Ahead of the upcoming polls, Uttar Pradesh is gearing up to become a manufacturing hub, leveraging its vast Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSME) base for political and economic gains. The government is pushing to expand industrial clusters, integrate small enterprises with larger supply chains, and demonstrate job creation, higher incomes, and economic activity.

As part of this push, funds have been approved for two manufacturing clusters in the past fortnight: Rs 245 crore for Sambhal’s Integrated Manufacturing Logistic Hub and Rs 213 crore for Meerut’s cluster, both to be developed along the soon-to-be-inaugurated Ganga Expressway.

However, both these recent approvals of about Rs 500 crore are part of a wider plan to build industrial capacity along high-speed transport corridors.

The Integrated Manufacturing and Logistics Clusters (IMLCs) initiative is a key component of this plan, with policies focused on improving business ease, cutting logistics costs, and drawing investments. Conceptualised last year, the plan includes development of 27 IMLCs, spanning over 12,700 acres across 26 districts, along five major expressways: Purvanchal, Bundelkhand, Agra-Lucknow, Gorakhpur Link Expressway, and Ganga Expressway.

Government sources indicate that 12 clusters will be taken up in the first phase, with Unnao’s 300 acres nearly fully allocated.

The 12 clusters are being developed in districts including Meerut, Sambhal, Shahjahanpur, Hardoi, Unnao, Firozabad, Etawah, Budaun, Sultanpur, Amethi, Ambedkar Nagar and Hamirpur. Sources say these were identified based on industry demand from B2B meetings held across India and abroad.

A senior official, associated with the project, said planning is being done based on industry demand, including global requirements, with a focus on creating ready industrial ecosystems. “There are 27 clusters planned along the expressways. In the first phase, we are taking up 12 nodes from west to east—starting with Meerut and Sambhal on the western side and moving towards central and eastern districts like Hardoi, Shahjahanpur and Barabanki. Land has been acquired in bulk, and in most nodes, industries will have direct access from the service road,” the officer said.

The official added that infrastructure is being developed in parallel across nodes, including 30-metre-wide internal roads, power substations and trunk infrastructure, to make the clusters investment-ready.

“Out of around 12,000 acres identified, nearly 85 per cent of the land has already been acquired, barring a few nodes where the process is still underway. We are developing infrastructure simultaneously so that allotments can happen quickly,” the officer said.

The government is funding development of these land parcels and connecting them directly to Expressway service roads for smooth industrial traffic flow. This aims to integrate manufacturing and logistics, cutting costs and boosting efficiency to attract investment. The push is also linked to Uttar Pradesh’s goal of becoming a $1 trillion economy, with manufacturing driving growth, employment, and visible development ahead of polls.

According to officials, the state is also adopting a strategy of attracting anchor investors to trigger industrial ecosystems in each cluster.

“When we get anchor companies in a node, it creates a multiplier effect,” the official said. “Companies like CANPACK, United Breweries, and logistics players have come in. Once a large unit is established, local MSMEs start setting up around it, creating an industrial chain,” he said, adding that bulk allotments of land— sometimes up to 200–300 acres — are being made to such companies.

The integrated, corridor-based approach is expected to accelerate industrial growth, generate employment, and create a network of manufacturing hubs across the state. “There is strong interest from industry. When one node gets exhausted, we push the next one. The idea is to keep all nodes progressing in parallel while responding to demand,” the officer said.