As part of the mission, smaller towns and administrative subdivisions surrounding Indore are being integrated with the city. The geographical scope of the project has been expanded sixfold to more than 16,000 square kilometres. The initiative now covers 38 tehsils and 2,781 villages spread across six districts, including Indore, Ujjain, Dewas, Dhar, Ratlam and Shajapur. More than 12.5 million people reside in the region.
The state government plans to develop the area into a future-ready model based on manufacturing, greenfield corridors, industrial land banks and spiritual tourism. Authorities have initiated efforts to transform the Malwa region into a modern global manufacturing hub. The Ujjain-Indore Metropolitan Region possesses a land bank of more than 13,500 hectares and includes plans for 14 new industrial parks. The industrial expansion is expected to generate approximately 500,000 employment opportunities for local youth.
Pithampur is being prepared to become a centre for electric vehicles and advanced engineering, while Vikram Udyogpuri in Ujjain will be developed as an anchor city. Ratlam is being positioned as a major logistics and trade node with a new identity as an export hub.
The government is implementing a series of ambitious projects across the 16,000 square kilometre region with the objective of ensuring that travel between different locations can be completed within one hour. To achieve this, work has begun on a greenfield corridor connecting Indore and Ujjain and on the Indore-Bhopal Expressway. Public transportation will be strengthened through the Ujjain-Indore Metro expansion plan to ensure seamless connectivity to key economic centres. The region will be directly connected to the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor and expressway networks, enabling goods manufactured in local industries to reach major ports within hours.
Chief Minister Dr. Mohan Yadav has laid the foundation for the Indore-Pithampur Economic Corridor, marking the beginning of a new phase of development. The project represents the country’s first land pooling model under which farmers from 17 villages will receive 60 percent of their developed land back, ensuring that they become direct beneficiaries of development rather than merely land contributors.
Under the multi-nodal network strategy, cities including Dewas, Dhar, Maksi and Shajapur will be developed as growth nodes to reduce population and infrastructure pressure on larger urban centres such as Indore.
To ensure environmental sustainability, the government has introduced a Blue-Green Development policy. The policy safeguards water bodies and forest areas by imposing strict restrictions on construction near the Narmada River and other ecological zones. Large-scale plantation drives will be mandatory to enhance green cover. Industrial areas will adopt zero liquid discharge systems to prevent polluted water from entering rivers. Future industrial clusters will operate as carbon-neutral zones and rely on renewable energy sources, including solar and wind power, to meet electricity requirements.
The development model is based on balancing progress with heritage conservation. The government aims to increase tourism’s contribution to the state economy to 10 percent by 2047. More than 50 million devotees visited Ujjain in 2023, prompting authorities to connect Ujjain, Omkareshwar, Mandu and Maheshwar through a luxury tourism circuit. The initiative will include rural tourism, Narmada riverfront development and a large network of heritage hotels, creating extensive income opportunities for local communities.
To eliminate limitations in urban planning, the government has introduced the Madhya Pradesh Metropolitan Region Planning and Development Act, 2025. Future urban expansion will be based on scientific data and geospatial tools instead of conventional approaches. A powerful Metropolitan Authority will be established with supreme statutory powers to formulate and implement development plans across the region. The authority will assess population growth and transportation requirements for the next 20 to 50 years and create infrastructure in advance through proactive planning, ensuring that future generations do not face urban disorder.
With a massive industrial network, advanced transport infrastructure, environmental safeguards and a heritage-driven tourism strategy, the Ujjain-Indore Metropolitan Region is emerging as one of India’s most ambitious long-term development projects. The initiative seeks to redefine the Malwa region as a globally competitive economic powerhouse while laying the foundation for sustainable and inclusive growth leading up to 204
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