Bhopal/ Gwalior, August 26, 2026

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Dr Mohan Yadav inaugurated the fourth manufacturing unit of Godrej Consumer Products Limited at Malanpur in Bhind district on Wednesday. The expansion, involving an investment of more than Rs 450 crore, is expected to create hundreds of jobs and supply consumer products across the country.

The company said the expanded facility has become Asia’s largest soap manufacturing unit. It will produce nearly 4,000 soap bars every minute, strengthening Malanpur’s position as an important consumer goods manufacturing centre.

The latest investment also marks a significant change in the industrial profile of the Gwalior-Chambal region. Once known largely for its difficult terrain and dacoit problem, the region is gradually building a new identity around manufacturing, investment and employment.

Chief Minister Dr Mohan Yadav said Bhind and the wider Chambal region had undergone a major transformation. He described the area as fertile, dependable and capable of generating economic opportunities.

“Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership is bringing change across the country and the state,” the Chief Minister said. He added that the new plant reflected the government’s “Made-in-MP” and “Faith-in-MP” vision.

Dr Yadav said this was the third major industrial unit to come up in Madhya Pradesh in less than two months. It followed a Rs 1,500-crore cement plant in Guna and a Rs 3,500-crore industrial project in Shivpuri.

He said the state was moving beyond the signing of Memorandums of Understanding and ensuring that proposed investments reached the ground. According to him, more than 30 per cent of investment commitments made in Madhya Pradesh had taken concrete shape.

More than Rs 10 lakh crore worth of investments were at different stages of implementation, he said. Several factories had also commenced production. Madhya Pradesh’s exports had increased to around Rs 76,000 crore despite the state having no coastline.

Dr Yadav said an Elixir Industries plant, for which he had performed the bhoomi pujan around 8 to 10 months ago, would also be inaugurated shortly. The project involves an investment of nearly Rs 1,500 crore.

He urged the Godrej Group to establish its fifth unit at Malanpur and start training programmes for local youth. Such programmes, he said, would help residents acquire the skills required by modern industries and improve their employment prospects.

The Chief Minister also announced that the next Global Investors Summit would be held in January 2027. He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi would once again inaugurate the summit.

Madhya Pradesh Assembly Speaker Narendra Singh Tomar said industrial investment was steadily increasing under the leadership of Chief Minister Dr Mohan Yadav. Chambal, once counted among the country’s backward regions, was now emerging as an industrial destination, he said.

Tomar said a hydrogen production plant had also been proposed in Bhind district. The expansion of the Malanpur industrial area, he added, was helping realise Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Make in India vision.

Godrej Consumer Products Executive Chairperson Nisaba Godrej said the company’s association with Malanpur was 35 years old. Adi Godrej had established its first soap manufacturing unit there in 1991. She said the company would create more opportunities for women in employment, skill development and leadership. Improved safety and housing facilities would also allow women to work in night shifts.

The company has expressed its willingness to work with the Madhya Pradesh government to eliminate malaria by 2030. Its mosquito-control products are manufactured at the Malanpur facility.

Godrej Consumer Products Managing Director and CEO Aasif Malbari said the company’s manufacturing complex was spread over nearly 70 acres. Its cumulative investment at Malanpur had now reached around Rs 850 crore.

The facility has a total soap manufacturing capacity of two lakh tonnes. With its expanding production base and nationwide supply network, Malanpur is set to play a larger role in the industrial revival of the Gwalior-Chambal region.