The Aryavarth Express
Agency(New Delhi): In Mumbai, amidst the criticism of Maharashtra for losing several significant projects to Gujarat, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis made a bold statement highlighting the essence of national unity and competitive federalism. At the India Global Forum, Fadnavis addressed concerns by stating that Gujarat, like any other Indian state, should not be viewed as a rival akin to Pakistan, but rather as part of a healthy competition within the country.
Fadnavis emphasized Maharashtra’s ambition to attract more businesses, stressing the state’s efforts to improve the ease and cost of doing business. This comes in the wake of the opposition’s critique regarding the state’s recent failure to secure large-scale investment projects, particularly in the semiconductor industry, which instead went to Gujarat.
Highlighting Maharashtra’s strategy for economic advancement, Fadnavis mentioned the formation of a panel led by Tata Sons chairman N Chandrasekaran. He expressed confidence in Maharashtra’s potential to reach a Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) of $1 trillion by 2030. Fadnavis also pointed out Maharashtra’s significant role in India’s startup ecosystem, housing a fifth of the country’s startups, including 25 unicorns.
Additionally, Fadnavis shared developments in artificial intelligence, with a Centre of Excellence set to be established at IIIT Nagpur in collaboration with Google. He also detailed infrastructural advancements in the Mumbai metropolitan area, including over USD 30 billion worth of projects initiated during his tenure as Chief Minister from 2014-2019. Fadnavis outlined the progress and future plans for Mumbai’s metro network, aiming to drastically reduce travel time across the city by 2027.
Looking towards the future, Fadnavis spoke of creating a “third Mumbai” across the harbour, expected to drive the state’s economic growth for the next three decades. With the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, he confidently predicted the BJP and its allies would secure a significant majority of Maharashtra’s seats, further solidifying their political stance in the state.
