State to set up Knowledge City

Bhopal: A Knowledge City would be established in Ujjain district under Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor. It may be mentioned here that Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC) is an ambitious project of the Central government. Four investment regions are proposed to be developed under its jurisdiction in Madhya Pradesh. Of these, under Pithampur-Dhar-Mhow investment regions a Knowledge City would be set up in the form of Early Bird Project. The Minister for Commerce, Industries and Employment Kailash Vijaywargiya informed that the construction of the Knowledge City would start soon. The state government has cleared the proposal for this. The Knowledge City would have educational institutions of all manners besides, residential, commercial and social infrastructure. Educational institutions of seven subject faculties are proposed to be set up in the Knowledge City. These include expertise based engineering academy hub, management studies, medical education and a three hundred-bed hospital, bio-science/agriculture studies, design, planning and environmental studies, vocational and skill development centre and other general education institutions. In he first phase the Knowledge City would be developed over 419.92 hectare at village Narvar, about 16 km from Ujjain on Ujjain-Dewas road. The Knowledge City would lead to spin-off development in and around the area. Besides, the establishment of the DMIC project would accelerate industrialization and augment employment opportunities. This will also lead to infrastructure development for centres for excellence in education. The number of skilled labourers would also increase. As per the report presented by the consultant of the Knowledge City, educational facilities in different subjects for proposed educational institutions for about seven thousand students would be provided by year 2016. Separate Company The Knowledge City in Ujjain district would be set up through special purpose vehicle. This company would be jointly formed by Madhya Pradesh Trade and Investment Facilitation Corporation (TRIFAC) and Audyogik Kendra Vikas Nigam. (AKVN). The TRIFAC would have 51 percent share and the AKVN, Ujjain 49 per cent. At present the authorized capital of the SPV is Rs five crore and paid-up capital would be Rs one crore. In future any institution sponsored by the central or state government, Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor Development Corporation or IAL and FS/ Infrastructure Development Corporation can be included in the SPV as per requirement. The primary responsibility of the SPV would be to cater to basic requirements including land, water, electricity, approach road and roads. After this, the Knowledge City would be developed under PPP mode.