The National Industrial Corridor Development Corporation (NICDC) and the Ministry of Steel presented India's industrial corridors and steel sector to Russian industry at INNOPROM India 2026, the first Indian edition of the Russian industrial exhibition. It is being held from 9 to 11 September 2026 at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, with support from India's Ministry of Commerce & Industry and Russia's Ministry of Industry and Trade.
The exhibition is meant to advance the India–Russia Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership. Government representatives, manufacturers, technology companies, investors and industry bodies from both countries are taking part, with a focus on manufacturing, industrial technology, localisation, investment and business partnerships.
India and Russia have set a bilateral trade target of about ₹9.45 lakh crore (US$100 billion) by 2030. The wider economic partnership is increasingly centred on manufacturing, investment, technology cooperation, logistics, localisation and industrial clusters, and both Indian participants framed their pitch around these areas.
NICDC, which functions under the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, held B2B meetings with prospective investors, manufacturers, technology companies and government representatives. Its stall drew heavy footfall, with delegates showing interest in industrial smart cities, BHAVYA, PM MITRA Parks, the Industrial Corridor Land Platform (ICLP) and digital logistics initiatives.
The main offering was the National Industrial Corridor Development Programme (NICDP), which spans 11 industrial corridors, 20 greenfield industrial smart cities and 13 States. Four cities have been developed and 16 more projects are under implementation. The projects cover about 19,878 hectares, with investment potential of around ₹5.35 lakh crore (US$56.6 billion) and employment potential of nearly 1.4 million jobs.
So far, 469 industrial plots covering about 2,109 hectares have been allotted, representing investment potential of around ₹2.21 lakh crore (US$23.4 billion). The four developed cities are Dholera in Gujarat, Shendra-Bidkin (AURIC) in Maharashtra, Greater Noida in Uttar Pradesh and Vikram Udyogpuri in Madhya Pradesh. NICDC said they are being built as plug-and-play manufacturing ecosystems with serviced land, power, water, ICT infrastructure and multimodal connectivity. The programme is aligned with the PM GatiShakti National Master Plan, which integrates industrial development with transport and logistics networks.
NICDC also pointed to other initiatives:
NICDC listed advanced engineering and machinery, railway and transport equipment, metals, energy and renewable energy, automobiles, aerospace and defence, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, textiles and advanced manufacturing technologies as possible areas. It said reputed international companies, including from Russia, already operate in its cities.
Earlier engagements identified Krishnapatnam Industrial Area in Andhra Pradesh and Tumakuru Industrial Area in Karnataka as locations Russian investors could explore. Talks with the Government of Moscow have covered identifying Moscow-based companies interested in investing in India, B2B matchmaking, business missions and the possibility of a Russian industrial cluster within an NICDC city. Such a cluster could bring together Russian anchor manufacturers, component suppliers, technology companies and Indian partners, NICDC said.
The Ministry of Steel set up the India Steel Pavilion at Hall 1, themed "Forging Together – For Infinite Progress". It displays the achievements and capabilities of SAIL, NMDC, MOIL and MECON, and lists areas for India–Russia collaboration: coking coal, nickel, speciality steel, R&D and advanced steel technologies.
A session on "India–Russia Collaboration on Steel Value Chain" was held at Hall 2 under the India–Russia Business Dialogue, with support from the Confederation of Indian Industry and the Ministry of Commerce & Industry. It was co-chaired by Sandeep Poundrik, Secretary, Ministry of Steel, and Mikhail Yurin, Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation. Russian steel, mining and metallurgical companies and the heads of the four public sector enterprises attended.
The session noted that the two countries have complementary strengths in raw material security, metallurgical technologies, production capabilities and downstream applications. Discussions covered investment, technology exchange, sustainable production practices and supply chain resilience.
With reference to the National Industrial Corridor Development Programme (NICDP) as presented at INNOPROM India 2026, consider the following statements:
Which of the statements given above are correct?
Consider the following pairs:
Initiative : Description
How many of the pairs given above are correctly matched?
Which one of the following sets of areas was listed by the Ministry of Steel at the India Steel Pavilion as areas for India–Russia collaboration?
