Region Overview
Jodhpur-Pali Industrial Smart City (JPMIA): Overview, Status & Key Facts
Jodhpur-Pali Industrial Smart City, better known by its older name Jodhpur-Pali-Marwar Industrial Area (JPMIA), is a Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor node on the Jodhpur-Pali district border that is now being taken forward as one of the Centre's 12 new industrial smart cities under the National Industrial Corridor Development Programme (NICDP).
| Location | Between Jodhpur and Pali districts, Rajasthan, on NH-62 and SH-64 |
|---|---|
| Nodal agencies | NICDC (Centre) with RIICO and the JPMIA Development Authority (Rajasthan) |
| Original DMIC-notified area | ~154 sq km, of which ~64 sq km urbanisable |
| Current NICDP first-phase footprint | 1,578 acres (~640-641 ha) between Rohat and Kankani |
| Cabinet-approved project cost | ₹922 crore (part of a ₹28,602 crore package for 12 cities, approved 28 Aug 2024) |
| First-phase EPC construction cost | ₹465 crore |
| Investment potential (NICDC, Aug 2025) | ₹7,500 crore |
| Employment potential | Up to 40,000 jobs (NICDC); earlier RIICO-NICDC estimate: 55,000 direct + 1 lakh indirect |
| Key connectivity | 60 km from Marwar Junction (Western DFC); 30 km from Jodhpur Railway Station & Airport |
| Status as of August 2025 | Environmental clearance obtained; 100% land in state possession; first-phase EPC tendering completed |
What it is
Jodhpur-Pali Industrial Smart City is the current name used by NICDC for the industrial node long known as the Jodhpur-Pali-Marwar Industrial Area (JPMIA). Jodhpur Pali Marwar Industrial Area (JPMIA), spanning 1,578 acres, is strategically located between Jodhpur and Pali, Rajasthan, with easy access to NH-62 and SH-64. The site sits inside a much larger notified region: JPMIA, which has been identified as one of the eight Investment Regions to be developed in the first phase of DMIC, covers a total area of around 154 sq km, out of which around 64 sq km is proposed to be urbanised, while the rest is planned as a 'Peripheral Control Belt', with agriculture being the primary activity, to avoid haphazard development, especially along roads and adjacent to the development sites.
The project began life under the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC) programme and has since been folded into the newer, Centre-wide National Industrial Corridor Development Programme (NICDP), for which National Industrial Corridor Development Programme is India's most ambitious infrastructure programme aiming to develop futuristic industrial cities in India which can compete with the best manufacturing and investment destinations in the world.
Who is building it
Development is a joint effort between the central and state governments. National Industrial Corridor Development Corporation (NICDC) is the nodal agency managing the programme. On the ground, RIICO (Rajasthan State Industrial Development and Investment Corporation) is the state-level implementing partner, working through a dedicated development authority. This township will be part of National Industrial Corridor Development Corporation(NICDC), developed on Engineering, Procurement and Construction(EPC) model, and an agreement has already been finalized between RIICO and NICDC.
Land-related decisions on the ground are handled by the Pali District Collectorate and the JPMIA Development Authority. Court records confirm this administrative structure: the case named Rajasthan State Industrial Development and Investment Corporation Limited, Jodhpur Pali Marwar Industrial Development Corporation, Rajasthan Revenue Department, Pali District Collectorate as respondents.
Official notified area, villages and districts
The JPMIA/Jodhpur-Pali footprint straddles two Rajasthan districts. The project site is located 40 km from Jodhpur and 25 km from Pali along the border of the two districts. On the Pali side, the government land actually handed over to the project authority covers nine named revenue villages: it was only in October 2020 that the Pali District Collector officially transferred all government land from nine revenue villages to the JPMIA Development Authority. The nine villages, namely Dungarpur, Singari, Dhundhali, Doodali, Neembli Patelan, Neembli Bramnan, Danasani, Rohat and Dalpatgarh.
Within this larger notified area, the tract now being taken up for construction under the NICDP programme is much smaller and more specific: a new township by the name of Jodhpur Pali Marwar Industrial Area will be set between Rohat and Kankani, and in the first stage 640 hectares will be developed at a cost of Rs 465 crores. The master plan for the wider area also identifies the abadi (settlement) villages closest to this first phase: with the rollout of infrastructure and development activities during this pilot phase, it is expected that great development pressure will be placed on adjoining Abadi Areas, which include Rohat, Singari and Dhundhli.
Why it exists
The project's rationale is tied to Rajasthan's position on the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor (WDFC) and its role in the national push for export-led manufacturing. Officially, these industrial nodes are likely to serve as catalysts in achieving $2 trillion in exports by 2030, with the new industrial cities developed as 'Greenfield Smart Cities' of global standards, built on a 'plug-and-play' and 'walk-to-work' principle.
Locally, JPMIA is meant to anchor several identified industry clusters. Industry categories identified as ideal for JPMIA include textile and apparel, building material, motor vehicles and auto components, handicraft, computers, electronic and optical products and machinery and equipment, all of which will create significant economic opportunities for Rajasthan. It is also planned as a freight gateway: it will promote the industrial, trade and tourism activities driven by local strengths, including natural resources and indigenous crafts, create employment opportunities for the local youth, and act as a key logistics hub for the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor (WDFC) in the overall Marwar region.
Current status (as of August 2025)
Two tracks of progress are visible. First, the older DMIC-era JPMIA already has statutory clearances in place: Environmental Clearance has already been obtained from the MoEF&CC, and with 100% land in possession of the state government, JPMIA offers an investment potential of ₹7,500 crore and an employment potential of 40,000 jobs.
Second, on the newer NICDP track, the Union Cabinet formally brought Jodhpur-Pali into the national programme in August 2024. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved 12 new project proposals totalling an investment of Rs 28,602 crore under the NICDP, including Jodhpur-Pali, and the Jodhpur-Pali Industrial Smart City project costs Rs 922 crore and the investment figures include Rs 7,500 crore. For the first-phase construction tract between Rohat and Kankani, tendering has already been completed for its establishment, with technical evaluation under the EPC model ongoing as of late 2025, and the site is projected to generate 55,000 direct employment opportunities and 1 lakh indirect employment opportunities. NICDC's own project page for the site carries a last updated on : 05th Aug 2025 timestamp, confirming these figures are current as of that date.
Headline connectivity
The site's core selling point is its position between road, rail-freight and air infrastructure. Jodhpur Pali Marwar Industrial Area (JPMIA) has easy access to NH-62 and SH-64, and the site is 60 km from Marwar Junction on the Dedicated Freight Corridor and 30 km from Jodhpur Railway Station and the Jodhpur International Airport.
Internally, the master plan sets aside a wide arterial spine through the site: JPMIA proposes a 180 m width road capable of accommodating a 6-lane carriageway with 6 m service roads on each side, and the corridor also allows for a provision of a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) within the right of way. A dedicated freight facility is also planned: the city plan includes an Integrated Multi Modal Logistics Hub (IMMLH) spread over 2 sq km, with the capacity to handle cargo of up to 25 MT per annum to service the region. A regional road upgrade is also on the books: JPMIA will have connectivity with neighbouring urban centres in Rajasthan, and the development of a 21-km Pali-Sojat bypass is also proposed.
Land use and planning safeguards
Rather than converting the whole 154 sq km into built-up area, the plan reserves most of the land as a farming buffer around a smaller urban core (see Land Use panel). Inside the urbanisable core, the master plan also carves out land for shared civic uses: approx. 356 ha of urbanisable area have been designated for specific public and semi-public uses according to the scale of the proposed industrial township and type of activities envisaged.
Existing settlements and water bodies are meant to be protected rather than displaced: the 2042 land use plan is designed to ensure absolute minimum requirement for resettlement of the existing population, and the identified 'Abadi' areas and existing water bodies will be protected with green buffers and strict planning controls to prevent unauthorised developments and activities.
Land disputes and local pushback
The transfer of common village land for the project has faced legal challenge. Villagers in Dungarpur argued that pasture, water-catchment and sacred-grove land had been wrongly handed over: in 2021, all the villagers of Dungarpur filed a case against the transfer of 864.6148 hectares of "public utility" land which included land reserved for gauchar (pasture), agor (water catchment areas) and orans (sacred groves) to the JPMIA Development Authority. Their core objection was procedural: the petitioners argued that since the land was under the Gram Panchayat's jurisdiction, the local authority should have been given a hearing before the transfer was made.
The state's position was that no protected category of land had actually been diverted and that grazing access would be replaced elsewhere. The court stated that petitioners' claim of violating sustainable development is exaggerated and factually incorrect because, according to the respondents, no Oran or Agor land has been transferred to the Regional Development Authority, and an equivalent area of pasture land will be set aside for grazing under Section 27 of the RSIR Act, 2016. The Jodhpur High Court ultimately sided with the state: the court believed that the facility for pasturage was not being eliminated but relocated, and in conclusion, the Jodhpur High Court did not find any merit in the writ petition.
What happens next
The original DMIC master plan for JPMIA envisaged a long build-out well beyond a single phase. The DMIC Development Corporation (DMICDC) planned to complete the JPMIA in three phases (2022, 2032 and 2042), with total cost for infrastructure development estimated at Rs 10,000 crore, and total employment generation projected to be around 90,000 by 2022 and up to 390,000 by 2042. That original 2022 milestone has passed without the full first phase being built out; the active work now underway is the smaller, NICDP-funded 640-hectare EPC package between Rohat and Kankani.
For investors and residents, the near-term markers to watch are completion of the EPC contract for this first tranche, land-allotment openings through RIICO/NICDC, and further Cabinet or state notifications updating the project's scope. NICDC directs land queries to a central channel: investors can share queries/requests at [email protected] regarding land use (industrial, residential, commercial) available in these cities.
Development phases
Land use
Frequently asked questions
Is "Jodhpur-Pali Industrial Smart City" a new project or the same as JPMIA?
It's the same underlying site rebranded. JPMIA (Jodhpur-Pali-Marwar Industrial Area) was notified under the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor; the Union Cabinet brought it into the newer National Industrial Corridor Development Programme in August 2024 under the name Jodhpur-Pali Industrial Smart City.
Who is developing the project?
NICDC is the central nodal agency, working with Rajasthan's RIICO and the JPMIA Development Authority, which handles land and local implementation.
How big is the project?
The wider DMIC-notified JPMIA region covers about 154 sq km across the Jodhpur-Pali district border, of which around 64 sq km is meant to be urbanised. The current construction-stage footprint is a smaller 1,578-acre (640-641 ha) tract between Rohat and Kankani.
Which villages are directly affected?
Government land for JPMIA in Pali district was transferred from nine revenue villages in October 2020: Dungarpur, Singari, Dhundhali, Doodali, Neembli Patelan, Neembli Bramnan, Danasani, Rohat and Dalpatgarh.
What connectivity will the site have?
The site has direct access to NH-62 and SH-64, sits about 60 km from the Marwar Junction station on the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor, and is about 30 km from Jodhpur Railway Station and Jodhpur International Airport.
Has construction actually started?
As of late 2025, tendering for the first-phase EPC works (640 ha between Rohat and Kankani) had been completed, with technical evaluation of bids reported to be underway; environmental clearance for the wider JPMIA area was already in hand.
Were there any land disputes?
Yes. Villagers from Dungarpur challenged the transfer of common pasture and water-catchment land to the JPMIA Development Authority in the Jodhpur High Court; the court dismissed the petition, accepting the state's assurance that grazing land would be relocated, not eliminated.
Sources
- Jodhpur Pali Marwar Rajasthan | NICDC
- Jodhpur Pali Marwar Industrial Area Rajasthan | NICDC
- Jodhpur Pali Marwar Industrial Area, Rajasthan (older NICDC page)
- Cabinet approves 12 industrial smart city projects - NICDC
- Inclusion of Jodhpur-Pali in NICDP will improve standard of living: Union Minister - Daijiworld
- Inclusion of Jodhpur-Pali in NICDP will improve standard of living: Union Minister - Prokerala
- Master Plan-2042 for JPMIA (Rajasthan Government)
- DMIC's Jodhpur Pali Marwar Industrial Area project in Rajasthan receives environmental clearance
- Village face relocation, grazing lands lost to Jodhpur-Pali Marwar industrial project in Rajasthan - Land Conflict Watch
- New township Jodhpur Pali Marwar Industrial Area (JPMIA) - RasOnly
- Integration of Jodhpur Master/Development Plans and JPMIA (IJSER)
- NICDC Investor FAQ