The Japanese Government, through Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), is sponsoring a Feasibility Study to build a ‘Smart Community’ at the proposed Model Economic Township in Jhajjar, Haryana.

The study is being conducted by a consortium led by Mitsui & Co. Ltd Tokyo along with Toshiba Corporation, Tokyo Gas Co. Ltd, Energy Advance Co. Ltd, NEC Corporation, Panasonic Corporation, Tokyo Engineering Corporation and Mitsui & Co. Plant Systems Ltd.  On June 2, 2011, a Memorandum of Undertaking has been signed with IL&FS to assist the Consortium in its initiative.

The Model Economic Township (MET) at Jhajjar, Haryana is being promoted by Reliance Industries and IL&FS, and HSIIDC, and is spread over an area of over 10,000 acres in Jhajjar District, a declared backward district, near Gurgaon. The total quantum of investment envisaged in the project is of the magnitude of Rs 150 billion to 200 billion, and will be developed in a phased manner.

MET is envisioned as a distinctive integrated City which will be a bench mark for Industrial Townships in India. The MET will comprise of industrial, commercial, residential and Institutional sites integrated together for operational convenience and promoting a walk-to-work culture. These will be supported by social infrastructure, integrated connectivity and transport infrastructure, reliable and uninterrupted power supply, non-conventional energy sources and state-of-art information and communication technology

MET is being especially positioned for Japanese Corporates through the provision of high quality infrastructure and services of global standards. Several Japanese majors have shown a keen interest to set up their high end operations in MET. These include Mitsui and Panasonic amongst several others. The METI sponsored study is a validation of the keen interest of Japanese Corporates in MET and the State of Haryana

In addition to Master Planning, the study will primarily focus on the fields of Energy, Water Supply, ICT, Security systems & Eco Friendly Housing. The objective is to assess the needs, determine the applicable technology and formulate appropriate business models for delivery. The study will also cover projectising individual initiatives on a commercially sustainable basis through appropriate corporate frameworks