'40,000 sq meter land parcel approved in just 2 hours 34 minutes': Real-time example of quick government response in Bern

Piyush Goyal addressing a gathering of Swiss businesses at Swissmem Industry Day 2025. (Image courtesy: x.com/PiyushGoyal)

It took just 2 hours and 34 minutes for a company to get approval for 40,000 square meter of land in Maharashtra to expand its factory. Unbelievable as it may sound, it really happened.

On the morning of June 10, in the Swiss capital Bern, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal was holding a meeting with the heads of Swiss companies. During the meeting, the representative of a company mentioned that they had been operating in India for nearly 20 years, with a well-performing business and a plant located in Maharashtra.

Now, the company wanted to expand its production capacity and needed around 10 acres (approximately 40,000 square meters) of land adjacent to their existing facility. However, that piece of land was designated as a “green zone”, reserved as an open area, and the company’s request to acquire it had not yet been approved.

When this concern was raised before the minister, he acted immediately. At 11:33 AM, he forwarded the company’s request and supporting documents directly to the Industry Secretary of Maharashtra. And just 2 hours and 34 minutes later, at 2:07 PM, a response came: the land would be made available.

The Union Minister shared this incident publicly during the SWISSMEM Conference in Bern, stating: “I sent the company’s application to the Maharashtra Industry Secretary at 11:33 in the morning… I just received the reply. Within two hours and fifteen minutes, the MIDC land allotment team discussed the matter. It has been confirmed that approximately 40,000 square meters can be made available… They will shift the green zone to another location.”

The announcement was made in front of representatives of around 1,000 Swiss companies and a delegation of about 90 Indian companies. The timing couldn’t have been more significant — Switzerland is actively looking to invest in India on a large scale.

This real-time example of quick government response served as a strong message: India can, and India will deliver.

It was a true honour to address a gathering of 1,000+ Swiss businesses at @Swissmem Industry Day 2025, where I was joined by the Swiss Federal Councillor @ParmelinG.Took the opportunity to highlight Indias remarkable transformation over the past 11 years in terms of pic.twitter.com/tzBnJZIWoV
Piyush Goyal (@PiyushGoyal) June 10, 2025