Japanese city clusters planned to lure SMEs

To attract small and medium enterprises from Japan, the government was planning to allow setting up of Japanese clusters in a city format, said Ajay Dua, secretary of the department of industrial policy and promotion.

"Mitsui has already done its homework and has been in touch with Rajasthan State Industrial Development and Investment Corporation Ltd (RIICO) and private developers," said Dua.

The idea behind such a project is that Japanese small and medium enterprises (SMEs) will like to have an atmosphere that is conducive to their families' stay here.

Besides apartments and schools, Japanese cuisine and entertainment will also be made available in the city formats.

Drawing parallels with Dilli Haat, Dua said all this would be within an "Indian" environment.

RIICO and Japan External Trade Organisation (JETRO) today signed a memorandum of understanding for facilitating industrial growth in India.

"The government of Rajasthan and RIICO will assist Japanese investors for getting the necessary clearances from government departments," said Narpat Singh Rajvi, minister for industries in the Rajasthan government.

According to the MoU, RIICO and Jetro will work jointly to evolve a one-stop system to provide information for smooth implementation of Japanese investment and for exploring possibilities for developing of industrial areas/estates.