Mega leather sector clusters on the anvil in Bihar, Maha and MP

Chennai: Expanding beyond the traditional leather and non-leather footwear clusters of Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh and aiming to boost exports, the Centre is setting up mega leather, footwear and accessories clusters in different states. The facilities will be established in Muzaffarpur in Bihar; Sitapur in Madhya Pradesh; and Raigad district, Maharashtra, apart from Ranipet in Tamil Nadu, at a cumulative investment of Rs 898 crore.

Nidhi Kesarwani, joint secretary, Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), told reporters here on Monday that the parks have attracted investments to the tune of Rs 2,000 crore so far. “One of the parks is still coming up in Maharashtra. They are in the initial phases of development. So, it will grow, and I think quite a good amount of investment will be made,” she said, while responding to a query on the total value of investments that the clusters will attract. Exports will be a focus area in the clusters, she added.

The mega leather, footwear and accessories cluster in Tamil Nadu is being established at Panapakkam in Ranipet, spanning 290 acres with the Central govt assistance of Rs 125 crore.

She further said that a Zero Solid Waste Discharge facility would be established at Ranipet at a cost of Rs 50 crore to convert solid waste into industrial-use salt and promote environmental sustainability.

Meanwhile, Petal Dhillon, Petal Dhillon, said that a multi-pronged approach had been adopted to ensure adequate energy supplies, including petroleum and gas, for industries so that production would not be affected by the ongoing West Asia crisis.