Uttar Pradesh will join the central government's challenge programme to bag one of the four greenfield medical device park projects that are being proposed under heavy central funding and assistance.

The state has identified a Greater Noida site close to the upcoming Jewar International Airport as a potential location. It has formally appointed Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Area (YIEDA) as the state implementation agency (SIA) for the project.

The medical device park scheme, notified by the Centre recently, offers grant-in-aid of Rs 100 crore each to four medical device parks in four states that will be selected through the challenge method.

The notification calls for submission of proposals within 60 days. The government has fixed a 30-day deadline to sanction in-principle approval for the project. The SIAs of the chosen states will then be asked to submit a detailed project report (DPR) within 180 days of the in-principle approval.

The project envisages handing over of a minimum 50 per cent of the land area to medical device manufacturing units on a long-term lease basis.

The UP government and YIEDA have roped in medical device industry body AiMeD (Association of Indian Medical Device Industry) to partner with the government to develop the proposed MedTech park.

States will have to choose from among the four target segments for which the incentive will be available. They are:-

1. Cancer care/radiotherapy medical devices

2. Radiology and imaging medical devices

3. Anesthetics and cardio-respiratory medical devices and,

4. All implants including implantable electronic devices.

Even though the states, presently, are in the bidding stage for the project, YIEDA has sought the assistance of Vishakhapatnam-based Kalam Institute of Health Technology to help prepare the DPR as and when required, within the stipulated time frame.