The Gujarat government on Wednesday announced 16 new industrial estates, which it expects will create one lakh jobs through investments of around Rs 20,000 crore from small businesses, PTI reported. The state already has 201 such industrial estates under the Gujarat Industrial Development Corporation.

The news comes ahead of the Assembly elections in Gujarat later this year.

The new industrial estates will be spread across 14 districts and accommodate nearly 15,000 units. They will have basic facilities and infrastructure for small businesses and local industries, Chief Minister Vijay Rupani was quoted as saying.

“We intend to give plug and play type of infrastructure to small- and medium-scale industries,” Rupani said.

The biggest unit of the Gujarat Industrial Development Corporation is planned at Vanod in Surendranagar district, spread over 900 hectares and expected to attract Rs 6,600 crore in investment.

The state government also announced a new garment policy, under which it will give financial assistance to workers in the sector. Rupani said that each employee in the garments and apparel unit must be paid at least Rs 9,000 a month, of which the government will contribute Rs 4,000 for female workers and Rs 3,200 for male workers for the next five years.

The chief minister also announced loans with an annual interest rate of 5% to help establish garments and apparel units and a relief of Re 1-per-unit in electricity bills for five years.