Maharashtra Emerges as Leader in FDI, Solidifying Its Status as a Preferred Investment Hub: Governor

Mumbai, Dec 9 (NationPress) As states vie for investment opportunities in a competitive federalism landscape, Maharashtra has achieved a remarkable feat by leading in foreign direct investment (FDI) for two consecutive years, namely 2023-24 and 2024-25.

During his address to the joint session of the state legislature on Monday, Governor C.P. Radhakrishnan announced that Maharashtra topped the nation in FDI with an impressive Rs 1,25,101 crore in 2023-24. Furthermore, in the initial two quarters from April to September of the year 2024-25, the state again secured the top position with an FDI of Rs 1,13,236 crore, which constitutes over 90 percent of the total FDI from the previous year.

The Governor emphasized, "Maharashtra stands out as one of the foremost industrial states in India. The state contributes more than 14 percent to the national GDP, and our government has set an ambitious goal of achieving a $1 trillion economy by 2027-28," he stated.

In an effort to enhance investment, the government has introduced a policy granting Anchor Industry status to mega-projects in key sectors such as semiconductors, electric vehicles, aerospace, defense, chemicals, polymers, and lithium iron batteries, along with special incentives to draw more investments into the state.

In the past eight months, projects approved under this policy are projected to attract an investment of around Rs 3,29,000 crore, creating direct and indirect employment opportunities for 1,18,000 individuals.

The government has also unveiled the State's Information Technology and Information Technology Supported Services Policy, 2023, alongside the Green Data Centre Policy, aiming to establish Mumbai as the Data Centre Capital of India. This initiative will involve the development of a Green Integrated Data Centre Park in the Mumbai and Navi Mumbai regions, leading to an investment of approximately Rs 1 lakh crore and generating employment for 20,000 people.

To nurture skills among the youth, the government has introduced the "Chief Minister Yuva Karya Prashikshan Yojana", designed to enhance skills and provide a skilled workforce for industries.

As part of this initiative, 1,19,700 candidates have enrolled for training. To facilitate youth training aimed at employability, 1,000 Acharya Chanakya Skill Development Centres have been established in colleges, with an annual training capacity for 1,50,000 youths.

Additionally, the government signed a memorandum of understanding with the state of Baden-Wurttemberg in Germany in February 2024 to supply 10,000 skilled workers.

In light of the enthusiastic response from women voters towards the MahaYuti alliance in the recent state assembly elections, the Governor announced the continuation of the Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana, aimed at empowering women aged between 21 to 65 years. Under this scheme, more than 2.34 crore beneficiary women receive Rs 1,500 each month, with five monthly installments paid from July to November 2024.

The Governor also revealed the government's decision to implement the Revised National Pension Scheme and the Central Government's Unified Pension Scheme for employees enrolled in the National Pension Scheme.

Regarding the state government's initiative to eradicate drought, the Governor mentioned that administrative approval has been granted for 167 irrigation projects with the potential to irrigate 25 lakh 21 thousand hectares of land in the last two years.

Moreover, administrative approval has been given for four river linking projects: Wainganga-Nalganga, Nar-Par-Girna, Damanganga-Ekdare-Godavari, and Damanganga-Vaitarna-Godavari, which will create irrigation potential for 4 lakh 33 thousand hectares.

The government is also actively advancing the "Jal Jeevan Mission Scheme", which has provided water access to over 1.27 crore households.

The Governor noted that the Centre’s decision to designate Marathi as a Classical Language will facilitate the establishment of specialized centres for studying the language at 450 universities.

As a result, additional funding will be allocated from the Central government to support the preservation and promotion of the Marathi language.