Nagpur: Announcements about a big surge in investments in Vidarbha marked the Khasdar Audyogik Mahotsav that concluded in Nagpur on Monday. The three-day event proved to be a game-changer for regional development.
The carefully orchestrated strategies of Union Minister Nitin Gadkari and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis have started reaping rewards with investors flocking the region and local industrialists unveiling ambitious expansion plans. This is further underscored by Gadkari’s announcement about the launching of the Sindi Dry Port in Wardha within the next 20-25 days, while Fadnavis vowed to attract a staggering Rs 40,000 crore in investments for Gadchiroli.
Speaking at a panel discussion held during the Khasdar Audyogik Mahotsav, Gadkari said, most of the required infrastructure facilities at the Sindi Dry Port were ready for the exim trade. It will be the fourth such facility in the region which is expected to take export and import trade to a next level.
Addressing the valedictory function of the mega event here on Monday, Fadnavis said that the State Government had signed Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with seven companies for production of green hydrogen in Maharashtra involving a total investment of Rs 2.70 lakh crore. Chief Minister Eknath Shinde signed these MoUs in presence of Fadnavis in Mumbai on Monday.
Fadnavis said that ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel India Ltd was one of the companies with whom the State Government had signed an MoU for setting up of the steel manufacturing plants based on green energy in Maharashtra involving Rs 40,000 crore. Interestingly, Fadnavis said, he will leave no stone unturned to attract the company’s investment in Gadchiroli, reiterating his resolve to turn the tribal and backward district into a steel manufacturing hub.
Earlier, on the first day of the Mahotsav, over 25 MoUs were signed between angel investors and start-ups in the region. Besides, the event also witnessed a couple of entrepreneurs announcing sizable investments in the logistics sector in the strategically located Nagpur region. In another seminar during the expo, Gadkari highlighted the growing investment in MIHAN, especially in the aviation and information technology sectors.
An MoU was also signed between Ramcharan Group of Chennai and SIAN Agro Nagpur on technology transfer on the occasion. Kaushik Palicha of Ramcharan Group, and Nikhil Gadkari and Sarang Gadkari of SIAN Agro, signed the agreement. Expressing his views on the first-of-its-kind event held here, Fadnavis said that the expo would accelerate industrialisation not only in Nagpur, but all other districts of the region.
“It will further attract large-scale investment and I hope that this will prove to be a milestone in Vidarbha’s growth. This expo has brought to light Vidarbha’s industrial side and made outsiders notice the potential of this region. It has given a vision to students as well,” he added. Fadnavis concluded by saying that the successful outcome of the Mahotsav in its very first year was an indication that it would become a big platform for employment generation in the future.
On this occasion, a coffee table book of success stories of entrepreneurs from Vidarbha was unveiled by the dignitaries. The book highlights the journey of entrepreneurs who have contributed significantly to the economic development of the region. MP Krupal Tumane, Maharashtra Tourism Minister Girish Mahajan, and others were also present at the valedictory function.
