BHUBANESWAR: Keen on setting up the Centre’s proposed National Investment and Manufacturing Zone (NIMZ), the State Government has sought in-principle approval to the project.
After identifying land at Kalinganagar in Jajpur district for development of the zone, the Odisha Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (IDCO) has submitted the detailed project report (DPR) to the Centre.
IDCO is reported to have identified 5,000 hectares (12,355.26 acres) of contiguous land in Kalinganagar. The State Government has assured the Centre of developing infrastructure including road, power and water supply for the proposed NIMZ.
The Ministry of Commerce and Industries had sought certain clarifications from the State Government about the proposed NIMZ which have been complied with, said a senior officer of Industries Department.
The Ministry has accorded in-principle approval for 16 NIMZs. Eight NIMZs will be set up in and outside the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC). Six NIMZs would come up in the first phase in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Haryana, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. The rest two NIMZs would be set up later in Maharashtra and Rajasthan.
These six States account for 43 per cent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), 50 per of industrial production and exports and 40 per cent of total workforce.
Apart from 16 NIMZs, the Centre has received four more proposals for setting up NIMZ outside the DMIC from Uttar Pradesh (two), Gujarat (one) and Odisha (one).
NIMZs are proposed to be self-governing autonomous bodies to be managed by a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) headed by Government officials.
The Centre will provide financial support for infrastructure while internal infrastructure will be developed on a Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode for which access to Viability Gap Funding (VGF) would be provided, sources said.