Spread over 100 acres, the project will receive an investment of Rs 30 crore from the government of Gujarat
As investments continue to flow into Sanand, the Gujarat government has begun working closely with the Centre to develop a medical devices cluster spread over 100 acres. Sanand shot to fame after the Tata Nano project drove in.
State Industries Commissioner B B Swain confirmed the development, saying, “We have committed to invest around Rs 30 crore in the project and are now waiting to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Government of India.”
He added that the entire investment from the state government would go into the setting up of a common facility centre at the cluster.
“Around five acres of land will be given free of cost by the land owner, which in this case happens to be the Gujarat Industrial Development Corporation (GIDC). This land will see the setting up of a common facility centre to provide infrastructure to the units that come into the cluster. The investment from our side will happen over a period of three years,” Swain explained.
The Union government’s department of pharmaceuticals has also agreed to provide around Rs 30 crore for the project.
GIDC will be selling the plots to individual companies, which intend to set up manufacturing units. In all, 30-40 small- and medium-sized companies are expected to set up their plants in the proposed cluster for making syringes, intravenous (IV) packs and cardiac stents, among other devices. The National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education & Research (NIPER) is going to co-execute the project.
Swain disclosed that the project was discussed at the meeting of the secretary-level committee in Delhi last week and the state government was now awaiting the Centre’s formal approval to start work on the project.
Gujarat has around 150 medical device manufacturing units, of which some 30-odd have the European Union CE Certification. The state currently has a sizeable share in the country’s exports of medical devices, and is making a mark in segments like orthopaedic implants, cardiac stents and intra-occular lens implants.
