Nagpur: Union minister Nitin Gadkari on Sunday said auto major Ashok Leyland is considering an EV battery project as part of its expansion plans in Bhandara. “If they go ahead, then it could bring in investments between Rs 10,000 crore to Rs 15,000 crore,” said Gadkari.Pitching Vidarbha as an investment destination, Gadkari said the region had a strike-free industrial environment, growing logistics infrastructure and a dry port enabling direct exports. He said Mahindra had started work on a Rs 15,000 crore unit while Mihan project had already generated one lakh jobs in Vidarbha. Gadkari said, “There is a very friendly atmosphere here and Vidarbha is a fantastic place for investments.”On logistics, Gadkari said Nagpur was emerging as a logistics capital with a dry port now operational for direct exports. He said Mahindra tractors were already being dispatched to Bangladesh by river from Haldia Port, cutting logistics costs, and that the zero mines policy across the country would further ease marketing. Gadkari said, “You must make Nagpur your headquarters. We will fully cooperate with you.”Gadkari also said India’s automobile industry had climbed to third position globally, behind only the US and China, with the sector now valued at Rs 23 lakh crore. Gadkari said, “We were at seventh position, now we have crossed Japan and reached third. I want to take this industry to number one in the world in five years.”
