Recently, India’s first ‘National Investment and Manufacturing Zone’ was proposed to be set up in

The correct answer is A) Andhra Pradesh. The NIMZ idea comes from the National Manufacturing Policy 2011, which envisaged large, self-contained manufacturing hubs with plug-and-play infrastructure, and the first one was proposed at Srikakulam (Dugarajapatnam-Ponnaguru belt) in Andhra Pradesh. Note that this question does not belong to the 2016 paper, so check the exact year before relying on the date.

• Gujarat (B): Gujarat's large industrial projects, such as Dholera, were developed under the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor and state schemes, not as the first NIMZ.
• Maharashtra (C): Maharashtra's major industrial clusters are also part of other corridor and state-level initiatives, not the first NIMZ.
• Uttar Pradesh (D): UP's industrial development runs through state industrial policies and corridor projects, and is not the answer to the 'first NIMZ' question.

The core concept is the NIMZ under the Make in India push and the manufacturing policy framework, which links to Mains GS-III on industrial policy, the role of SEZs and NIMZs, and the gap between announced and implemented projects. Remember that the NIMZ scheme has seen revisions and slow implementation, so current status should be checked.

Trap: Students mix up NIMZ with SEZs, DMIC or state industrial parks, and pick a state with a famous industrial corridor instead of the one specifically linked to the NIMZ announcement.