a cost of Rs 14,000 crore.
Furthermore, the government has proposed the establishment of the state’s inaugural pharmaceutical park in Lalitpur district within the region. Given the region’s abundant land resources, the state government is also in the process of creating a ‘Green Energy Corridor’ in Bundelkhand—a proposed 2600-km-long transmission network for solar power originating from ultra-mega solar parks. Additionally, a ‘Defense Corridor,’ featuring a Rs 400 crore Bharat Dynamics plant for propulsion systems for anti-tank guided missiles, is also being established within the Jhansi node of the corridor along the Bundelkhand Expressway.
Also read: Noida-Inspired Development in Bundelkhand Sparks Hope for Economic Renaissance