Fadnavis Urges Officials to Enhance Industry-Focused Ease of Doing Business

Mumbai, Jan 9 (NationPress) In light of escalating competition from other states vying for investors in industrial growth, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday urged the state industry department to enhance the ease of doing business process, making it more industry-friendly to maintain Maharashtra's status as a preferred investment hub.

He stressed the importance of updating industrial policies to reflect current trends and called for immediate action to devise a plan for this transformation.

The Chief Minister highlighted the necessity of revising various policies, including the Industrial Policy, Electronics Policy, Gems and Jewellery Policy, Textile Policy, and MSME Policy, to align them with contemporary needs, with the process expected to commence by March.

During his meeting with the industry department, Fadnavis specified that the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation should finalize land allocations for investors within the next 100 days.

Industries Department Secretary P. Anbalagan presented plans for the upcoming initiatives to be undertaken by the Industries Department within this timeframe.

The Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) currently has 3,500 acres of land available for allotment, and plans to acquire an additional 10,001 acres will be set in motion.

As part of improving the Ease of Doing Business, an AI chatbot feature will be launched on the Maharashtra Industry, Trade and Investment Facilitation Cell (MAITRI) Portal, as well as the Industries Commissionerate portal.

Furthermore, the addition of 50 new services to the MAITRI Portal, based on a zero-pending policy, will be completed within the next 100 days.

To foster industrial growth and exports, investment and export conferences will be organized at the district level. Additionally, a goal has been established to create ten thousand new entrepreneurs under the Chief Minister's Employment Generation Program, Fadnavis noted.

He instructed the industry department to devise a plan that facilitates the provision of apprenticeships for youth while nurturing new entrepreneurs.

The Industry Department plans to establish a dedicated cell for addressing investor grievances, ensuring that investment incentive funds are distributed promptly.

Moreover, further initiatives will be undertaken to attract increased foreign direct investment.

During the upcoming World Economic Forum summit in Davos, the state government will aim to maximize investment opportunities in Maharashtra.

Additionally, the Industry Department has prioritized the completion of projects in AURIC city and Bidkin Industrial city near Sambhajinagar, along with developments at Dighi port in Raigad district.

The department is focused on enhancing industry service centers across all districts.

In a separate meeting, Fadnavis requested the Labour Department to formulate a collaborative plan to ensure unorganized workers benefit from Central and state government schemes, categorized by the occupation-based framework outlined on the Central government's e-Labor Portal.

Currently, approximately 1.5 crore workers are registered in the state. Alongside these workers, various schemes for unorganized labor in other sectors should be consolidated onto a single platform.

It was proposed to launch an online service similar to the 'Boiler Manufacturing Management System' to enhance coordination between the industry and regulatory bodies.