Ahmedabad/Bhopal, August 13, 2026

Madhya Pradesh took its investment outreach to Gujarat with a clear pitch: combine Gujarat’s industrial experience with MP’s expanding opportunities. Chief Minister Dr Mohan Yadav’s Ahmedabad visit on Wednesday returned with investment proposals worth Rs 8,635 crore and the potential to create more than 5,785 jobs.

More than 500 industrialists, investors and corporate representatives from Ahmedabad, Surat, Bhavnagar, Rajkot and Vadodara participated in the investment dialogue. Dr Yadav also held more than 15 one-to-one meetings with leading industry groups, taking the outreach from a general investment pitch to discussions on individual projects.

The proposals covered a wide industrial canvas. Cement, packaging, food processing, pharmaceuticals, textiles, chemicals, engineering and aerospace and defence were among the sectors that figured in the discussions.

The largest proposal came from Goldcrest Cement, which proposed an investment of Rs 3,000 crore with the potential to create 1,500 jobs. Edzyos Polyfilms proposed Rs 2,500 crore in packaging, while Gujarat Ambuja Exports proposed Rs1,200 crore in food processing. Eris Lifesciences proposed another Rs 500 crore in pharmaceuticals.

Several relatively smaller investments carried significant employment potential. Shraddha Spun proposed Rs 160 crore in textiles with an estimated 600 jobs, while Raghav Woven proposed Rs 250 crore with the potential to employ 400 people. A Rs 100-crore proposal in aerospace and defence was also part of the investment basket.

The Ahmedabad dialogue was also about combining the strengths of two neighbouring states, claimed Yadav. He described Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh as “twin brothers”. Gujarat brings technological expertise, business experience and entrepreneurship, while Madhya Pradesh offers water, land and the logistics advantage of its central location, he said.

The Narmada provided another connection in his pitch. Dr Yadav described Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh as “two sons of Maa Narmada”, pointing to the river’s role in providing drinking and irrigation water to both states. For industry, however, the decision to invest eventually rests on infrastructure, resources and ease of doing business.

Madhya Pradesh placed its land availability, surplus power, water resources and central location before investors. The state is developing 48 industrial parks across nearly 19,000 acres and has eight airports, six inland container depots and an expanding road and rail network. The state also pitched sector-specific opportunities, including the PM MITRA textile park in Dhar, Medical Device Park in Ujjain, automobile ecosystem around Pithampur and the Telecom Manufacturing Zone being developed in Gwalior.

Arvind Proposal Gives Textile Push a Bigger Canvas

Among the one-to-one meetings, Dr Yadav’s discussion with Arvind Limited Vice Chairman Kulin Lalbhai offered a clearer picture of how Gujarat’s industrial experience could translate into manufacturing and employment in Madhya Pradesh. Arvind Limited has proposed an investment of around Rs 1,200 crore in the PM MITRA Park in Dhar. The company has been allotted 105 acres for the project.

Arvind Group is expanding its industrial presence across three locations-Barlai near Dewas, PM MITRA Park in Dhar and Betma in Indore. The discussions focused on speeding up the proposed investment, incentives available for textile and garment manufacturing and development of environment-friendly industrial infrastructure. The proposal gives another dimension to the Gujarat-MP industrial relationship. Gujarat already has an established textile ecosystem, while Madhya Pradesh is seeking to use the PM MITRA Park and its cotton base to bring more of the textile and garment value chain into the state.

The conversation with Arvind also moved beyond investment and employment. One discussion centred on water reuse in industrial areas. Possibilities included Zero Liquid Discharge systems for textile, pharmaceutical and other industrial clusters. Connecting industrial parks with sewage treatment plants of nearby urban bodies to develop a circular water economy was also discussed. The discussion showed that the investment push is no longer only about factories and jobs. Water use and sustainable industrial growth are increasingly becoming part of the planning.

Another part of the conversation travelled from factories to Simhastha 2028. The potential use of mission-critical communication networks during the mega religious gathering was discussed. Arya Omnitalk Solutions, a joint venture involving Arvind Limited, provides wireless and public-safety communication solutions. Such technology could support police, security forces, disaster management, health services and event management during Simhastha 2028.

Energy also figured prominently in the one-to-one meetings. Discussions with Torrent Power centred on a proposed 1,600-MW thermal power project in Anuppur, additional generation capacity and Madhya Pradesh’s long-term energy requirements.

The Ahmedabad outreach will now feed into the state’s larger investment campaign. Dr Yadav invited Gujarat’s industrial community to participate in the Global Investors Summit 2027 in Madhya Pradesh. His pitch was simple: Gujarat has experience and Madhya Pradesh has opportunities.

The state government says Madhya Pradesh has received investment proposals exceeding Rs 34 lakh crore across sectors during the past two-and-a-half years, while investments worth more than Rs10 lakh crore have already been grounded. The Rs 8,635 crore figure has given the Gujarat outreach a headline. Turning those proposals into operating units and jobs will give it its real meaning.