Need states' support to resolve industrial corridor issues: FM Sitharaman

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday sought the support of states to resolve the issues in operationalising industrial corridors.

The minister chaired the second meeting of the apex monitoring authority of the National Industrial Corridor Development & Implementation Trust (NICDIT) -- part of the PM GatiShakti national masterplan — that aims to create greenfield smart industrial cities. 

The industrial corridors can be operationalised by expediting land acquisition, facilitating the implementation of external infrastructure linkages, among other things.

“During the meeting, Sitharaman urged that there should be no politicisation of economic development and that all states should work collectively as Team India to iron out the issues in developing industrial corridors,” the finance ministry said in a tweet.

The NICDIT aims to create quality infrastructure and keep land parcels ready for allotment to attract investments in the manufacturing sector and position India in global value chains.

“The FM emphasised the importance of FIRE — freight corridors, industrial corridors, railways, and expressways — to further ignite industrialisation and economic development in India for realising Prime MinisterNarendra Modi's vision of Viksit Bharat by 2047. For the development of industrial corridor nodes, multi-modal connectivity is being provided by different ministries under various flagship schemes like Bharatmala, Sagarmala, National Waterways, Dedicated Freight Corridors, National Gas Grid, etc,” the finance ministry tweeted.

The meeting was also attended by Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal, Shipping Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, NITI Aayog Vice Chairman Suman Bery. Officials from 16 states and various other departments and ministries also attended the meeting.