Navsari to sign MoU with centre for PM Mitra Park

The Gujarat Industrial Development Corporation (GIDC) would be responsible for developing the PM Mitra Park in Navsari.

Prime Minister Mega Integrated Textile Regions and Apparel (PM Mitra) Park would be constructed in the village of Vansi-Borsi in the Navsari district of Gujarat. It was stated that a memorandum of understanding (MoU) would be signed between the Centre and the state, and the signing ceremony was scheduled to take place in Surat.

According to a press release from the Gujarat government, Bhupendra Patel, Chief Minister of Gujarat, and Piyush Goyal, Indian Minister of Commerce and Industry, Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, would attend the ceremony.

It was disclosed that the Gujarat Industrial Development Corporation (GIDC) would be responsible for developing the PM Mitra Park in Navsari. The state government had allocated 462 hectare of land to the GIDC, in line with the central government’s guidelines. The government of India would provide 30 per cent assistance, up to Rs 500 crore, from the total Rs 1,500 crore budget allocated for infrastructure development.

Under the leadership of Patel, the Gujarat government was in the process of establishing a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) for the park’s construction. The state government would hold 51 per cent equity, while the central government would hold 49 per cent equity.

The park’s development would include the creation of common facility centres such as material handling facilities, training and skill development centres, and testing centres. This would boost productivity in all sectors of the textile industry. Moreover, having integrated textile value chain processes such as spinning, weaving, processing, dyeing, printing, and garment manufacturing in one location would reduce logistical costs for the industry.

The government of India had given approval for the establishment of seven PM Mitra Parks in seven states: Gujarat, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh. These locations were selected from 18 proposals received from 13 states.

The objective of PM Mitra Parks was to develop world-class industrial infrastructure that would attract large-scale investments, including foreign direct investment (FDI). Numerous domestic and international players in the textile industry were expected to establish their units in Gujarat. The state would receive an estimated investment of Rs 10,000 crore and create 200,000 to 300,000 direct and indirect employment opportunities in the textile and allied sectors.

The PM Mitra Parks were inspired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of “farm to fibre to factory to fashion to foreign” (5F). They represented a significant step toward realising the government’s goal of making India a global hub for textile manufacturing and exports. These parks would enhance the competitiveness of the textile industry by achieving economies of scale and attracting global manufacturing players to India.

The press release added that the MoU signing ceremony would also be attended by Darshanaben Jardosh, Union Minister of State for Railways and Textile; CR Patil, Member of Parliament for Navsari; Kanubhai Desai, Gujarat’s Minister of Finance, Energy, and Petrochemicals; Balvantsinh Rajput, Gujarat’s Minister of Industry; Harshbhai Sanghavi, Gujarat’s Minister of State for Home and Industry; and Mukeshbhai Patel, Gujarat’s Minister of State for Forest and Environment.