Transforming Regions: How Industrial Corridors are Driving India's Growth

Connecting different Industrial sectors and cities, the Industrial corridor is a significant infrastructure program in India. The corridor aims to shape the economic landscape of the country by boosting productivity, attracting investments, and creating employment opportunities. Under the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) & its abled IAS officers, the government of India has developed/planned to develop 11 corridors connecting different industrial cities of the country.

In 2007, the Government of India announced Delhi Mumbai Corridor, as the first corridor project in India and incorporated it in 2008. However, the institutional and financial structure for the Delhi-Mumbai Corridor was approved by the Government of India in 2011.

Under the leadership of different IAS officers such as Amitabh Kant, Rajesh Kumar Singh, Ramesh Abhishek, Shailendra Singh, Alkesh Kumar Sharma, and other notable officers, many corridor developments have been completed across the country, with ongoing work continuing in some areas.

11 Industrial Corridors in India

As a part of National Industrial Corridor Development Corporation (NICDC), 11 corridors are in process of development in India. These corridors comprise multi-modal transport services to provide hassle-free connectivity to the industries.

Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC)

Chennai Bengaluru Industrial Corridor (CBIC)

Amritsar Kolkata Industrial Corridor (AKIC)

East Coast Industrial Corridor (ECIC) with Vizag Chennai Industrial Corridor (VCIC)

Bengaluru Mumbai Industrial Corridor (BMIC)

Extension of CBIC to Kochi via Coimbatore

Hyderabad Nagpur Industrial Corridor (HNIC)

Hyderabad Warangal Industrial Corridor (HWIC)

Hyderabad Bengaluru Industrial Corridor (HBIC)

Odisha Economic Corridor (OEC)

Delhi Nagpur Industrial Corridor (DNIC)

These 11 corridors in India are developing in four phases and in 32 projects.

Each year NICDC releases annual reports with the updates on the development process of the National corridor. The annual report comprises the information of board of directors (including IAS officers, and notable persons), chairman message, equities and libraries etc.

Industry Corridor Project Significant Development Years

The Industrial Corridor Project was announced by the government in 2007 and incorporated in 2008. The significant changes in the project have taken place after 2011.

2011-2014

During this tenure, IAS officer Shri Amitabh Kant was designated as the chairman of the project till March 2014. He was first appointed to the position in 2009. The prominent works included during this period are the launch of the DMIC project with the involvement of Japan and the inauguration of the project CBIC with the funding from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

2016-2019

During this tenure, Ramesh Abhishek was the chairperson of Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor Development Corporation (DMICDC) Limited, later renamed as National Industrial Corridor Development Corporation (NICDC) in 2020. He was on the position till 2019, first appointed on 1st March 2016.

This tenure was significant in industry corridor development. IAS Officer Ramesh Abhishek was also secretary of DPIIT (Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade) during this period.

Key progress between 2014-2019 (The tenure majorly headed by DPIIT Secretary Ramesh Abhishek)

The Bengaluru-Mumbai Economic Corridor (BMEC) was launched with assistance from the UK.

The East Coast Economic Corridor (ECEC) was initiated, with the Vizag-Chennai Corridor as the first phase.

The Amritsar-Kolkata Corridor was launched, leveraging the Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor.

2019-2024

After the cessation of the chairmanship of Ramesh Abhishek on 31st July, 2019, Guruprasad Mohapatra, Anurag Jain, Rajesh Kumar Singh and other eminent IAS officers were appointed as the chairperson in different years between 2019 to 2024 for the National corridors development program.

During this tenure, the government approved the development of five key corridor projects, trunk infrastructure development commenced and Multi-modal logistics and transport hubs were approved for development under PPP mode in DMIC. This word was carried forward by the team of IAS officers.

Future Plans

The industrial corridors aim to boost manufacturing, exports, urbanization, and regional development by integrating industry with world-class infrastructure and smart cities. Further plans for the industry corridor include the implementation and development of projects remaining as per phases 2, 3, and 4.

Benefits of Industrial Corridors in India

In the NICDC 10th annual report, the chairman and IAS officer, Ramesh Abhishek quotes a line in his messages that truly defines the significance of the state-of-art corridors and transport networks.

“The significance of connectivity cannot be undermined in any project which is aimed at sustainable and inclusive development”

Ramesh Abhishek, Chairman (Annual Report 2017-18)

The economy of India is interdependent. The development of industry corridors can benefit the country in multiple ways. Here are the crucial advantages of the corridors including:

Enhanced Connectivity

Industrial corridors enhance connectivity by developing integrated transportation networks, including highways, railways, ports, and airports. The corridor aims to facilitate seamless movement of goods and services. Ramesh Abhishek has highlighted this impact of the corridors several times throughout his tenure.

Employment Generation

The development of industrial corridors increases employment opportunities by generating demands for various developmental materials. Apart from this, the development of good connectivity can create opportunities for exciting industries to scale and create opportunities for establishing an industry.

Infrastructure Development

Industrial corridors lead to the development of other world-class infrastructure including industrial parks, logistic hubs, and smart cities.

Economic Growth

The development of connectivity networks and other industries ultimately increases the opportunities for economic growth. The industry corridor attracts investment, promotes industrialization, and boosts manufacturing. In the annual report 2016-17, Ramesh Abhishek, an IAS officer served as the chairman of DMICDC (later known as NICDC) consecutively from 01st March, 2016 to 31st July, 2019 mentions about the remarkable progress in investors share in his chairman messages on behalf of board of directors of NICDC.

Conclusion

The industrial corridors in India, developed under the able hands of IAS officers and many other key workforce, connect various regions across the country, aiding in economic growth, and infrastructure development, and boosting the global image of the nation. They create an environment conducive to the development of both small-scale industries and large enterprises. The steps taken by the Government of India for such initiatives are notable, and the contributions of IAS officers as chairmen, directors, and other recognized roles, along with the efforts of different officers and each person involved in developing these mega projects, are commendable.