INTERVIEW: CHIEF MINISTER n SMART CITIES n ... CHIEF MINISTER n SMART CITIES n GROWTH CORRIDORS n INFRASTRUCTURE 2 MAHARASHTRA AHEAD n FEBRUARY 2018 POLICIES AT A GLANCE uPolicy chalked

MAHARASHTRA AHEAD n FEBRUARY 2018 1

VOL.7 ISSUE 2 n FEBRUARY 2018 n `50 n PAGES 64

INTERVIEW: CHIEF MINISTER n SMART CIT IES n GROWTH CORRIDORS n INFRASTRUCTURE

2 MAHARASHTRA AHEAD n FEBRUARY 2018

POLICIES AT A GLANCE

u Policy chalked out with aim of next five years, with an investment of about `38,000 crore u Policy an effective measure to double farmers incomeu It aims to create 10 lakh jobs from all industries, including cotton, silk, wool and non-traditional yarn (bam-

boo, grass, coconut etc.)u A 5 per cent subsidy will be given to non-traditional yarn production, textile production and technical

textile sectoruSuch units will be get power supply at reasonable ratesu The policy has proposed a 25 per cent discount for modernisation of plain powerloomsu The State will provide a 5per cent capital grant for investment of `500 crore and above in the textile sectoru Policy aims reviving Silk and Woolen industry and creating Integrated Value Chain

MAHARASHTRA ELECTRIC VEHICLE POLICY 2018

u Electric vehicles are the need of the hour. Maharashtra leads India’s auto manufacturing marketu This will help in reducing carbon footprint u State to give big push to battery operated vehicles in a big way and to

realise this around five lakh battery-powered vehicles will be manu-factured in five yearsu Investment of `25,000 crore to be made. One lakh employment op-

portunities to be created u In first phase six cities: Mumbai, Thane, Pune, Nashik, Aurangabad,

and Nagpur to be covered.u Sustainable transport system to be developedu Electric vehicles will be exempted from road tax and registration feesu 50-100 per cent reimbursement of stamp duties on land and loan

agreements to makers of electric vehicles.u Refund of State GST if the car is sold within the Stateu Incentives to the component and battery makers.u A subsidy of 25 percent or ̀ 10 lakh, whichever is less, on the first 250

charging stations that will be set up near bus depots, petrol pumps and public parking spots.u It offers subsidy up to `1 lakh on cars, `5,000 on two-wheelers,

`12,000 on three-wheelers and `10 lakh on buses for buyers. The subsidy amount will be transferred into a buyer’s accounts within three months.

READYMADE GARMENTS, GEMS AND JEWELLERY

u Policy to help in generating employment opportunities in cot-ton growing belt of Vidarbha and Marathwada u The policy plans to give several non-fiscal benefits to small

garment manufacturing units u Gems and Jewellery to help generating employment opportu-

nities in Mumbaiu MIDC is the planning authorityu Diamond cutting and polishing units functioning in the city to

boost its marketability and productivityu Non-fiscal incentives such as flat ‘galas’ to shift their busi-

nesses or special zones to be created in consultation with the local planning bodyu Additional FSI, in consultation with the local planning body, at

certain locations, to create a garment hub or a diamond hub

THE MAHARASHTRA COIR INDUSTRY POLICY 2018

u Policy to help in promoting a setup of coir-based industries to manufacture handicrafts, ropes, mats and mattresses, rugs, geo-textiles, composite boards and fertiliseru The 8,000 units to be set up

under the policy to generate 50,000 jobsu Coconut based industries to

get investment capital upto `50 lakh u 90 per cent assistance for

industrial group developme centresu Coir industry affiliated re-

search, development centres to be set up u Setting up State-level imple-

mentation committeeu Implementation through Ma-

harashtra Small Scale Indus-tries Development Corporation (MSSIDC)

MAHARASHTRA TEXTILE POLICY 2018


What’s Inside

Made for Business 06Changing for Better 09Opportunities Unlimited 11Boost for Heavy Industries 12The Veins of Economy 13Maharashtra Meets the World 15Global Investment Destination 16Rolling out the Red Carpet 18Growth Engine of the Nation 19Investment Saga Continues 20Taking City to the Next Level 21Getting Ready to Take off 22Think Smart Live Smart 25Expressway to Progress 27A Leap Forward 30Spearheading Initiatives 34Making of a Futuristic State 37New Era of Sustainable Farming 40From Farm to Fashion 43Safeguarding Labour Interest 46Progress Through Ideation 48Boost to Electronic Sector 50Logistically Speaking 52On an Equal Footing 54A Blend of Wine and Tourism 56Women Entrepreneurs 58Mumbai Beckons 60

06

25

37

54

60

40

58

MADE FOR BUSINESS

THINK SMARTLIVE SMART

MAKING OF A FUTURISTIC STATE

NEW ERA OF SUSTAINABLE FARMING

PERFECT BLEND OF WINE AND TOURISM

Maharashtra has been imple-menting Make in Maharashtra in letter and spirit with ease ofdoing business, attracting new investments, and making changes in the administration for thegrowth of micro, small and medium enterprises.

Digitalisation of 29,000 gram pancha-tays under MahaNet on the lines of BharatNet will help 40,913 villages across Maharashtra.

Not all grapes produce quality wine and not all wine can find domestic market. Grapes of the wine quality require a lot of effort and farmers need to change the way they farm the land.

MUMBAI BECKONSWhether it was having fun with your family and friends or getting your hands on thehottest fashion trends, MSF2018 was where all the action was.

WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS

As part of the strategy to make Maharashtra a digital State by 2019, the CM has launched the Aaple Sarkar website, an online portal for people to access govern-ment services and information.

D I S C L A I M E R : V I E W S A N D O P I N I O N S E X P R E S S E D I N T H E M A G A Z I N E A R E T H O S E O F W R I T E R S


A Convergence of IdeasEDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Brijesh SinghGUEST EDITORSubash Desai

ASSIGNMENT EDITORAjay Ambekar

EDITORMeenal Joglekar

EXECUTIVE EDITORKriti Lalla

TEAM CO-ORDINATIONEDITING

Suresh Wandile(Deputy Director)

SALES AND CIRCULATION

Mangesh Warkad(Astt.Director)Ashwini Pujari

(Sub-Editor)COVER DESIGN

Seema RanalkarSushim Kamble

BIPL MEDIA ASSOCIATESASSOCIATE EDITORManisha Thakur

EDITORIAL CO-ORDINATORMadhura PatkarART DIRECTOR

Anu Dutt

DIRECTORXavier Collaco

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VOL. 7 ISSUE 2 n FEBRUARY 2018 n `50 n PAGES 64

Ihave an immense pleasure in bringing out this special edition of Maharashtra Ahead, the mouth piece of Government of Maharashtra, at the outset of the State’s first ever global investment summit, Magnetic Maharashtra: Convergence 2018.

Maharashtra is recognised worldwide as the finance and entertainment capital of India. During the Make in India Week held two years ago, the State attracted the highest investment proposals worth ̀ 8 lakh crore. With Magnetic Maharashtra, we now aim to make Maharashtra the trade and manufacturing capital of India.

With the tag line #Madeforbusiness, aimed to promote indigenous manufacturing and provide impetus to the Honourable Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s flagship programme, Make in India, the summit will be inaugurated by the Prime Minister himself. It intends to bring together heads of States and Governments, leaders from political and corporate world, policymakers and academicians under one roof. The three-day summit will include interactive seminars, panel discussions, CEO roundtables, and B2B and B2G meetings. To support new-age entrepreneurs in the State, the summit will host a competition, Magnetic Maharashtra Start-Ups

under 30. I look forward to welcome global investors for the summit to be held between 18 and 20 February at Bandra-Kurla Complex in Mumbai.

In recent times, our Government has implemented several policies that are more investor-friendly. We have reduced the number of statutory approvals for industrial investments and brought in a single-window clearance policy to provide various project approvals by bringing together necessary departments and State undertakings. To attract investors in diverse sectors such as agro-industry, electric vehicles, textiles, fintech, energy, infrastructure, and logistics park for readymade garments, gems and jewellery, defence and IT, we have issued policies with a slew of incentives. All these efforts are rightly supported by best infrastructure and balanced labour policies of the State.

A detailed overview of all these investor-friendly steps taken by our Government is taken in this issue of Maharashtra Ahead. While welcoming the best from the industrial sector to our maiden global investment summit, I present this collector’s issue.

Subhash DesaiGuest Editor

From the Editor’s Desk

Message from the Prime Minister

It is a pleasure to know that global investors’ summit ‘Magnetic Ma-harashtra Convergence 2018’ is being organised by the State of Maha-rashtra to highlight its potential and strength as the most favourable investment destination.Maharashtra has a glowing record in terms of infrastructure and pro-vision of a business friendly environment. The recent initiatives by the administration has been reiterating the ‘future-ready’ status of the State. The summit is sure to convince all the global industrial leaders to reaffirm their faith in the potential of the State to be the emerging global capital of smart manufacturing and innovation. It is hoped that the summit will showcase the exemplary successes achieved by the State in different walks of life and will bring a fresh energy and spirit to take the manufacturing initiatives in the State to the next level of excellence. It is appreciable that a special issue of ‘Maharashtra Ahead’ focusing on the investor friendly climate of the State is being released on this occasion and warm wishes are conveyed for the publication. Best wishes for the resounding success of the ‘Magnetic Maharashtra Convergence 2018’

New DelhiFebruary 08, 2018 Narendra Modi


While Mumbai gets ready to roll out the red carpet to welcome prospective investors in the upcoming Magnetic Maharshtra summit, Chief Minister Davendra Fadnavis, in an interview with Kirti Pande, expounds what makes the State the best place to invest in

MAHARASHTRA: MADE FOR BUSINESS

After Make In India, it’s a proud moment for Maharashtra to host the first-ever Global Investment Summit. Your comments. After hosting the Make in India Week, Mumbai is being recognized as an iconic city just like Davos in Switzerland. Over the last several decades, the city has established itself as a global financial, commercial and enter-tainment capital. It has the best and brightest opportunities for people across the country as also foreign nationals.

With Magnetic Maharashtra, we are truly on the path of making our State a trade and manufacturing hub of India. Through this summit, we are aiming to bring on board the State’s achievements in core sectors and, fur-ther, to tap global investors. The summit will include interactive seminars, panel discus-sions, CEO roundtables, and B2B and B2G meetings. It intends to bring together heads of the state and central government, leaders from political and corporate worlds, policymakers and academicians under one roof.

Tell us about the journey of the State from Make in India to Make in Maharashtra. “Make in India”, a flagship national level pro-gram aimed at transforming India into a man-

ufacturing hub, has recently completed three years and it’s very satisfying to have been a part of this journey and to witness the nation unlock its full potential through the coming years. These are exciting times indeed.

The vision our Hon’ble Prime Minister shared for India back in Sep 2014 becomes clearer by the day as the economy advances through the stages and realizes increasing investments from diverse players in diverse sectors from across the world, a feat possible only with focused initiatives such as the ‘Make in India’ program.

In pursuit of inviting Global investments, over the past three years, the centre and State Government of Maharashtra have been work-ing relentlessly in bringing about a number of reforms to create a conducive environment for the same.

Undoubtedly, ‘global investment destina-tion’ are very strong words but when it comes to Maharashtra, these words come out most naturally. A testament to this statement is the growth story of the State. There are only 15 countries in the world, to date, with a tril-lion dollar economy. Maharashtra aims to be the first State in India to reach this milestone. During the first fiscal, we attracted more than half of the total foreign direct investment (FDI) amongst all the states in India. Mag-netic Maharashtra Convergence 2018 is the next big step for propelling our very own ‘Make in Maharashtra’ campaign which is aimed at producing a conducive business environment in the State.

Have we really achieved the mantra of Minimum Government, Maximum Govern-ance, especially in the industrial sector? Continuous reforms are being undertaken for the furtherance of ease of doing business. The State’s fiscal support to industries is now provided through a completely online process, including disbursement. A total of 44 services, approvals and registrations required for set-ting up manufacturing industries have been made available in MAITRI as a single window. Property acquisition has also been simplified by the State Government to a large extent.

The time taken for mutation has been reduced from 30 to 10 days, and building plan

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis with the President and CEO of Coca-Cola, James Quincey, at Davos. Coca-Cola will be investing in mutiple sectors in the State.

There are only 15 countries in the world to date with a trillion dollar economy. Maharash-tra aims to be the first State in India to reach the milestone of trillion dollar economy. During the first fiscal, we alone have attracted more than half of the total Foreign Direct Invest-ment (FDI) amongst the states in India.

Interview w Chief Minister

”

“


application and approval process brought down from 47 to only 8 days. Now, digitally-signed occupancy and building completion certificates are issued as a single certificate and for elec-tricity connection, the period has been reduced from 67 days to 15 days and allied procedures from 7 to 3.

How much ahead are we in the IT sector and what steps will be taken in future to make it stronger? During the last 3 years, the Maharashtra Government has managed to attract invest-ments worth more than `5,100 crore in Infor-mation Technology and `829 crore in Informa-tion Technology Enabled Services (ITES). The IT and ITES policies by the State Government have received a good response. Till date, 1,261 business units and developers, who will be set-ting up 26 IT parks in the State, have been issued Letters of Intent. With a view to create a US$ 2 billion opportunity for the industry, the State recently introduced the Public Cloud policy.

The first of its kind, the policy mandates Government departments to shift their data storage onto Cloud. This policy will also accel-erate investments into the Mumbai Metro-politan Region as it supports a good number of data centres and has advantages like avail-ability of uninterrupted power, presence of academia and skilled manpower.

How is Samrudhi Mahamarg going to boost the industrial growth of the State?

A Mercedes plant at Chakan near Pune. The CM firmly believes that the economic advancement will be possibe only under the Make in India programme.

Samruddhi Mahamarg will bring about planned development in these areas which will lead to prosperity in the region. This six-lane, access-controlled corridor between Nagpur and Mumbai is 701 kilometres (kms) long and will cost around `46,000 crore. This expressway will have service roads on both sides that will, basically, connect the underpasses.

There will be wayside amenities and new town areas will be built. At least 24 new towns are planned in these interchanges and all of them will be green field projects. We will be bringing about growth in all the access points of the expressway. These interlinks will bring about agro-prosperity as a result of cold stor-age facilities, agro-based industries, food pro-cessing centres, etc. There will be educational hubs, skilling centres etc. We’ve, in our posses-

There are only 15 coun-tries in the world, to date, with a trillion dol-lar economy. Maharash-tra aims to be the first State in India to reach this milestone. Magnetic Maharashtra Conver-gence 2018 is our next big step for propelling our very own ‘Make in Maharashtra’ cam-paign which is aimed at producing a conducive business environment in the State.”

“


sion, 60per cent of the required land and plan to start the work in the month of March 2018.

What initiatives are being taken to boost the manufacturing sector in the State? Maharashtra has the best industrial climate in the country. However, the State is not resting on its laurels and continuous reforms are being undertaken to further increase ease of doing business. Not only this, the State has also introduced numerous reforms to streamline its business processes pertaining to licensing and registration. From establishing a Single Window Portal enabling a single platform for application, payment, tracking and monitor-ing for investors to switching to one GST from multiple tax regimes, the aim is to bring more transparency in the system.

The development of a Mobile Application and Investor helpline, for support and facilita-tion, to investors is carrying forward the vision of Maharashtra to continue being the go-to destination for investments. The State has now allowed setting up of industries anywhere, irrespective of zones, and is tackling the issue of land availability by allowing higher floor area ratio for industrial use on agricultural land and delegating the powers of zone conver-sion.

Many sector-specific policies such as ITs, ITES, Retail, Fab and Electronics, Textile, Agro and Food Processing, besides women entrepreneurs and start-up policies, have been introduced. And we are also working to formulate a large size fund for

defense and aerospace sectors.

No doubt, Maharashtra is ahead of all other states in industrial investments. What do you think needs to be worked on by the State to remain number one?The Government of Maharashtra has been implementing Make in Maharashtra in letter and spirit with ease of doing business, attract-ing new investments, and making changes in the administration for the growth of micro, small and medium enterprises. We aim to make Maharashtra a global centre of economic power with everyone’s cooperation.

With our concerted efforts and positive deci-sions, Maharashtra is set to become a fully developed and smart State, not only in India but in the entire world. For the growth of the industrial sector, we are taking active steps like providing basic infrastructure such as land, raising sufficient capital, resolving griev-ances and guiding entrepreneurs etc. and aim-ing to maintain the numero uno place of the State in the industrial sector.

METRONAVI MUMBAI AIRPORT PROJECT

ROADS

RO-RO SERVICE

SEA-PLANE SERVICE

UNDER-GROUND MUMBAI METRO - 3

LAND

WATER UNDER-GROUND

SKYGovernment of Maharashtra is progressing on all fronts

by implementing projects with the assistance of theCentral Government

Maharashtra Fintech Policy 2018► Maharashtra first State

to establish Fintech policy in the country

► The State Government will support 300 start-ups in the next three years

► Fintech starts up to be provided `200 crore as venture capital

► Will make State one of the top five fintech centres in the world in the next five years

► Fintech starts ups to be provided with better facilities/opportunities.

► Eighty-five per cent of the built-up area will be reserved for start-ups in the fintech sector.

► In Central Mumbai, 10,000 sq ft will be re-served for fintech com-panies; and co-working spaces will be provided at reasonable rates

► Internet charges and electricity bills to be reimbursed and will get GST rebates

► The Government plans to turn cities like Mumbai, Nagpur and Pune into fintech hubs.

► These start-ups can avail web hosting at sub-sidised rates and take part in exhibitions with the state reimbursing the participation fees

Above: Commerzone, IT parks, Pune; Bottom Right: FM Arun Jaitley and CM Fadnavis at India Investment roundtable conference


Column w Union Minister

With an eye on future growth, the Government of Maharashtra has initiated various projects which will give a boost to investments in the State, informs Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, to Kartik Lokhande

CHANGING FOR THE BETTER

Maharashtra has been a land of opportunities. Now, with the con-certed efforts to realise vision for growth and innovative ideas of our

Government, it is getting transformed into a magnetic investment destination. Excellent connectivity, supportive infrastructure, and ease of doing business put together are making the State more attractive with immense poten-tial for investment.

Maharashtra is one of the top progressive, prosperous states in India. Mumbai, the com-mercial capital of India, is also the State capi-tal of Maharashtra. It is leading in technology, infrastructure, ease of doing business, and do-mestic as well as foreign investments.

Connecting to GrowthAlready, the State has attracted some big-ticket investment. Through various initiatives as many as 1.25 lakh new jobs are getting cre-ated. Once a company like Foxconn comes, it will create 40,000 jobs at one go. The State is a favourite investment destination for many global giants because of good connectivity.

Now, we have given a further boost to con-nectivity infrastructure, especially roads and ports. As far as road connectivity is concerned, Maharashtra has more than 22,000 km of National Highways passing through. With an eye on future growth, several new projects are underway. In 2016-17 alone, Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways sanctioned `97,568 crore in annual plan. This is bound to provide a big boost to connectivity, which is the most important deciding factor for any investor.

As far as important projects are concerned, I must make a mention of two ongoing pro-jects: the Mumbai-Goa road project, and the Mumbai-Vadodara new express highway pro-ject. Mumbai-Goa work will be completed by December 2019.

Maharashtra has got a good coastline. Good

port infrastructure helps in export and import of goods. Excellent infrastructure of the Jawa-harlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) is available in the State. Two more ports are being planned. Of course, there is a lot more to enhance the port infrastructure.

As far as port development is concerned, 26 port capacity expansion projects with an esti-mated cost of `24,739 crore have been identi-fied to add 254 MMTPA capacity.

Sagarmala ProgrammeUnder the ambitious ‘Sagarmala’ programme, 85 projects have been planned with an invest-ment of about `3 lakh crore. Further, a per-spective plan has been finalized for Coastal Economic Zone in North Konkan (Nashik, Thane, Mumbai, Pune, and Raigad) and South Konkan (Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg, North Goa, and South Goa).

Development of six industrial clusters is

Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways and Shipping, Nitin Gadkari, addressing the Sunrise Andhra Pradesh Summit held in Mumbai during the Make in India week function.


on the cards with an investment of `1,42,353 crore. There are several projects that one can talk of. For instance, a port-based multi-prod-uct Special Economic Zone of 277 hectares is proposed with an investment of `4,000 crore. The foundation stone has been laid for Ward-ha dry port in 346 acres and Jalna dry port in 180 acres, and an investment of `1,000 crore is expected in these projects. All these projects are bound to create job opportunities, direct as well as indirect.

As investment follows good connectivity, ef-fort is being invested in skill-development of manpower so that the youth is ready for job op-portunities that will open up once the invest-ment process intensifies.

Thrust on Cruise TourismWhile creating infrastructure for connectivity, attention is being paid to passenger amenities too. There is tremendous potential for cruise tourism in Mumbai. The concept of Mum-bai being a home port for cruise line is being encouraged. An investment of `200 crore is being made in creating new infrastructure at Mumbai in this regard.

In the financial year 2016-17, Mumbai was home port to as many as 55 ships and 60,000 passengers. In 2017, 80 cruises arrived in Mumbai. In the next five years, 950 cruises are expected to arrive in Mumbai. This adds to the growth potential of Maharashtra.

Besides, under the Indian Port Railway Connectivity Company, Manmad-Indore rail-

way route of 400 km is being constructed. The project cost is estimated to be `500 crore. This will be a unique project.

Against the backdrop of these and many more projects, one can say that Maharashtra is witnessing fast-track development. It is re-flective of how the country is changing for the better with never-before emphasis on realizing the true growth potential.

Apart from connectivity, the State is power surplus. In irrigation sector too, projects worth `1 lakh crore are being cleared. These will make Maharashtra’s claim as the Number One state in India stronger.

The State is becoming more prosperous with a slew of positive initiatives under the able leadership of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. It is attracting investment from across the globe, and is creating newer job opportunities. Truly, Maharashtra is emerging as “The” magnetic State for investors.

Top left: The concept of a home port for cruise line is getting a push from the State Government to promote cruise tourism in Mumbai Top Right: Gadkari briefing the media at the Make in India Week function in Mumbai on February 16, 2016


Globally the world is divided by several parameters but Maharashtra believes the lens must change to the ‘trillion dollar club’, says Suresh Prabhu

Union Minister for Commerce and Industry

OPPORTUNITIES UNLIMITED

Historically, the West coast of India was one of the most im-portant overseas trade route of India. Mumbai emerged as the fi-

nancial and trading hub around 200 years ago. Cut to the modern day, Maharashtra has brought together the forces of infrastruc-tural development, skill development and in-dustrial progress to yield to carve a niche for itself, both on the national and international maps. Maharashtra is the leader in infrastruc-ture creation with projects worth approximate-ly US$ 100 billion planned.

Maharashtra also has 720 km long coastline with world class port facilities at Jawaharlal Nehru port that handles over 45per cent of In-dia’s port cargo. Combine this with an unpar-alleled human capacity development potential with 6,800 skill development centers (highest in the country), and industrial investments

approximately US$ 120 billion employing 3.7 million persons, and Maharashtra becomes a force to reckon with.

Strengthening its unique position as the ideal investment destination, is the State’s ag-gressive stance on initiatives like ease of doing business and Startups.

Of the 10 indicators which span the life- cycle of a business, India has improved its rank in 6 and has moved closer to international best practices (Distance to Frontier score). Mumbai, the capital city of Maharashtra, contributed to this by showing improvement on all 9 indicators.

Resonating clearly with the vision of the Hon’ble Prime Minister, Magnetic Maharash-tra singularly focusses on enabling ‘ease of living’, which directly translates into lucrative opportunities for potential investors as well as assures a bright future for its citizens.

Union Minister for Commerce and Industry, Suresh Prabhu; Below: Maharashtra has a 729 km coastline with world class port facilities.


We are working with the states with true spirit of Cooperative Federalism. I am fully committed to doing everything possible to facilitate more investments

into Maharashtra so that the State reaches its full potential ”“


The heavy industries sector is roaring since the introduction of the famous lion logo of Make in India campaign. The Union Government plans to set up a unit in Bhandara district for generating solar energy. There is another project in Lohate, Ratnagiri for setting up a paper mill, says Anant Geete, Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises

BOOST FOR HEAVY INDUSTRIES

With the overwhelming response of investors to “India calling”, we now have all luxury cars such as Mercedes, Volkswagen and BMW

being manufactured in India. For the first time in Asia, a research on ul-

tra turbines with the support of Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) has been started. With an estimated cost of `1,555 crore, these turbines are expected to generate power of about 660 megawatts. A comprehensive Na-tional Capital Goods Policy was formulated for the sector, with the aim of boosting growth and creating favourable business environment. A bhoomipujan was done in Chakan and Surat for the machine tools industries.

There have been some revolutionary deci-sions taken for the auto sector. With an ob-jective to encourage hybrid and electric cars, subsidies have been given. The department of heavy industries has a goal of making pub-lic sector taxies, buses, auto rickshaws and Government vehicles run on electricity. An amount of `795 crore has already been sanc-

Above: Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises.Right: Government is planning to set up units for harnessing solar energy in the State.

tioned via mobility mission and a pilot project is already underway.

The work in the capital goods sector is in full swing too. The Union Government is planning to set up a unit in Maharashtra’s Bhandara district for generating solar energy via BHEL. There is another project in Lohate, Ratnagiri, for setting up a paper mill.

Under the Fame India scheme, financial assistance was extended for projects /proposals in the State of Maharashtra

An amount of `15.25 crore released to MMRDA, Mumbai for procuring 25 Hybrid Buses for Bandra-Kurla Complex, demand incentives of `1.22 Crore reimbursed to M/s. VOLVO India Private Limited for procuring 2 Hybrid Buses for the Navi Mumbai Municipal Transport (NMMT). During the period from 01.04.2015 to 31.01.2018, around 23,596 ve-hicles (hybrid and EVs) have been sold in the State of Maharashtra under the FAME-India Scheme for which total incentive amount of `35.00 crore (approximately) has been reim-bursed to the respective OEMs.



High-speed railway network, dedicated freight corridor, new lines and electrification, Maharashtra is chugging away to become a leader in high speed railways, informs Piyush Goyal, Minister of Railways and Coal

STRENGTHENING VEINS OF ECONOMY

Over the past three and a half years, India, particularly Maharashtra, has made rapid strides to become inves-tor-friendly. The World Bank’s Ease

of Doing Business Report 2018, has seen a rise of 42 ranks, from 142 to 100, in a short span of three years. The State now accounts for more than 50 per cent of upcoming large infrastruc-ture projects in the country as per a Deutsche Bank study.

Maharashtra has been a pioneer in the Railways sector, and Railways is now con-tributing to making the State an even more attractive investment destination. The first ever passenger train in India chugged out of Bori-bunder way back in 1853, Indian Rail-ways has traversed a long distance since then.

Fittingly, the first ever high speed railway network in India will connect Mumbai and Ahmedabad.

The ground-breaking ceremony took place last year. Once completed, this will be the pride of India and will bring speed, safety and comfort to passengers. The project has sig-nificant “technology transfer” and will encour-age the “Make in India” programme, which will help make the country a leader in High Speed Railways.

Freight CorridorThe Western Dedicated Freight Corridor, which is expected to be commissioned by 2019-20, will further boost the export potential of Maharashtra by creating an exclusive rail track for freight trains.

This corridor, between Mumbai and Delhi, will connect factories and farms to ports, and reduce transport time and cost of movement of goods. This will also create various hubs of eco-nomic activity, thereby leading to development and prosperity.

To boost the rail infrastructure in the State, the Government has massively ex-panded investment in Maharashtra. The av-erage outlay for major railway works such as doubling, new lines, electrification etc. has quadrupled from `5,857 crore over 2009-14 to `24,040 crore in 2014-19. About 36 pro-jects of new lines, doubling and gauge conver-sion, worth about `59,624 crore, are already



under execution. These will expand the capacity of Railways, and ensure safety, speed and service to the consumers.

Holistic DevelopmentThe Mumbai suburban network is rightly called the lifeline of the city. Today, about one-third of the passengers are Mumbai suburban commuters, and to make their travel safer and more comfortable, more AC local train services are planned in the future, the first of which started this year.

A comprehensive plan for the holistic de-velopment of suburban rail infrastructure for Mumbaikars with an investment of `50,000 crore has been drawn up and announced in the Union Budget 2018-19.

The railways will set up a massive rail coach factory in Latur in the Marathwada re-gion, one of the most backward areas of Ma-harashtra. This project will massively benefit Make in India and bring employment to a large number of people. In addition, it will create an industrial ecosystem in the drought prone re-gion and boost industrialization.

Transport and logistics have been rightly called the veins of an economy. The massive investment of Indian Railways will lead to a growth in connectivity, which will improve the ease of doing business, and help in smoother movement of people, goods and services, pro-pelling Maharashtra into the next realm of economic development.

The first AC local train between Churchgate and Borivali

MAHARASHTRA AEROSPACE AND DEFENCE SECTOR MANUFACTURE POLICY 2018

u The State will set up five defence hubs in Pune, Nagpur, Ahmednagar, Nashik and Aurangabadu The policy aims to bring down the defence

imports from the current 70 per cent to 30 per cent.u The State Government expects investments

worth $ 200 crore in the next five yearsu Creating competent manpower needed for the

industry u One lakh employment opportunities to be

generated in next five yearsu Will give impetus to develop technology within

the country for the sector u Making micro, small and medium enterprises

from the sector competent at global levelu A mega project status to defence and aero-

space companies with a minimum fixed capital investment of `250 crore and employing 500 people in industrial areas in the category A and B. For other industrial areas, it will give a mega project status to companies with a minimum fixed capital expenditure of `100 crore and employing 250 peopleu Nagpur to be promoted as aircraft mainte-

nance, repair, and overhaul hub u Promoting country’s technology, research and

developmentu Encouraging micro, small and medium

enterprises for market development, quality specifications and patent registrationu Land availability to industrial clusters

Aerospace and Aviation and Defence Sector Manufacturersu ̀ 1000 crore corpus to be maintained by MIDC

to provide working capital for the micro, small and medium enterprises in the sector

Maharashtra has been a pioneer in the Railways sector, and Railways is now contributing to making the State an even more attractive investment destination. The first ever passenger train in India chugged out of Bori-bunder way back in 1853, Indian Railways has traversed a long distance since then.


MAHARASHTRA MEETS THE WORLDChief Minister Devendra Fadnavis’s recent foreign visits to Davos, South Korea, and Singapore promise a fruitful future for the State

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis was, recently, on a three-day visit to Davos to promote Maharashtra as an investment destination at the World

Economic Forum (WEF) 2018. He also met the head of WEF’s Food Secu-

rity Initiative, Sean De Cleane. A statement issued by the CMO informed that along with food security, he also discussed environmen-tal sustainability and economic opportunities with Cleane.

“We discussed upscaling of value chains through public-private partnership to cover 25 lakh farmers, encourage innovations and use of drones, have better connection with banks, get finance according to the actual cropping pattern, and better insurance facilities,” com-mented Chief Minister Fadnavis.

After a productive meeting with James Quincey, President and CEO, The Coca-Cola Company, the company has agreed to work closely with the Government of Maharashtra on food processing, recycling of plastic, and waste management.

Besides the exchange of expertise, it will en-able implementation of policies related to sci-ence and technology. The Centre, comprising experts from various fields, will work towards incorporating technologies like robotics, arti-ficial intelligence and drones into sectors like agriculture, among others.

CM Visits South KoreaThe infrastructure sector in the state got a boost following South Korea’s decision to ex-tend nine billion USD in credit and one bil-lion USD for three mega projects — Nagpur-Mumbai Supercommunication Expressway (NMSE), Kalyan Dombivali Smart Cities and Bandra Government Colony Redevelopment. This decision was an outcome of the meeting between Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Kim Dong-yeon, South Korea’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Strategy and Finance.

The South Korean President will visit Ma-harashtra early next year. It will also mark the formal beginning of the partnership.

CM in SingaporeHon. Chief Minister Shri Devendra Fadnavis visited Singapore on 28th September, 2017 with his delegation, right after his visit to South Korea. He met Ministers, business lead-ers in Singapore and discussed Maharashtra’s projects for development with them.

In his speech on Maharashtra-India’s Development, he focused on Maharashtra’s development story along the directives giv-en by the Central Indian Government on S abka Saath Sabka Vikas, Digital India includ-ing Pagati Video Conferencing, Ease of doing Business, etc.

Bottom Left: CM with South Korea’s Deputy PM and Minister of Strategy and Finance Kim Dong Yeon in SeoulBelow: File photo of CM and Coca-Cola President James Quincey

CM w Overseas


Maharashtra is the first State in the country to frame a Fintech policy and also the first one to introduce Women Entrepreneur policy. The State is taking many such measures to make many more firsts. Now is the time we should unfold our new opportunities. Magnetic Maharashtra is being organised to showcase our strengths, states Subhash Desai, Minister for Industries and Mining. Excerpts from an interview by Team Maharashtra Ahead

GLOBAL INVESTMENT DESTINATION

What is the objective of Magnetic Maharashtra: Convergence 2018?The main objective of Magnetic Maharashtra is to project and focus on the industrial strength of the State and promote activities in indus-trial areas to boost investments in the State.

There will be pavilions and stalls devoted to other states, countries, and to various in-dustries. Maharashtra’s pavilion will display industrial progress in five regions Vidarbha, Marathwada, Konkan, Western Maharashtra and North Maharashtra.

What has been the progress since Make in India? During Make in India, 2,984 MoUs worth `8 lakh crore were signed for investments and projected employment opportunities of 30 lakh. Out of these, so far, 1,523 MoUs have materi-alised which is 51 per cent of the MoUs signed, is equal to `4,91,690 crore or 61 per cent of the assured investment.

People always compare Maharashtra to other states. Our conversion rate is 51 - 61per cent. In case of other states, it varies from 10 per cent to 20 per cent. In Gujarat, the rate

of conversion is a mere 20 per cent. If we go into the merits of the MoUs, the profiles of our MoUs speak for itself. The MoUs are signed with investors from various states and coun-tries as also with global industrial leaders.

Could you give us some details on the conver-sion of MoUs into actual investments?Statistically speaking, out of 2121 units, 896 MoUs have commenced and 587 industrial units are under construction.We have alloted land to 638 industrial units and people who re-ceived their share of land have already started construction on it, bringing into implementa-tion investments worth `3.83 lakh crore. This will create 13.61 lakh jobs.We have converted almost 74 per cent of the MoUs into industries, which is an achievement in itself.

Our investors include Reliance Jio, Bombay Rayon, Ceat Tyres, and Camlin with Kokuyo, Asmita Textile Park, Renaissance Infrastruc-tures, Rashtriya Chemical Fertilisers and Cooper Engineering. Out of these some are ex-pansions such as Ceat Tyres who are investing in Nagpur and Ambernath.

How much has the government succeeded in attracting investment to Vidarbha and Marath-wada?We are making good progress in attracting investments in defence and aerospace. Inves-tors such as Reliance Aerospace and Twinstar Technologies have chosen to invest in MIHAN.

How is MIDC facilitating in providing land for industries?So far we have established more than 300 in-dustrial townships across the state. MIDC has one lakh hectares in its possession devel-oped with infrastructure. For new acquisitions we have identified 20 new locations. Now we try to expand where there is demand so that land is not locked.

Pune is a preferred destination for IT and automobile industry. In Jejuri we have ac-

Column w Minister for Industries


quired more than 3,000 hectares. The State Government is constructing a new airport here. We are creating a completely new ecosys-tem through the Jejuri industrial estate.

We have approached the Singapore Govern-ment for its expertise in water conservation. We have a plan to use sewage water from the cities for industrial purpose. It will save a lot of water from dams and rivers which can be used for agriculture and drinking.

What kind of policies are framed to promote business? We are offering capital and interest subsidy. We have reserved 20 per cent of plots in MIDC for women entrepreneurs. To enable women to obtain space in cities to market their prod-ucts, developers are being offered incentive in the form of additional floor space index (FSI) to reserve land. Government will bear expense to enable them to attend national and inter-national exhibitions and we will also support brand building exercise to the tune of `1 crore.

Similarly for entrepreneurs from the SC/ST, we are offering land reservation, capital and interest subsidy. Last year we received 135 proposals. The cabinet recently approved policies for Logistics Parks, Defence Manufac-ture and Aerospace, with the Electric Vehicles policy opening a new chapter of growth. The Textiles policy is being modified taking into

account the changing trends in the garment, apparel industry. The existing Industry Policy 2013 is extended for a term of 6 months.

Small industries like gems, jewellery, elec-tronics do not require plots. They need con-structed units. MIDC will construct such galas and will either sell or rent these units to these small and micro industries.

There will also be a separate policy for Data Centres. We have already approved the Integrated Industrial Areas. This has become necessary in light of failure of the Special Eco-nomic Zone policy. Maharashtra had 110 SEZs notified and lands acquired ranging from 100 hectares to 2,000 hectares.The IIA will allow industry to convert SEZ land to IIA with the condition that 80 per cent will be used for in-dustry and only 20 per cent for residential, commercial and other ancillary activities.

How will the government ensure that Maharashtra continues to remain the top destination for investors?The Maitri cell ensures co-ordination between various departments and all the problems faced by an industry. Issues are resolved at one place. After Make In India we spent two years in implementing the MoUs that were signed at the time. Now is the time we should unfold our new opportunities. Magnetic Maharashtra is being organised to showcase our strengths.

From bottom left: A worker at a Ceat Tyres manufacturing unit. The company will be investing in Nagpur and Ambernath; Subhash Desai with industrialist Ratan Tata.Above: Subhash Desai with Consul General of Belgium, Peter Huyghebeart

MIDC has been spearheading the industrial promotion in the State and has been instrumental in keeping

the State at the numero uno position among the states for several decades now.”

“


ROLLING OUT THE RED-CARPET “Maharashtra has been rapidly moving ahead at an ever-increasing pace with a visible development across multiple sectors in the State. With the growing opportunities and possibilities, we intend to extend our support to our partners in every possible way we can,” informs Pravin Ramchandra Pote-Patil, Minister of State Mining, Industries, Environment, Public Works to Dr. Sambhaji Kharat

The Make in India initiative was launched by the Prime Minister in 2014 to transform India into a global design and manufacturing hub. Tak-

ing a cue from him, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has started the “Make in Maharash-tra” campaign.

The Maharashtra EffectMIDC is a single point of contact which pro-vides the investors with plots in industrial ar-eas replete with a critical infrastructure and amenities, such as continuous water supply, wide well-planned roads network in the indus-trial areas, along with rest of the necessary in-frastructure to establish and grow businesses. MIDC supports investors in their businesses. The planned and systematic industrial devel-opment of MIDC and its innumerable initia-tives mobilized Maharashtra to number one po-

Magnetic Maharashtra Convergence Maharashtra 2018, a summit for global financial investors, will be held from February 18 to 23 in Mumbai, under the guidance of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. The summit will be at-tended by global business leaders, CEOs of leading business groups, who will participate in various discussion sessions and exhibitions for MOUs. The summit will also witness exchange of modern technologies in the in-dustrial field. The State will receive valuable guidance through discussions in various seminars, information exchanged on infrastructure facilities and sustainable development. This event will encourage added foreign invest-ment in Maharashtra and will prove to be highly beneficial for the overall growth of the State. Not only Maharashtra, but business tycoons from all over the country should participate in Magnetic Maharashtra, visit the exhibitions and understand new technologies. We welcome you all to Magnetic Maharashtra!

sition as the preferred investment destination in India for its investor-friendly environment, high productivity, economic performance and business efficiency.

Around 1300 handicrafts artists were trained by the Maharashtra Small Scale In-dustries Development Corporation and en-couraged to participate in as many as 664 exhibitions. Along with this, 5229 craftsmen making leather products have been granted funds worth `580.67 crore by the Sant Rohi-das Charmodyog and Charmakar Vikas Maha-mandal (LIDCOM). About 38912 individuals have been employed through Gramin Karagir Yojana implemented by the Khadi and Village Industries Commission, under which 6358 pro-jects have been approved and `13942.47 lakh margin money has been provided.

Along with this, employment opportunities are being created by encouraging small scale industries in the State through formation of various clusters such as Textile Cluster, Rai-sin making cluster, Fly-ash cluster, Kolhapuri Chappal cluster, Cashew processing cluster, Ganesh idols cluster, Silver ornaments cluster, Auto and engineering cluster, Readymade gar-ment cluster, Herbal, Ayurvedic and cosmet-ics cluster, Printing cluster, Bamboo articles cluster, Paithani saree cluster, Rice mill clus-ter, Rolling mill and Induction furnace cluster, General engineering and alight cluster, Terry towel cluster, Turmeric cluster and Gold orna-ments cluster.

The Government’s policy reforms, Ease of doing Business and vision to create a condu-cive ecosystem have now made Maharashtra the favorite investment destination.

Column w Minister of State


GROWTH ENGINE OF THE NATIONWith focus on building infrastructure, employment generation and sustainability, Maharashtra creates a new identity for itself: Made For Business, says Sumit Mullick, Chief Secretary, Government of Maharashtra, to Ajay Jadhav

Maharashtra, the industrial pow-erhouse of the country, occupies a prominent place in the Indian economy. The State capital, Mum-

bai, is India’s commercial and financial capital and boasts the presence of all the leading in-dustrial/corporate houses, as also the offices of multinational corporations.

With the best infrastructure facilities, conducive investment climate, availability of institutional finance and a skilled labour force, Maharashtra is considered the most-favoured destination for industrial investment in India.

The Dream City Mumbai is a dream city for business. It is the most populous city in India, hence, provides maximum opportunities for business to full fill people’s requirements. It is a fast moving and growing city.

Apart from being the financial capital, it is also home to the biggest movie industry in the world, with close to 2000 movies being made in a year. In fact, Mumbai is the birthplace of In-dian Cinema and has a thriving film industry, Bollywood, which is the epicenter of glamour,

fashion and drama all put together.

Numero Uno StateDespite the growing strain on infrastructure, Maharashtra continues to retain its leader-ship as the foremost investment destination of India, for both domestic and foreign investors, with industrial investment amounting to ap-proximately USD 120 billion and employing 3.7 million persons.

Of the USD 140 billion investment project proposals, involving employment of 3 mil-lion persons, signed during Make in India conclave 2016, more than 51per cent of are al-ready on track.

Over 25 per cent of country’s exports is from Maharashtra. Over 0.38 million are registered MSMEs with an investment of approximately US$ 15 billion, employing 2.4 million persons.

The state has a diverse industrial base with sectors such as Automobiles, Engineering, Steel, Textile, Chemicals, Electricals, Gems and Jewellery, Food Processing and, IT/ITES. All in all, over 200 industrial clusters in sec-tors ranging from Food processing, Textiles, Engineering to Handicrafts are spread across the State. It is also the automobile hub of South East Asia.

The main products exported from the State are Gems and Jewelleries, Software, Textiles, Readymade Garments, Cotton Yarn, Metal and Metal products and Agro-based products and Plastic items.

To give recognition to exporters for their efforts and to boost exports, the Government is taking initiatives such as giving “The Best Export Award” and organising exhibitions of products in foreign countries.

Maharashtra has been the best investment destination and during April 2016 to March 2017 the State has received Foreign Direct In-vestment (FDI) to the tune of `1.3 lakh crore.

The State has organized its first “Magnetic Maharashtra: Convergence 2018” conference this month and has received global participa-tion for this summit.

The conference is expected to speed up in-vestment. As the State rolls out the red car-pet, the vision of a magnetic Maharashtra draws closer.

Column w Cabinet Secretay

To give recognition to exporters for their efforts and to boost ex-ports, the Government is taking initiatives such as giving “The Best Export Award” and organising exhibitions of products in foreign countries.


INVESTMENT SAGA CONTINUESMaharashtra, one of the leading industrial states, contributes 15per cent of India’s industrial output and consistently boasts the highest GSDP among all states in India. Sunil Porwal, Additional Chief Secretary, Industries, Labour and Energy department, updates Team Maharashtra Ahead about strides Maharashtra is making and opines that ‘Magnetic Maharashtra Conclave’ will once again augment Maharashtra’s position as the most preferred investment destination and facilitate more investment

How different is ‘Magnetic Maharashtra’ from Make in India Week organised in 2016? I would say it’s a continuation of ‘Make in In-dia’ but this time with the focus entirely on Maharashtra. ‘Make In India’ was about pro-jecting India as an investment destination but with Magnetic Maharashtra, we are projecting and promoting our State to global investors. Even during ‘Make in India Week’, Maharash-tra proved to be the most attractive investment

option for investors. Our State had the highest FDI and we signed 2984 MoUs. Maharashtra gets 50per cent of India’s FDI and even recent-ly at Davos, many leading global players have shown interest in investing here. Magnetic Maharashtra summit, will definitely facilitate a lot of investment. And when investors come here and start making in Maharashtra, we are automatically making in India!

What steps are being taken to make the skilled manpower available for the industrial sector?Maharashtra is the only state to have created a dedicated department for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship in 2015 with a goal of streamlining vocational training and livelihood promotion activities of the government.

The department has a target of training 45 million people with employable skills by 2020. Under the department’s flagship program, The Pramod Mahajan Kaushalya and Uddyojakta Vikas Abhiyaan (PMKUVA), number of young people are getting free skill training through Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) and pri-vate Vocational Training Providers (VTPs). The eligibility criteria is quite relaxed and anyone over 14 years of age and without high educational qualifications can easily enrol and get training for the desired jobs. Maharashtra has the highest number of ITIs, colleges, uni-versities, training colleges. Imparting training to around 1,50,000 students and interestingly, women comprise more than half of them.

Sunil Porwal, Additional Chief Secretary, Industries, Labour and Energy, along with the CM, at the signing of the MoU with Walmart India

Interview w Additional Chief Secretary


We also have many programs for skill de-velopment like National Urban Livelihood Mission, Modular Employable Scheme, Hunar Se Rojgar Tak scheme. The government has engaged with the private players to have in-dustry linkages to trainees, apprenticeships, designing industry-oriented curricula and modernising training infrastructure and facili-ties. The contribution of the industry is crucial to ‘Skill India’ campaign and there is an enthu-siastic response from many corporate houses, like Tatas have their task force training people and have recently made a policy that MIDC will join hands with local industries to set up skill development trainings in MIDC zones and MIDC will provide land, building at con-cessional rates. All these efforts will also give boost to R andD. Talking about MIDC, there are many sick units lying in MIDC zones. How do you plan to revive them in the MIDC zones?From time to time, we try to help sick units. When we talk about making the state business-friendly, we also mean MSMEs as they are an important part of the ecosystem. So, we have dedicated policies in place for them. Last we had Amnesty scheme, under which we helped the sick units to allow transfer of businesses, even to other industries. It is important that resources like land, machines and structures are utilised and used for business.

Which are the industries that are being focussed on by the Government?There are many existing industries like gar-ment, automobiles, gems and jewellery. We are also adding many new industries like defence, logistics, electronics manufacturing, electric vehicles, agro-processing like coir products. With our agro-processing policy, promoting horticulture, food processing will be easier because despite making Maharashtra an in-dustrialised state, agriculture and sustainable agriculture still remains our priority.

How do we ensure that the growth of industries is balanced across all regions of the State?Dispersal of industries is the main intent of the industries department so that every region of the State benefits from employment, income generation, and better living standards. We have a policy in place to extend higher incen-tives to backward regions. We offer lands at cheaper rates, power at concessional rates for Marathwada, Vidarbha, ensuring balanced growth in the State. We have ambitious infra-structure projects like Samruddhi Highway connecting Mumbai-Nagpur which will pass through 11 districts.

TAKING CITY TO NEXT LEVELNavi Mumbai is gearing up for the upcoming projects which will take the city to next levels; bettering it as a role model in urban development matters for the rest of India writes Mohan Ninawe

Navi Mumbai has a galaxy of projects developed by CIDCO, such as, beautifully designed railway stations with double discharge facility and a unique concept of station complex to commercially exploit the space above the stations.

The CIDCO Exhibition Centre, a massive centre developed just adja-cent to the Sion-Panvel Highway, is spread over an area of 7.4 hectares to facilitate colossal gatherings. The Kharghar Valley Golf Course Pro-ject, spread over 103 hectares, is envisaged and brought to realism by CIDCO in order to conduct prestigious events on the national and inter-national golfing calendar.

Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA): The State Govern-ment approved the Navi Mumbai site in 2007. Spread over 2268 hec-tare, of which the core airport areas consist of 1161 hectare, spanning from east to west 6 km in the length and from north to south about 2.5 km, the project has also got the Stage 2 clearance from the Ministry of Environment.

Cutting of Ulwe Hill is done through the technology of control blasting and plasma blasting to avoid damage to the nearby residential areas, which have been occupied by villages for the time being until they get permanent houses. CIDCO has also appointed the renowned agencies like Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and Central Institute of Mining and Fuel Research (CIMFR), Dhanbad, as technical advisors for blasting operations at Ulwe hill.

Corporate Park, Kharghar: Planned over a total area of 135 hectares, the Corporate Park at Kharghar will be a unique iden-tity for the corporate business houses forecasting a foothold in Navi Mumbai. Double in size to that of the Bandra-Kurla Complex, it will be surrounded by excellent road network, metro rail station (upcoming), 200 acres of central park, world class hotels and proximity to NMIA.

Iconic Developmental Spaces at Nerul and Airoli: Latest in the housing projects are the iconic developmental spaces coming up at Ner-ul and Airoli. Both these will be spread over an area of around 40 hec-tares. They will be a mixture of housing options and commercial spaces for small and medium size businesses. These projects will hold specific housing preferences for Economically Weaker Section (EWS) and Low Income Group (LIG). The total number of housing units in these pro-jects is estimated to be around 52,000.

Buzzing with upcoming projects such as the NMIA, NMM, Iconic Development Spaces, NAINA and the Corporate Park, the city is grow-ing as a self-sufficient hub for a well-qualified workforce.

In totality, Navi Mumbai is being upgraded as the 2nd financial capi-tal of India.


GETTING READY TO TAKE OFFDefence, aerospace, electrical vehicles, Maharashtra is massively surging ahead in opening new vistas of investment and job creation, reports Sanjay Jog

Investors are attracted to Maharashtra to invest in a big way in defence and aero-space, electric vehicles, logistics, start-ups, readymade Garments, Gems and

Jewellery and coconut coir industry. This is expected to further consolidate State’s position as the favoured investment destination in this era of cooperative and competitive federalism. The government has released investor friendly policies to attract investment, create jobs and thereby help boost the state’s economic growth.

Defence and Aerospace SectorIndia’s defence expenditure has increased by 231 per cent in last one decade and in com-ing 10 years is expected to touch $120 billion. Similarly global aerospace industry is worth $1,000 billion with 3-4 per cent annual growth. Maharashtra government hopes to be an ac-tive player in this growth story and expects an investment of $2 billion and 1 lakh jobs in next five years in defence and aerospace.

The government will set up five defence hubs in Nagpur, Pune, Nashik, Ahmednagar and Aurangabad. It will create a corpus of `1,000 crore to provide initial working capital to the small and medium enterprises in de-

fence and aerospace. Investment is likely in the field of aerospace equipment, single-engine fighter aircraft, light armoured helicopters, submarines, main battle tanks and armoured fighting vehicles, composite aero structure parts and assemblies, defence electronics and missile manufacturing facility.

The policy offers incentives to public sector undertakings in this sector to facilitate estab-lishment of anchor units that would develop market and ecosystem for the MSMEs. The policy also talks of reimbursement of stamp duty, establishment of exclusive industrial townships and rationalization of industrial laws.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis believes that Maharashtra has an edge over others. “Al-most 25 per cent of the total ordnance factories of India are in Maharashtra alone,’’ he notes.

Further, Maharashtra is ideally located to be the destination for aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul hub which is proposed to be developed inside Multi Modal International Airport (MIHAN) at Nagpur. This is quite cru-cial when the Prime Minister Narendra Modi has declared that India would soon become the world’s third largest aviation market.

The state government plans to provide incentive to the first 1lakh EVs (70,000 two-wheelers, 20,000 three-wheelers and 10,000 four-wheelers) for a period of five years. Private ownçers will have to pay 15per cent less than the total cost, with a maximum limit of `5,000 for two-wheelers, `12,000 for three-wheelers and `1 lakh for cars.

Overview w Industrial Sectors


Logistics SectorThe Centre has already accorded infrastruc-ture status for the Indian logistics sector. It proposes to work with the state governments and the private sector to set up 34 mega logis-tics parks across the country.

It has already allocated `1,00,000 crore for such targeted development. Against this back-drop, Maharashtra has firmed up comprehen-sive plan to emerge as one of the leading lo-gistic hubs across the country and has put in place a policy in this regard. Bhiwandi, Panvel, Taloja, Nashik, Aurangabad, Talegaon and Nagpur are being developed as logistics zones.

The plan is to facilitate the setting up of 25 integrated logistics parks and over 100 logistics parks across the state. Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation will be nodal and planning authority for the establish-ment of 25 integrated logistics parks.

Any warehouse spread over an area of five acres and connected by a 15-m road will qualify to be a logistics park. These parks will provide multi-functional facilities for storage, distri-bution, transportation, ancillary support ser-vices and trade facilitation, all under one roof for end to end logistical support. Another 100 logistics parks will also be set up across the state with each park having a facility spread over 20,000 sq ft.

Electric VehiclesNITI Ayog has estimated that India’s vision of

mass conversion to electric vehicles can create a $300 billion domestic market for EV batteries by 2030. This is around 2/5th of the global bat-tery demand and 25-40 per cent of this market can be captured through Make in India, aimed at encouraging manufacturing and attracting foreign investment to India.

The competition created by India’s electric vehicle demand can bring down global battery prices by 16per cent to $60 per kWh by 2030. While EVs could reach price parity with com-parable internal combustion engine vehicles by 2025 due to rapidly falling battery prices, India has an opportunity to promote produc-tion and demand that would make India one of the world’s largest electric vehicle markets over time.

Interestingly, Maharashtra government wants contribute its share in the growth of EVs. The state government has framed policy for the production and sale of battery charged vehicles or EVs.

The state government plans to provide incentive to the first 1lakh EVs (70,000 two-wheelers, 20,000 three-wheelers and 10,000 four-wheelers) for a period of five years. Pri-vate owners will have to pay 15per cent less than the total cost, with a maximum limit of `5,000 for two-wheelers, `12,000 for three-wheelers and `1 lakh for cars. They will get this amount in their bank account within three months of purchase. EVs will be exempt from road tax and registration fees.

Vehicles will be charged at per the resi-dential rate. Further, the permission to set up charging stations at existing petrol pumps will be given as per regulations and fire safety norms.

The first 250 charging stations for two-wheelers, three-wheelers, light commercial ve-hicles and buses will get a 25 per cent capital subsidy, with a maximum limit of `10 lakh per station.

Start UpsFinTech is a rapidly evolving segment of the financial services sector where tech-focused start-ups and other new market entrants are disrupting how the financial services industry traditionally operates. Fintech refers to use of technology in financial and banking services (such as e-wallets, retail banking).

Maharashtra has potent opportunity to be seized in the Fintech space especially in the wake of rapidly increasing mobile penetration, favourable demographics, quality talent pool and pro-active eco system.

The government through its Fintech Policy proposes to support 300 start-ups in the next three years and it will set aside `200 crore

The plan is to facilitate the setting up of 25 integrated logistics parks and over 100 logistics parks across the state. Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation will be nodal and planning authority for the establishment of 25 in-tegrated logistics parks. Any warehouse spread over an area of five acres and connected by a 15-m road will qualify to be a logistics park. These parks will provide multi-functional facilities for storage, distribution, transportation, ancillary support services and trade facilitation, all under one roof for end to end logistical support


in venture capital. Eighty-five per cent of the built-up area will be reserved for start-ups in the financial technology (fintech) sector. In central Mumbai, 10,000 sq ft will be reserved for fintech companies; and co-working spaces will be provided at reasonable rates

Fintech start-ups with an annual turnover of up to `25 crore will get `10 lakh annually for a period of three years.

Internet charges and electricity bills will be reimbursed and fintech start-up will get Goods and Services Tax rebates. Furthermore, these start-ups can avail web hosting at subsidised rates and taken part in exhibitions with the state reimbursing the participation fees.

Readymade Garments, Gems and Jewellery India is one of the largest exporter of gems and jewellery and the industry is considered to play a vital role in the Indian economy as it

contributes a major chunk to the total foreign reserves of the country. Net exports of gems and jewellery from India rose at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.01 per cent between FY05 and FY17.

In Maharashtra there are many small garment manufacturing units and diamond cutting and polishing units are functioning Mumbai and other towns. The government has released a policy to give several non-fiscal ben-efits to these units in the unorganised sector to boost its marketability and productivity.

Non-fiscal incentives such as flat galas will be given to shift their businesses or special zones will be created in consultation with the local planning body.

Additional floor space index (FSI) will be provided in consultation with the local plan-ning body, at certain locations. This aims to create garment and diamond hub.

Coconut Coir Based IndustriesIndia accounts for more than two thirds of the world production of coir and coir products. Al-though India has a long coastline dotted with coconut palms, growth of coir industry in other coastal States has been insignificant.

The State government proposes to change this scenario in next five years and has brought in policy to promote coir-based industries to produce handicrafts, ropes, mats and mat-tresses, rugs, geo textiles, composite boards and fertilizer.

Maharashtra has a 720 km coastline and around 52,000 metric tonnes of coconut husk is available annually in the Konkan region. The government plans to set up 8,000 small and micro units to generate 50,000 jobs in this segment.

In central Mumbai, 10,000 sq ft will be reserved for fintech companies; and co-working spaces

will be provided at reasonable rates

Vajratik is a glorious traditional Maharashtrian jewellery piece with a beautiful blend of Jondhale Mani-beads in shape of Jawari grain


Institutional, physical, social and eco-nomic, with these four pillars of compre-hensive development, the Maharashtra Government is aiming to promote cities

that provide core infrastructure for a better and sustainable living to its citizens.

Adopting a holistic approach towards urban makeover, the Government has taken a giant stride in pushing its ambitious Smart Cities project across Maharashtra. Thus, paving a way for global partnership to scale its initia-tive to the next level at the Magnetic Maha-rashtra: Convergence 2018.

Mission Smart CityThe union urban development ministry has set the target to transform 100 cities through Smart Cities mission by 2022. From a budget of `48,000 crore, it has decided to allocate `500 crore per city, with a matching grant from the State Government and private sectors.

Of the total 100 cities shortlisted by the Government of India to be taken up in the first phase under Smart Cities, ten are from Maharashtra. But the Chief Minister has de-cided to simultaneously stretch the Smart Cities parameters to develop the districts which would percolate across towns and cities. The focus to extend the two core ar-eas of infrastructure, affordable housing and digitalisation, to village levels is an example of the Government’s effort to bridge the gap be-tween the urban and rural areas. The Smart Cities mission will also initiate the process of smart villages.

While going beyond ten cities shortlisted under Smart Cities and 44 cities/town under AMRUT, the Government has extended ma-jor reforms in the urban sector, in varying de-grees, giving a massive face lift to core sectors leading with infrastructure, IT, drinking wa-ter, solid waste management, open and green spaces, environment and affordable housing among others. Therefore, the Maharashtra model has gained ground in terms of both providing better governance and service to the people which are the primary objective of Smart Cities and AMRUT.

Today, 85 per cent of the State has become open defecation free and 50 lakh toilets have been constructed, which is part of the cleanli-

THINK SMART, LIVE SMARTWith “Smart” solutions in place, the Government is striving to retrofit and redevelop core areas for “Smart” outcomes, says Shubhangi Khapre

ness drive. In the last three years, the alloca-tion of budget for projects to tackle urbanisa-tion has been enhanced by 75 per cent which points to the higher emphasis being given to the process of Smart Cities. Also, greater impe-tus is derived from the reckoning that the aim of the mission is to provide better living and livelihood to the people, especially poor.

Various area specific projects undertak-en under the Smart Cities theme have been allocated `8000 crore. Whereas, under AMRUT, which relates to 44 cities/towns, ̀ 7749 crore have been provided. Apart from these, there are mega projects underway across State related to infrastructure, affordable housing, digitalisation which would play a significant role in the total makeover of Maharashtra.

Investors’ DelightThe Smart Cities mission in Maharashtra

The Jalna port will come up close to Aurangabad, with an an-nual capacity of 20,000 TEUs. Wardhwa will come up near Nagpur, with another 20,000 TEU annual capacity. Around `400 crore will be spent on each of the two ports.

Vision w Urban Development


CM met Bharat Kaushal, Managing Director, Hitachi India, in Davos and discussed predictive technol-ogy and leveraging for Maharashtra to help with forecasting crop productivity and also on an Research and Development Centre in Maharashtra. Hitachi also assured that they will explore possible technological solution for solid and liquid waste manage-ment and use for pilot projects in Maharashtra.

Left: PM Narendra Modi at the launch of Smart Cities project in Pune.Bottom: Government is working on quick connectivity, a necessity for smart cities

has received an overwhelming response from overseas, with investors showing a keen inter-est in the State. This was evident recently at the World Economic Forum at Davos where the Chief Minister discussed the potential of Maharashtra.

Earlier, investors from US, Israel, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, amongst others, have engaged in official talks on Smart Cities proj-ects.

Being City SmartApart from extending the basics like clean drinking water, solid waste management, in-frastructure, open spaces and housing, the State Government is focussing on developing each city differently drawing the strength from its geographical location and tapping the agro-industries.

Apart from the Mumbai-Pune-Nasik golden industrial triangle, the Government has fo-cussed its smart mission on cities like Nagpur, Amravati, Solapur, Kalyan-Dombivali, Navi Mumbai, Thane, Pimpri-Chinchwad. Each of these cities are being designed and developed differently to cater to the aspirations of the generation next.

To cite a few examples, Mumbai will become the Fintech capital of India, Pune the IT and start-up capital, Amravati the textile hub and Nagpur the electronic and defence hub. Au-rangabad is emerging as the new industrial corridor and Nashik as a pilgrimage and tour-ism destination.

Through rapid integrated transport sys-tem model, the Government is working on quick connectivity which is an essential part of any smart city. The financial capital,

Mumbai, which is set to emerge as the Fintech capital of India, is moving with a 272 km metro network creating additional commuter capac-ity of 90 lakh. The metro work underway in Nagpur and Pune, gives Maharashtra a clear edge in terms of transport facilities.

The State’s regional plan for 11 districts out of a total of 36 and developmental plans for 193 cities are aimed at improving the regional connectivity across around 250 two and three tier cities/towns in Maharashtra.

The Chief Minister believes the vibrant IT and business leadership of the State would help in evolving Smart Cities complete with sustainable and friendly urban space and e-governance. The stress is also on greater citi-zen and community participation.

Maha Development Sensing the challenges of urbanisation, the Government has taken its concept of smart mission to the villages to integrate the process through developmental projects.

Digitalisation of 29,000 Gram Panchatays under MahaNet on the lines of BharatNet will help 40,913 villages across Maharashtra. Whereas, under `5.96 lakh crore infrastruc-ture projects, the Government has taken a step ahead to keep pace with urbanisation. The `46,000 crore Nagpur-Mumbai Super communication Expressway, the longest eight-lane stretch at 706 km spreading its dividends to 24 districts, would help in the development of two and three tier cities/towns across the State.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who conceptualised the plan, has always main-tained that the Nagpur-Mumbai Super Com-


With emphasis on infrastructure, the State Government is gearing up to become a global commercial and industrial hub, reports Sanjit

EXPRESSWAY TO PROGRESS

Apart from extending the basics like clean drinking water, solid waste management, infrastructure, open spaces and housing, the State Government is focussing on develop-ing each city differently drawing the strength from its geographical location and tapping the agro-industries.

As the infrastructure sector is being pegged as the biggest growth-orient-ed sector in the coming period, the Maharashtra Government has laid

emphasis on momentum of its creation espe-cially in Mumbai and Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR). Realizing that investment in infrastructure will serve a dual purpose of ex-pediting the development and creation of more jobs, the Government has undertaken a slew of projects worth at least `2 lakh crore including Metro rail, Mono rail, sea link, trans-harbour link, coastal road, elevated railway, airport to mention a few.

This apart, the Government has launched much the ambitious Mumbai-Nagpur Super Communication Expressway with the pro-posed investment of `46,000 crore. Similarly, Metro rail network is being developed in Pune and Nagpur.

These projects are being implemented by various State undertakings, including Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority, Maharashtra State Road Develop-ment Corporation, City and Industrial Devel-opment Corporation and, also, by the Brihan-Mumbai Municipal Corporation. Besides, the railway projects are being developed with an active co-operation from the union railways ministry and its agencies.

The State government is set to showcase these projects to the global investors in the up-coming Magnetic Maharashtra conclave.

Metro Rail ExpansionAlready, the 11.4 Versova-Andheri-Ghatkopar Metro rail corridor is operational since June 2014. The MMRDA is now involved in five Metro corridors in Greater Mumbai. Met-ro 2B corridor will be between DN Nagar- Bandra and Mankhurd with an estimated cost of around Rs 10,986 crore and Metro 4 connect-ing Wadala-Ghatkopar-Thane-Kasarvadavli, estimated at around `14,549 crore.

munication Expressway is not just about state-of-art roads or hi-speed travel, but, more importantly, is essential for the agro-industri-al development of the 24 districts as it would provide easy connectivity to the JNPT port.

It will boost the agro-developmental model in the backward and drought-hit districts of Akola, Buldhana, Yavatmal, Wardha, Washim, Beed, Latur, Hingoli, Jalna, Nanded, Parbhani, Osmanabad and Nagpur rural. Two more dry ports at Jalna and Wardha, being developed by the JNPT, are added advantage in realising the Smart Cities mission.

Along with the Smart Cities projects, the Government believes, affordable housing and redevelopment of slums should also be under-taken. Hence, it has set the target of building 22 lakh affordable houses, of which, 10 lakh will be in the urban sector and 12 lakh in the rural areas of the State.

However, the second, more comprehen-sive developmental model is on agriculture economy for the development of backward and drought-hit districts of Akola, Buldhana, Yavatmal, Wardha, Washim, Beed, Latur, Hingoli, Jalna, Nanded, Parbhani, Osmanabad and Nagpur (rural).

A comprehensive development will lead to the formation of inclusive cities where all residents, including the marginalised people, will have access to sustainable livelihoods, legal housing and affordable basic services, with this thought in mind Maharashtra is racing ahead to becoming the guiding light in nation building.

Vision w Infrastructure Development


The Metro 2B will be 23.5 km long with 22 stations and Metro 4 around 32 km long with 32 stations en-route.

Further, MMRDA has also cleared Thane-Bhiwandi-Kalyan; Swami Samarth Nagar-Jo-geshwari-Kanjurmarg-Vikhroli; and Dahisar East-Mira Road-Bhayander corridors.

Work is going on in full speed on the 33.5-km Colaba-Bandra SEEPZ Metro 3 Corridor which is expected to be completed by December 2021. The Metro-3 corridor will connect north to south and is expected to take load off the over-burdened suburban rail network. The line is expected to reduce daily vehicle trips by 4.5 lakh or 35per cent and save 2.43 lakh litre of fuel per day in 2021.

Mumbai Trans Harbour LinkThe MMRDA has already appointed three contractors to construct all the three packag-

es of the 22-km long Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (MTHL), connecting Mumbai with Navi Mumbai over the sea. The consortium LandT-IHI will construct Package-1 of the Sewri side of the sea bridge, Daewoo-TPL combine will make the Navi Mumbai side of the sea bridge and LandT will make the bridge portion on land towards Chirle. The project is expected to cost about `17,750 crore and is expected to be ready by 2021.

Mumbai Coastal Road To be built along the western coast of Mumbai, the eight-lane road aims to provide a new link between the island city and the west-ern suburbs. The 29.2-km project is proposed to be completed within four years.

The coastal road will have eight lanes with two dedicated bus lanes. The project will re-quire 186 hectares of land to be reclaimed, of which 91 hectares will be developed as green spaces.

The process of awarding contracts for the project, which has been undertaken simulta-neously in three sections (a tunnel and two bridges), has entered the final stage. The proj-ect entails an investment of `15,000 crore.

The work will be divided into two parts. The south phase of the bridge will run from Prin-cess Street flyover till the south-end of the Bandra-Worli sea-link and the north phase will cover the stretch from the north-end of the sea-Link to Kandivli.

The MSRDC has proposed Versova-Ban-dra sea-link (VBSL) with an investment of `7,502 crore. The VBSL is an important part of the coastal road project, which plans to connect south Mumbai to the western suburbs through a series of tunnels, sea links and reclaimed roads. The project is expected to be completed by 2020.

We are working to fast-track the projects to get rid of the mismatch between rapid urbanisation and rising infra-structure demands.Devendra Fadnavis, Chief Minister

”

“

Top Right: Mumbai Coastal road: A proposed 29.2-km freeway that would run along Mumbai’s western coastline connecting Marine Lines in the south to Kandivli in the north. Above: The Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (MTHL), (also known as the Sewri-Nhava Sheva Trans Harbour Link), A proposed 21.8 km, freeway grade road bridge connecting the city of Mumbai with Navi Mumbai


Mumbai-Nagpur ExpresswayThe MSRDC, a nodal authority for the project, has completed acquisition of 50per cent of the total land area of 9,330 hectares it requires for the project. It already has commitments from 12 banks for an amount of `12,000 crore.

The project is primarily a 701-km highway connecting Mumbai with Nagpur, which aims to cut the travel time between the two cities from 18 hours to about 8 hours. The Govern-ment hopes that the Expressway will bring faster connectivity with the hinterland so that agriculture produce and minerals could reach the Jawaharlal Nehru Port near Mumbai for exports.

The construction will begin in the current year and the project is expected to be complet-ed by the end of 2019.

Way ForwardKnight Frank India, a leading international property consultant, notes that the role of in-frastructure development, specifically urban transport projects, is significant in 458 sq. km of Mumbai city and the MMR spread over 4,355 sq. km. In the last decade, the population growth rate of Mumbai was 3.9per cent, and 40.3per cent for the rest of the MMR. The sub-urban rail network has been the primary mode of commuting to work in the MMR.

The Finance Minister, Arun Jaitely, an-nounced expansion of the Mumbai suburban train network, spread over 465 km, at a cost of `11,000 crore. Besides, the Centre will al-locate `40,000 crore for the city’s rail network. This came as a bonanza for the Mumbai’s over 80 lakh railway commuters. At the same time, traveling woes of Mumbaikars may ease a bit in near future with the ongoing 146 km expan-sion of Metro rail network and, also, of Mono Rail connecting Wadala and Jacob Circle as the Government has fast tracked construction.

Both Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis

and State Finance Minister Sudhir Mungan-tiwar have already clarified that financing the infrastructure projects won’t be a prob-lem. Mungantiwar informs that the Govern-ment will launch a special infrastructure fund to generate money for projects. The proposed fund would be managed by a special purpose vehicle called Mahainfra. “The SPV would act as a single window for aggregating land held by various departments. By securitizing the plots, the Government would be able to raise money,” he says.

Motilal Oswal Financial Services, a diversi-fied financial services firm, in its report says funding for Metro, sea-link and other trans-port infrastructure projects will be primarily via land monetization and bank borrowings. The MMRDA has 80-100 acres in Bandra and another 120 acres in Wadala which can be monetized. As the MMRDA does not get any support from the State budget, it will also de-pend on development charges from these proj-ects for funding. The MMRDA has already tied up with external agencies such as the ADB and the World Bank for the debt component in its projects, and is also in talks with some domes-tic banks. It can also utilize its INR 200 billion cash reserves for infusing equity into these projects,’’ it notes.

Confident of finishing all transport projects in Mumbai by 2022, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has said the city and MMR will see a transformation in terms of mobility with projects ranging from underground metro and sea bridge to coastal roads, elevated suburban trains and new airports. The CM is quite op-timistic that all projects will start getting de-livered from the next year itself and would be completed fully by 2022.

With the infrastructure in place, combined with the “Ease of Doing Business”, a progres-sive Maharashtra is leap-frogging to a trillion-dollar economy.

► The `13000-crore Mumbai Coastal Road to connect south and north Mumbai and ease traffic, especially on western express

► MTHL project to link Mumbai and Navi Mum-bai where new airport is proposed

► The Navi Mumbai airport’s first phase, of 10 million passengers, to be commissioned by December 2019

► Three Metro corridors of 68.5 km to be operation-al by December 2019

Left: Pune Airport.Above: Shirdi Airport located at Kakadi village, about 14 km South-west of the town of Shirdi was inaugurated by President Ram Nath Kovind on October 1, 2017


The Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor, world’s largest multiple corridor, has been planned to double the industrial output and treble the employment within a decade. It is a step forward taking Maharashtra closer to its ambition of a trillion dollar economy, says Team Maharashtra Ahead

A LEAP FORWARD

Stretched over 1483 km, encompassing 82 districts across six states, the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor promises an integrated development of not only

Maharashtra, but the entire country. This project, initiated in collaboration with

the Government of Japan, will criss-cross through states of Maharashtra, Delhi (Union Territory), Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Gujarat and Rajasthan.

This project alone, covers 29 per cent of Ma-harashtra and18 per cent of the country’s area which is unparalleled.

The most notable feature of the DMIC is its multi-modal convergence which will boost businesses across industries, agriculture, lo-gistics hubs and educational centres amongst others.

Along with providing exceptional infra-structural facilities , this dedicated industrial corridor also brings a new developmental mod-el to every state, complete with planned smart cities.

Overall, the project will have 24 industri-al regions, two international airports, eight smart cities, five mega power plants, two mass rapid transit systems and logistics hubs.

The Shendra- Bidkin Industrial Park and Dighi Port Industrial Area in Maharashtra are the regions mooted for industrial investments under the first phase of the DMIC.

Project w DMIC

Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor


Impact on MaharashtraDelhi and Mumbai, the two extremes of this corridor, are the pillars of this mega project. The project will not only transform the face of Mumbai, but will also bring larger industrial, agricultural and financial dividends to the backward regions of Maharashtra.

The DMIC project will be implemented in the State in two phases; the first of which will include the development of Shendra-Bidkin Industrial City and a state-of-the-art exhibi-tion-cum-convention centre in Aurangabad in Marathwada region. A multi-modal logistics park at Karmad and water supply scheme for Shendra contributes to the elaborate plans.

The second phase project includes develop-ment of the Dighi Port Industrial Area, Na-shik-Sinnar-Igatpuri Investment Region and Dhule Mega Industrial Park .

The unique feature of DMIC, is the green-field project, AURIC, which has grabbed the attention of global investors. Shendra- Bidkin, a well-planned technology-driven township in Aurangabad, being built with a concept of walk-to-work, will be developed over 1000 acres.

Through DMIC, the State of Maharashtra is poised for rapid connectivity, bringing in hi-tech infrastructure, including a dedicated rail-way freight corridor and modern ports.

Notwithstanding the stated objective to provide economic growth across sectors and

regions, keeping in sight the larger human as-pect of employment, both during and post pro-jects, the Government believes that this dedi-cated corridor would attribute to the country’s economic growth immensely.

Maharashtra has set the target of 10 to 12 per cent sustained growth rate for the next five years to enable it to achieve its dream target of becoming Indian’s first trillion dollar economy State.

It is the only State amongst all with the largest infrastructure projects estimated to be worth `5.96 lakh crore. The State believes the DMIC projects would enable it to further consolidate its gains in the global trading and manufacturing sector.

The development of Shendra-Bidkin, where work has already begun, would emerge as the economic centre for food processing, electron-ics, IT and Auto industries. Once operational, it is estimated to generate up to 5 lakh direct and indirect jobs.

The DMIC provides a platform for indus-trial growth in districts which are beyond the golden triangle of Mumbai-Pune and Nashik. The emergence of Aurangabad on the global map will change the face of Marathwada, often dismissed as the drought prone and backward region of State. Also, the tribal belt of Nan-durbar will get a new facelift. The collective strength of eight districts would attribute to massive growth index in wide sectors beyond industries including education and services.

Through DMIC, Maharashtra is ready to take a bigger leap forward towards its ambi-tious mission of attaining the trillion dollar economy within eight years.

DMIc covers 26 per cent of the total population of 11.20 crore in Maharashtra. In terms of districts, it covers eight districts namely- Aurangabad, Nashik, Ahmednagar, Dhule, Pune, Raigad, Thane and Nandurbar; thus catering to Marathwada, North Maharashtra, Konkan and Western Maharashtra regions. Estimated to generate industrial output up to `20 lakh crore, this project will also generate employment up to 40 lakh.

Bottom: DMICDC Shendra-Bidkin industrial area, Maharashtra


STATE NUMBER ONE


The Maharashtra tableau, depicting the historic moment of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s Coronation, was crowned the best tableau award at the Republic Day parade in New Delhi this year.


SPEARHEADING INITIATIVESFrom industrial clusters to new-age industries to creating women entrepreneurs, Maharashtra truly befits the role of a trail-blazer, informs Archana Shambharkar

Maharashtra, the country’s industri-al powerhouse, occupies a promi-nent place in the Indian economy. The State capital, Mumbai, is

India’s commercial and financial capital and boasts the presence of all the leading indus-trial and corporate houses as also the offices of multinational corporations.

With relatively better infrastructure facili-ties, conducive investment climate, availabil-ity of institutional finance and a skilled labour force, Maharashtra is considered the most-favoured destination for industrial investment by both domestic and foreign investors, despite the growing strain on infrastructure.

The State is the largest economy of the country, contributing 14.93 per cent of the Na-tional Income. The State economy has regis-tered an average growth of 9per cent over the last 4 years. It contributes 20 per cent of coun-try’s industrial output and net value addition. The services sector has 62 per cent share in the State GDP built on strong Industrial base.

Leader in Industrial DevelopmentAfter de-licensing, since August 1991, the State has attracted the highest number of Industrial proposals. Till September 2017, it received 19,727 proposals with an investment of `11,66,252 Cr, having an employment po-

Overview w Industrial Investments


tential of 33.56 lac. Out of this, 8,957 projects have gone in production with an investment of `2,91,775.25 crore, generating direct employ-ment of 12.64 lac.

Since June 2005, 545 Mega Projects with an investment of Rs.4.06 lakh crore, and an employment potential of 4.66 lakh, have been approved by the State. Of these, 170 Mega units with an actual investment of `70,531.84 crore and having an employment potential of 1,16,298 have been issued eligibility cer-tificate under the Package Scheme of Incen-tives. About 3,45,621 registered MSMEs have obtained Udyog Aadhar in the State with an investment of `82,39,949 lakh, providing em-ployment to 26,49,493 persons as of November, 2017.

Foreign Direct InvestmentThe State attracts highest approved FDI in the country. From the year 2000 to September, 2017, the cumulative FDI was `6,11,760 crore and the percentage of inflow in was 31per cent of the total inflow in the country.

The main products exported from the State are Gems and Jewellery, Software, Textiles, Readymade Garments, Cotton Yarn, Made-up Fabrics, Metal and Metal products, Agro-based products and Plastic items.

For recognition of efforts put up by the exporters and to boost exports, the Govern-ment has taken many initiatives such as presenting The Best Export Award to deserv-ing candidates and organising world exhibi-tions of products. During the year 2009-10, six international exhibitions were organized in various countries.

New Age IndustriesThe State had earlier declared IT and ITES policies in 2003 and 2009, respectively, which helped in the development of IT industries. To boost the growth in IT / ITES Sectors, the Gov-ernment announced a new IT / ITES Policy in 2015, vide G.R dated 25/08/2015 and 22/2/2016. The State’s export in the IT sector has grown 9 times since 2003. There are 185 registered private IT parks and 37 registered IT parks in public sector. In addition to Pune and Mumbai, Nagpur, Nashik and Aurangabad are emerg-ing as new centres for IT industries.

The State declared a Bio-Technology policy in 2001 which enhanced the development of BT industries. Six private BT parks have been developed in the State and approvals of 6 BT-SEZ granted.

Special Economic ZoneThe government of India has approved 149 SEZs in the State, the highest in the country. Out of which, 49 SEZs have been notified with a projected investment of `75,007 crore and an employment potential of 20 lakh. Twenty eight SEZs have started development activities.

Cluster Development The government of India has approved 44 Clus-ters of Micro and Small Enterprises for devel-opment in the State, with an expected grant `100 crore during next 3 years, which will give direct employment to 1,08,000 persons.

Under the programme, the government will provide assistance for capacity building and creation of common facilities which will help Micro and Small Enterprises in enhancing

MAITRI is a completely digital, one stop Government to Business (G2B) Portal for existing and prospective investors to get consolidated information about the investment process with regards to expanding their existing units, or to set up a new business unit in the State.


their competitiveness in the market.

Ease of Doing BusinessThe World Bank surveys and ranks 189 econo-mies in the world based on their ease of doing business. This ranking provides the investors with an insight for making investment-related decisions. Currently, India is ranked 100. The Central and the State Government of Maha-rashtra have initiated reforms on a war-foot-ing to substantially improve India’s ranking.

MAITRIAs envisaged in the Industrial Policy 2013, the State has started Investor Facilitation Cell which marks a shift in the mind-set of the

Government from being a regulator to that of a facilitator. The cell has been named “Maha-rashtra Industry, Trade and Investment Fa-cilitation Cell (MAITRI)”. It was launched by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Febru-ary 27, 2014 in Mumbai.

MAITRI is a completely digital, one stop Government to Business (G2B) Portal for ex-isting and prospective investors to get consoli-dated information about the investment pro-cess with regards to expanding their existing units, or to set up a new business unit in the State.

MAITRI will provide services such as hand-holding support, management of web-based portal, coordination with different government agencies etc.

Maharashtra State Industrial Cluster Development Programme (MSI- CDP)The Maharashtra Government has adopted a cluster approach for sustainable develop-ment of Micro and Small enterprises (MSEs). The scheme, namely, Maharashtra State Industrial Cluster Development Programme (MSICDP), was announced vide Govt. Resolu-tion dated 25.02.2014, and aims for balanced development of the State by creating employ-ment and self-employment opportunities.

An Industrial Cluster is a group of enterprises located within an identifiable and, as far as possible, practicable and contiguous area producing same/similar products/ser-vices. The cluster development programme provides easy access to advanced technology, thereby enhancing the competitiveness and productivity of MSEs in the State.

The Directorate of Industries is implement-ing the scheme all over the State with exclu-sive and innovative cluster proposals under various sectors like food processing, handicraft, leather, garment, furniture, honey processing etc. Till December 2017, 95 projects had been approved.

Special Policy for Women Entrepreneurs With a view to encourage women-centric enter-prises, Maharashtra, first State in the country to do so, announced a special policy for them recently. The women entrepreneur the policy has fiscal incentives such as capital subsidy, power tariff subsidy, interest subsidy, subsidy for brand development etc. to increase the par-ticipation of woman entrepreneurs in the State economy from 9per cent to 20per cent in the next 5 years.

Being a leader in the industrial sector, Maharashtra, surely, is the engine of growth in India. On the whole, it is a fascinating State and offers great potential for the future.

SR. NO. YEAR INDIA MAHARASHTRA

1. 2001-2002 2,44,245 73,865

2. 2002-2003 3,00,290 99,778

3. 2003-2004 3,49,617 85,916

4. 2004-2005 3,61,900 90,469

5. 2005-2006 4,54,800 1,13,700

6. 2006-2007 5,71,779 1,42,944

7. 2007-2008 6,40,172 1,72,846

8. 2008-2009 8,39,977 2,26,794

9. 2009-2010 8,45,125 2,28,184

10. 2010-2011 11,42,649 3,08,515

11. 2011-2012 14,59,280 3,94,005

12. 2012-2013 15,46,766 3,61,460

13. 2013-2014 18,31,009 4,34,591

14. 2014-2015 18,65,589 4,45,349

15. 2015-2016 17,14,617 4,36,435

16. 2016-2017 18,49,428 4,51,978

17. 2017-2018 7,39,805 1,80,844

(UPTO OCTOBER 2017)

TOTAL EXPORTS OF INDIA AND MAHARASHTRATABLE (` IN CRORE)

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As the State gears up for its global investors’ summit Magnetic Maharashtra: Convergence 2018 to not only project its achievements in core sectors but also attract global investors, Chandragupta Amritkar compiles some interesting facts and achievements in the field of ICT

Technology would become a vehicle to deliver visible change to the lives of people in rural and urban Maharash-tra. It should be used to make social

schemes reach the remotest villages and ham-lets in the State.” This statement was made by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and how true it’s becoming as the State gets nationwide recognition.

Digital MaharashtraAs we citizens, or can I say netizens, are be-coming increasingly tech-savvy, it’s only right for our government to become tech-friendly. Taking a lead, the Government of Maharash-tra is bringing about a paradigm shift in the way services are delivered to the people. By embracing technology whole-heartedly, it is working towards 100 per cent transparency, convenience and accountability in governance

Vision w e-Maharashtra

MAKING OF A FUTURISTIC STATE

The idea is to provide internet connectivity to remote villages in the State to bridge the digital divide.

while improving the overall quality of services delivered to its citizens.

Over the past two years, the State has made optimum use of technology across departments for effective service and communication and to bridge the gap between the people and the Government. This change is already visible with initiatives like Aaple Sarkar grievance redressal, RTS, WhatsApp for FIR Registra-tion and MyGov, to name a few.

All 29,000 Gram Panchayats in Maharash-tra are to be digitalised under Bharat Net. Digitisation of police stations, including Cyber-crime labs and CCTV surveillance in cities like Mumbai and Pune, has been undertaken for advanced security with the assistance of techno-logy. Maharashtra is the first State to make all police stations and criminal records online.

On the education front, close to 47,000 out of 65,000 government primary schools in the State have been digitally equipped through crowd-funding. Tablets and interactive projec-tors have replaced notebooks and blackboards.

The State Government has decided to ini-tiate the Bharat Interface for Money (BHIM)-Aadhaar Pay mode of payment among the rural populace, and in cities payments will be accepted through credit cards, debit cards and all existing modes of e-payments. Digital transactions will be applicable to payments of property tax, stamp duty, fees for land trans-fer, license fees, fines, electricity bills etc.

The aim is to create a seamless, integrated digital network for the State. As everyone can-not be tech savvy, especially the rural elder community, the State has decided to provide “Government at your doorstep” scheme where a mobile unit is created in every Tehsil.

Plans are afoot to develop Pune as a Com-puting Centre, similar to the one at Bangalore,


► Maharashtra was recently adjudged as among the best perform-ing states in the digitisa-tion of Gram Panchayats under the Central Government’s BharatNet project.

► Maharashtra under the programme MahaNet had initiated the project to cover all 29,000 Gram Panchayats in the State. While the Centre has set 2019 as the deadline for digital connectivity of gram panchayats, the State government has attained the target much ahead of time.

► Nagpur became the first city in India where all Gram Panchayats were digitally connected.

► Maharashtra is the first State to have initiated full-fledged digital security programmes. Under the Maharashtra Cyber project, 48 cyber forensic labs, covering every district, have been set up with 44 being at-tached to police stations.

► Maharashtra at 99.9per cent has emerged as the second State in terms of digital initiatives undertaken (after Madhya Pradesh) as per a report by Coeus Age Consulting.

► The assessment is based on 109 key performance indicators related to policy, infrastructure and mission mode projects.

as well as erect IT hubs at Nagpur, Nashik, Aurangabad and Kolhapur. Inclusion of ICT in School Education and emphasis on research along with literature and culture are also be-ing worked on earnestly.

BharatNet ProgrammeThe BharatNet project has the mandate to provide high-speed broadband to all panchay-ats by March 2019. When completed, Bharat-Net will be the world’s largest rural broadband project.

The idea is to provide internet connectivity to remote villages in the State to bridge the digital divide. This high speed digital highway will be created using optical fibre. The connec-tivity will allow villagers to access Government to Citizen (G2C) services, e-health, e-education and e-agriculture facilities and allow youth to upgrade their skills.

The network can be used for creation of last mile delivery agents for e-commerce portals, rural BPOs, warehouses and supply chain management systems by private players.

For the first phase of the programme, Ma-harashtra was adjudged as among the best performing states.

Aaple SarkarAs part of the strategy to make Maharashtra a digital State by 2019, the Chief Minister has launched the Aaple Sarkar website, an online portal for people to access government services and information.

The portal allows citizens to apply for documents such as certificates, permissions, sanctions etc. under different government de-partments, file RTIs, raise grievances, avail government schemes as well as lend their sug-gestions on various aspects in addition to other public services.

Around 393 services are available online, many of them accessible on mobile through apps. People can browse through the require-ments for the desired documents on the por-tal and then visit any government-run Aaple Sarkar centre, being set up in every district, where an operator will fill up the respective form online and provide a receipt for delivery. Else, they can fill the online form by them-selves.

Maharashtra is the first State to have brought Right to Information online. Of the 123,02,002 applications received, the Govern-ment has successfully disposed 117,98,839 ap-plications.

The Aaple Sarkar App has become a hit among youngsters who use it to post griev-ances, track them and provide a resolute feed-back. The app also has links to the “Right to Information” and “MyGov” portals of the Maharashtra Government.

MahalabharthiMahalabharthi has been launched with an objective to provide information of all Govern-ment schemes to citizens in a personalised manner. It generates a comprehensive list of benefits specifically applicable to and easily understood by individuals whose profiles has been created on the portal. The most innova-tive and distinctive feature of Mahalabharthi is that all these benefits and entitlements are


OPPORTUNITIESThe Information and Communication Techno- logy (ICT) in schools have been subsumed in the Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA). Now ICT in Schools is a component of the RMSA. The Scheme is a major catalyst to bridge the digital divide amongst students of various socio economic and other geographical barriers. The Scheme provides support to States/UTs to establish computer labs on sustain-able basis.

COMPONENTS The scheme has essentially four components:► Partnership with State

Government and Union Territories Administra-tions for providing com-puter aided education to Secondary and Higher Secondary Government and Government aided schools.

► Establishment of smart schools, which shall be technology demonstra-tors.

► Teacher-related inter-ventions, such as provi-sion for engagement of an exclusive teacher, capacity enhancement of all teachers in ICT and a scheme for national ICT award as a means of motivation.

► Development of e-content, mainly through Central Institute of Education Technolo-gies (CIET), six State Institutes of Education Technologies (SIETs) and five Regional Institutes of Education (RIEs), as also through outsourcing

presented in an absolutely personalised and citizen-welfare-centric manner. It is a single point of information where citizens can find schemes implemented by various departments as well as necessary information such as relat-ed government resolution, application process, requisite documents, time duration for sanc-tion, corresponding department contacts etc.

MahaDBT (Direct Benefit Transfer) and Aadhar LinkageMahaDBT (Direct Benefit Transfer) is a portal launched by the Government of Maharashtra to transfer the benefits and subsidies of vari-ous social welfare schemes like E-Scholarships, Pension, Disaster compensation, etc., directly into the bank account of the beneficiary.

The initiative to computerise the public distribution system and link ration cards to Aadhaar has saved foodgrains worth `3,000 crore from being siphoned off. The initiative has helped the Government detect 9.2 million fraudulent beneficiaries and 1.2 million fake ration cards so far.

Aadhaar-seeding the scheme ensures that no-one impersonates the beneficiary to claim the benefits. Also, in case of cash transfers, the money reaches directly to the beneficiary’s Aadhaar-linked bank account. He does not have to pursue people to get funds. Also, he can decide which bank the money can be trans-ferred to. However, all benefits go to the latest Aadhaar-linked bank account.

This system helps check duplicate and fake claims, provide accurate data and enable im-plementation of direct benefit programmes. The use of Aadhaar reduces the cost of iden-tifying persons and provides increased trans-parency to the Government in implementing

its schemes. Going forward, more than 300 schemes and

services of the State would be made available on the Government portal.

For people not well-versed with technology, especially in rural areas, a Banking Corre-spondent will carry a hand-held device which will enable various types of banking trans-actions through their Aadhaar-linked bank accounts, including balance enquiry, cash deposit, cash withdrawal, payment of bills, re-mitting funds to other Aadhaar holders. The Banking Correspondent will also help in open-ing Aadhaar-linked bank accounts.

BharatNet, Aaple Sarkar, Mahalabharthi, MahaDBT-Aadhaar, the stage is set for com-plete digitisation of the State.

With portals like Aaple Sarkar offer-ing various services such as RIT, RTS, Grievance redressal, etc. to the public, the Government has managed to achieve the most coveted aspect of governance: trans-parency. Maharashtra has truly arrived. Maharashtra is online.


Backed by a robust policy, market reforms, online trading services and skilled resources, Maharashtra is making a shift towards sustainable farming, says Sayli Udas-Mankikar

NEW ERA OF SUSTAINABLE FARMING

With nine agro-climatic zones and a 720-kilometre coastline, and with a variety of vegetables, fruits, flow-ers, millets and other abundant

resources Maharashtra, boasts of the high-est Gross State Domestic Product of 12.98 per cent in India. The abundant resources also make the State an investment destination for food processing and production clusters with adequate linkages and marketing support.

Today’s mantra is smart and sustainable

agriculture, and it is high on the priority list of the Government of Maharashtra. Since 2017, the focus of the State Government has been on creating its own food processing policy, mar-keting reforms, encouraging contract farming and direct linkages, and setting up an e-plat-form not only for e-bidding, but also trade set-tlement. Skill development of young farmers and entrepreneurs is also being taken care of.

All these initiatives make Maharashtra an investment hotbed for both national and in-ternational investors in the agro and food pro-cessing industry. The Government of India has listed Maharashtra among the four states with the potential to derive maximum benefit from policy reforms in food processing. The Gross State Value Added (GSVA) of Agriculture and Allied Activities has an average share of 11.8 per cent in the total GSVA and is growing at an annual rate of 1.7 per cent.

Food For ThoughtIn November 2017, the Ministry of Food Processing Industries of Government of India held a global event, World Food India, to facili-tate partnerships between Indian States and investors in the food processing sector. After certain notings and findings from the event, the Government of Maharashtra has made

Vision w Smart Farming


The State Government has set up a special cargo cen-tre over 50 hectares of land at JNPT, which will have a direct access to the dock for perishables, apart from Bhiwandi and Nashik. Modern compact houses main-taining international standards for packing and pack-aging perishables are being created here.

Apart from national and international investors, the State has been encouraging local investment in ventures as a part of the ‘Make In India’ flagship pro-gramme of Government of India.

“Local investment is required for poultry unit, dairy

unit or fisheries unit which could produce world class quality products. It’s a balance of investment, where interest of local producers can be protected and they can get investment opportunities,” added Kumar.

Finally, irrespective of where the investor comes from, Kumar adds, the Maharashtra Government has emphasised on simplified professional business pro-cesses, wherein single-window clearances will be given, there will be no red-tapism and, most impor-tantly, financial discipline will be at the core of this industrial boost.

u The State is the largest producer of tomato, on-ion, pomegranate and grapes in the country. Apart from these, cereals like rice and wheat, millets like bajra and sorghum, oilseeds like groundnut, sunflower and soybean, pulses like pigeon pea, chickpea, moong and moth, commercial crops like sugar-cane and cotton and livestock and fisheries form the base of the food processing industry in Maharashtra.

u Maharashtra is the second State to announce its own policy for food processing. Maharashtra Agro-Processing and Agri-Marketing Promotion Policy was announced in World Food India, 2017 as a part of the State Industrial Policy.

food processing a priority sector.Major achievements of the State include

food-parks set up with international facilities, welcoming 100 per cent FDI. The three mega food parks in Wardha, Paithan and Satara, which were set up through public private part-nerships (PPP), have been given a 50 per cent subsidy by Government of India. The Govern-ment is putting in last mile infrastructure like roads and water lifting. Also, as a major re-form, it has taken a decision that food process-ing should be treated at par with agriculture, helping the sector get permissions for water and electricity provisions.

Additionally, 10 per cent land has been reserved in Maharashtra Industrial Develop-ment Corporation (MIDC) areas for food pro-cessing units. It not only provides opportunity for investment, but also infrastructure sup-port, especially to investors who want to be near Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) for international trade.

To ensure the old food parks are at par with the new ones, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has implemented a new Central Gov-ernment scheme, Pradhan Mantri Kisan Sam-pada Yojana.

Under the scheme, concessions are extend-ed to old clusters apart from common infra-structure facilities, marketing support and for-ward-backward linkages. The project has been extended to the tomato cluster and wine park at Nashik, orange processors in the Nagpur-Amravati belt, fruit and grain processors at Sindhudurg-Ratnagiri, and raisins belt in the Solapur-Sangli area.

Provision for Small InvestorsUnder Mukhyamantri Anna Prakriya Yojana, a subsidy of `50 lakh is given by the State Government for an investment of up to `1 crore. The Centre has also created a dedicated `2000 crore capital investment for food pro-cessing, wherein capital investment can be

funded at a lower cost. Through this scheme, proposals for mini daal mills, mini rice mills, haldi processing, spice processing, and boiling and processing units are considered.

Along with the infrastructure boost, getting skilled resources is also being stressed upon. Skill development in food processing units and technology have been introduced in agriculture universities and colleges to ensure that skilled manpower is available in the agricultural sec-tor. “Once manpower, capital and ready infra-structure is available there is a complete pack-age which is available to investors,” said Bijay Kumar, Principal Secretary (Agriculture and Horticulture), Government of Maharashtra.

Contract Farming InitiativesFarmers form the core of the food processing policy of Maharashtra. Market deregulation has been the starting point, where farmers are directly able to get into contract farm-ing and create linkages outside the APMC markets.

This has reduced the time of getting

Simplifying Processes


COLUMNPotential w Textile Park

The Scheme has the following two components:-1. Development of Course Curriculum / Training

Module in English, Hindi and translation of the same in recognized regional languages based on the Qualification Packs (QPs) validated by the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) as National Occupational Standards.

Grants-In-Aid is provided to the eligible Institu-tions up to a maximum of `5 lakh per QP for development of training module both in print and multimedia for each job role and, up to a maximum of `50,000 per QP for the translation of already developed training modules in recog-nized regional languages as per 8th schedule.

2. Establishing Training Centre (TC) / Expansion of Existing Training Centre to impart skill/ training on various job roles in food processing as per National Skill Qualification Framework (NSQF).

Grants-In-Aid is provided at the rate of 50 per cent of cost of plant and machineries required for a NSQF validated training module subject to maximum of `15 lakh per training module and limited to maximum two training modules per TC.

Institutions/organisations that can apply:i. Recognised Central/ State/Deemed Universities or its Department of Food Processing Technology.

ii. Colleges/Institutions of Food Technology, affiliated with Central/State Government Universities.

iiiIndustrial Training Institutes.iv. NABL accredited Food Labs, v. TCs affiliated to or accredited with Food Indus-

try Capacity Skill Initiative (FICSI), National Skill Development Agency (NSDA) or State Skill Councils.

SALIENT FEATURES OF THE SCHEME

In order to assist the States in liberalising the agriculture market, to provide better access to farmers for marketing of their produce, Department of Agriculture, Cooperation and Farmers’ Welfare had provided a model Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) Act, 2003 for adoption by States as agriculture marketing is a state subject. The Model APMC Act, 2003 provides for contract farming provision.

products from the farm to processing units considerably. Contract farming has been im-plemented in a big way, wherein soya bean and maize procurement is being done directly from farmers. Such steps have enabled fruits and vegetable processors to have a tie-up with farmers, assuring them a good price for the goods and in turn getting a uniform quality of product at a fixed time. This reduces the wait-ing period outside APMC markets and saves farmers the inconvenience of loading or un-loading their goods.

For those who want to continue with the APMC, an e-bidding process has been set up to bring in transparency and cut red-tapism. Axis Bank and ICICI bank are working with the State Government to set up a trade-settle-ment platform for farmers to ensure they get the right evaluation for their goods. Also, the biggest advantage for farmers here will be that the licensing will be replaced by registration of farmers.

The Maharashtra Agricultural Competi-tiveness Project (MACP) provides another major boost to farmers. In its Phase I, it will be launched in 25 markets across Maharash-tra and will aim at increasing the productivity, profitability and market access of the farm-ers. This would be achieved by providing them with technical knowledge, market intelligence and market networks to support diversifica-tion and intensification of agricultural produc-tion in response to the market demand. They will also be assisted in establishing farmer organisations, developing alternative market channels outside of the regulated markets, and in modernising promising traditional whole-sale markets.

The World Bank has agreed to support phase II of the MACP where infrastructural support will be given to the farmers. Railway

sidings, special connectivity for perishables, not only in the State but outside, wherever needed, will be funded.

Apart from investors, the State has been encouraging local investment in ventures as a part of the ‘Make In India’ flagship programme of Government of India.

“Local investment is required for poultry unit, dairy unit or fisheries unit which could produce world class quality products. It’s a balance of investment, where interest of local producers can be protected and they can get investment opportunities,” added Kumar.


C otton to Cloth”. These three words put together make a statement of a dream. Appropriate steps are being taken by the Maharashtra Govern-

ment to realise this long-cherished dream. In fact, soon a new Textile Policy is proposed to be unveiled, which will act as a vision document as well as action plan to give a never-before boost to textile development in Maharashtra in general, and cotton-producing areas of Vi-darbha, Marathwada, and North Maharashtra in particular.

The last textile policy expired in March 2017. Despite its stated objectives of value ad-dition on 45 lakh bales of cotton that used to remain unutilized, attracting investments of an estimated `40,000 crore, and creating 11 lakh jobs, owing to several factors, these ob-jectives could not be achieved in full measure. As per one estimate, by March 2017, the to-tal investment figure was `16,371 crore with a potential of creating around 2.50 lakh jobs. However, the situation is changing for the better. Since 2015, the present-day Govern-ment has started taking certain measures that are aimed at laying a strong foundation for giving a turn-around to textile sector in Maharashtra.

A Shot in the ArmIn 2015, when the last Textile Policy was near-ing expiry, the Government emphasized on having textile hubs in cotton-growing belts of Vidarbha and Marathwada, which also happen to be the most under-developed regions of the State. This emphasis was to ensure that cost of transportation of cotton to the textile units located in other parts of Maharashtra was cur-tailed. Also, it was linked to subsidies avail-able to such units.

Clubbed with promotion of cotton-growing belts of Vidarbha and Marathwada, the Gov-ernment initiative bore fruits. Soon, big names

The new Textile Policy of the Maharashtra Government not only aims at creating textile hubs in the State but also boost investors’ confidence, reports Aboli

FROM FARM TO FASHION

in textile industry, including Raymond and Suryalakshmi, turned to Vidarbha to set up manufacturing facilities and expand business. Apart from them, around 30 other units came up. The boost was visible when other than 16 textile parks, nine more were announced by the State. To back the announcement with action, the Government extended its “Ease of Doing Business” policy to the textile sector and reduced number of permissions required to set up units, cutting down bureau-cratic red-tapism.

As part of sustained effort to provide a boost to the textile sector in Maharashtra, even before unveiling its new Textile Policy, the Government has started roping in investment and creating conducive atmosphere as far as infrastructure development is concerned. It has announced plans to set up a garment park in Solapur with an investment of `300 crore to make it a school and corporate uniform manu-facturing hub. Also, it has announced to set up a textile park in Sayane near Malegaon for which Maharashtra Industrial Development Corpo-ration (MIDC) has acquired 113 hectares of

Top: A Paithani saree, Maharashtra’s signature weaveAbove: CM at the Nanded Textile Park

Overview w Textile Policy


land. Thus, announcements are being backed by a well-formulated vision and action on ground.

On to Samruddhi MahamargOne major project that is expected to provide a major boost to overall development in Maharashtra, and particularly to agri-culture-based economy, is Nagpur-Mumbai Super Communication Expressway or Sam-ruddhi Mahamarg. The ambitious project, which is also a dream project of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, will connect 20 districts of the State. The project is estimated to be worth `30,000 crore. It will connect cotton-growing belts of Vidarbha, Marathwada, and North Maharashtra, and offer an opportunity to farmers to transport the raw material faster and at a cheaper rate.

Besides, it will offer an opportunity to the manufacturing segment to transport goods faster and increase profitability. The project has immense potential to be a game-changer for many industries, but textile sector may be one of the biggest beneficiaries.

One of the proposals linked to Samruddhi Mahamarg project is to transform Amrava-ti into a textile hub. In the State Budget for 2016-17, special allocation was made for cot-ton-based industrial development in Vidarbha. The focus was on Amravati, Yavatmal, Akola, Buldhana, Wardha, Washim, and Nagpur dis-tricts. Already, Amravati has started taking steps towards asserting itself as the biggest textile market in Vidarbha and Maharashtra. Various Government departments, like the Textile Department, the Agriculture Depart-ment, and the Finance Department, are work-ing in tandem with each other to lend more shine to the transformation.

In fact, the Government has plans to make Amravati an international textile hub in the long run. If one has visited Amravati in recent times, the change is quite notice-able. Along the Nagpur-Amravati road, just on the outskirts of Amravati city, several tex-tile/garment malls have come up. One can see construction in progress for more showrooms. Already, people from across Vidarbha have started visiting this textile/garment zone of

Potential w Textile Park

We are working on the new textile policy for year 2017-2022, and have invited suggestions from industry members for consideration.Maharashtra Co-operation, Marketing and Textiles Minister Subhash Deshmukh

”

“


Amravati for bulk purchases for wedding and other purposes.

Investors GaloreRenewed emphasis at Government level has given a fillip to market sentiments and inves-tor confidence. Evidently, it has percolated down to consumers and they have started plac-ing their faith in the quality of garments pro-duced here. At least in good measure, one can sense the dream of ‘Cotton to Cloth’ or ‘Farm to Fashion’ coming true in near future.

Though much of the investment is proposed through public-private partnership model, the Government is not shying away from invest-ing its own money and effort. It is making a

to have taken note of it while preparing the new Textile Policy. It has invited inputs from co-operatives and other segments in garment value-chain and has considered power tariff issues too.

While drafting the new policy, special emphasis has been given to attract invest-ment in the entire textile chain, with incentive schemes, electricity and labour getting promi-nence. The new textile policy would majorly focus on power availability at cheap rates.

A boost to textile sector will, no doubt, add to job (direct and indirect) creation po-tential of the State in general and Vidarbha, Marathwada, and North Maharashtra regions in particular, and make the dream of “Cotton to Cloth” a reality. For a State that contributes about 11.4 per cent to the country’s textile out-put and generates huge employment for both skilled and unskilled labour, the new Textile Policy might just prove to be a golden weave for economic growth.

Though much of the investment is proposed through public-private partnership model, the Government is not shying away from investing its own money and effort. It is making a conscious effort to create infrastructure supportive to putting in place a chain of value-addition units.

conscious effort to create infrastructure sup-portive to putting in place a chain of value-addition units.

At Nandgaon Peth in Amravati district, the Government had approved 500 hectares of land for creating a textile hub. As many as eight big names in textile industry had evinced a keen interest in the project. Recently, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis ceremoniously handed over an offer letter to Gautam Sing-hania, Chairman and Managing Director of Raymond Group, regarding allocation of 500 acres of land for setting up a textile unit with a proposed investment of `1,500 crore.

Furthermore, the Chief Minister had in-formed the State Legislature, during winter session held in Nagpur in December 2017, that the Government had allocated 102 hectares of land to Shyam Indofab Limited, Suryalakshmi Cotton Mills, Siyaram’s Silk Mill, and VHM Industries, thereby paving way for investment of an estimated `1,500 crore. Of these, Shyam

Indofab has started production. Also, the Chief Minister had unveiled the plans of the Gov-ernment to set up textile parks in Vidarbha, Marathwada, and North Maharashtra regions through MIDC.More textile parks are proposed in Yavatmal, Chikhli in Buldana district, Jam-ner in Jalgaon district, Kannad in Aurangabad district, Selu in Parbhani district, Bhaler in Nandurbar, Malegaon in Nashik, Krishnur in Nanded, and Majalgaon in Beed district. Cot-ton spinning mills are proposed in Akola, Ya-vatmal, Buldana, and Washim districts.

As Maharashtra is taking strides in textile sector, there are some areas that need atten-tion. Foremost among them relates to cheap-er power supply. The Government appears


Potential w Labour Law

When Chief Minister Devendra Fad-navis took over the reins of Maha-rashtra, labour reforms were top priority for him. His vision was to

see both, the employer as well as the employ-ee, benefit at the end of the day. With labour welfare being the focal point, the Maharash-tra Shops and Establishments (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act, 2017, was enacted. A year down the line, it has started yielding results.

In 2015, the State brought an amendment to the Factories Act 1948, aimed at freeing companies from the shackles of Inspector Raj. With the amended Act, gender equality was brought into factories.

While earlier, women were not allowed to work between 7 pm to 6 am, now they can work the night shifts if they so desire and the pre-scribed safety and security measures or safe-

guards are in place.

The AmendmentsA factory, according to the amended Act, means premises where a unit operating without elec-tricity can increase its number of workers from 20 to 40 and those using power, can increase it from 10 to 20.

Earlier, the State Government or the Chief Inspector were empowered to exempt any or all adult workers of any factory or group/class of factories from compliance of any or all Sec-tions 51 (Weekly hours), 52 (Weekly holidays), 54 (Daily hours), 56 (Spread over). This exemp-tion was made available to enable the factory or factories to deal with an exceptional press of work, for which the State Government or the Chief Inspector had to pass a written order stipulating the conditions for exemption.

The limit of overtime hours has been in-creased to 115 from the present 75 hours.

In February 2017, the Government amend-ed the Contract Labour (Regulation and Aboli-tion) Act 1970.

The amended Act is applicable to a unit employing 50 or more workmen on any day in the preceding 12 months; or every contractor in Maharashtra who employs or employed on any day in the preceding 12 months 50 or more workmen. Earlier, it was applicable to the unit with 20 or more employees.

Shops and Establishment ActThe State brought rules governing the Shops and Establishment Act under the Ease of Doing Business in 2017. According to the rules, an establishment with less than 10 persons does not need to register to operate, which will pave the way for opening of any new establish-ment and winding up an existing one without prior permission from the labour department.

The establishment will also be free from inspections on labour compliance. Earlier the establishment had to renew the licence each year. Now, the provision of renewal of licence has been changed from one year to five years. To beat the e-market, the Government also made the provision for shops and establish-ments to operate 24/7 by introducing Maha-rashtra Shops and Establishments (Regula-tion of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act, 2017. The establishments will operate in three shifts.

An establishment with less than nine work-ers, has been exempted from registration, it has to only intimate to the labour office. But the workers of the establishment will have to work for only 48 hours in a week and they should be given a weekly off.

The Government has brought several proce-

To streamline the working of manufacturing units, ensuring optimum use of the workforce while safeguarding workers’ interests, the State Government has brought in several reforms in the labour laws, says Sonu Shrivastava

SAFEGUARDING LABOUR INTEREST

Labour has to be provided minimum wages under the Minimum Wages Act. If an establishment fails to give the labour minimum wages, stern action will be taken against it. To eradicate child labour from the State, a slew of measures are being taken. Where hazardous industries are concerned, various safety and health security measures are being put in place.


dural changes in the labour office which have eased the procedure for procuring licences. Licence are being issued online. Application is submitted directly to the concerned officer for the licences of new establishments. The con-cerned officer either accepts or rejects within a stipulated period of seven days. If he accepts, the licences will be immediately issued. If he rejects, the applicant can go in appeal against the officer under the Right to Services Act. The online services commenced from October 2015.

Licences for boiler units and factories are is-sued online under the Ease of Doing Business gamut. Registration of a boiler, renewal of the boiler certificate and transfer of ownership of the boiler is made online.

In addition to these, renewal of factory li-cences, approval of a factory plan and issuing of new factory licence is now being done online within 45 days. Renewal of the licence of a haz-ardous factory is being done with 60 days.

However, the licence of non-hazardous fac-

tory will be issued within seven days. These measures will play a crucial role in the estab-lishment of new boiler factories.

Central Inspection SystemThe new Labour Law by the Maharashtra Government is in line with the guidelines of the International Labour Organisation. A Cen-tralised State Authority (CSA) has been put in place to carry out inspection so that local of-ficers are not influenced during the inspection of the unit. To regularise inspection, the Gov-ernment has developed a Central Inspection System (CIS).

The policy matters with reference to the Central Inspection System will be decided by the State Level Planning Committee. The Committee shall develop a module for online inspection system, randomised online selection of establishments and third party certification through Central Inspection System.

The CIS comprises inspectors from each of the factory, labour, pollution control and labour welfare boards who, jointly, will con-duct an inspection of the establishment. The report of the inspection will be uploaded within 48 hours.

The report can be viewed by the employers too. The employers can also reply to the report from their office.

In February 2017, the Government amended the Contract Labour (Regu-lation and Abolition) Act 1970. The amended Act is applicable to a unit employing 50 or more workmen on any day in the preceding 12 months; or every con-tractor in the State of Maharashtra who employs or employed on any day in the preceding 12 months 50 or more workmen.

State Safety PolicyTo provide safety to workers, the Government has planned to come up with a State Safety Policy that will be made applicable for the establishments and shops, irrespective of the number of labour. The Policy will cover establish-ments, shops, construction workers and factory workers. It will have a special chapter on the safety of the establishment.

Jan Arogya YojanaIn a bid to provide better health to the labour class, the Government has decided to use Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Jan Arogya Yojana (Public Health Scheme) for the workers. Around 3 lakh workers, registered under the Maharashtra Building and Other Constructions Workers Welfare Board, will benefit from the scheme which was started in 2017. The health scheme has also been extended to the families of the workers.

Complaint Tracking SystemThe Government is going to set up a Complaint Tracking System (CTS) in up-coming days. The labour can use CTS to register their complaint to authorities in Marathi and English languages. The CTS will apprise the authorities about the complaints without revealing the name of the complainant and its disposal will be done within a stipulated period.

With these reforms in the labour law in place, the Government’s agenda of bringing ease of doing business into the State’s working will be realised, paving way for a Magnetic Maharashtra.

LABOUR WELFARE


PROGRESS THROUGH IDEATION

The year 2018 starts with a major economic thrust to the State with Maharashtra hosting its first-ever global investors summit, Magnetic

Maharashtra: Convergence 2018. Armed with various reforms and a brand new policy, the State is all set for a leap on the economic front.

One of the key highlights of the Convergence will be to encourage new age entrepreneurs in the State. The Summit will host the Mag-netic Maharashtra Start-Ups under 30 compe-titions, which will be judged by eminent jury and top three start-ups will be awarded excit-ing cash prizes of `50 lakh (for the winner) and `30 lakh and `20 lakh for the first and second runners’ up respectively.

This is just one of the first steps taken by the Government since the state cabinet’s ap-proval of the new Maharashtra State Innova-tion and Start-Up Policy.

Promoting InnovationMaharashtra leads the way in overall infra-structure, domestic as well as foreign invest-ment, developed industries and efficient hu-man capital. To leverage these attributes as a means to achieve substantial growth in the technology and innovation space, the State Government has devised the Maharashtra State Innovation and Start-Up Policy 2017.

The Policy aims to attract investment upto `5,000 crore in the start-up space by 2022, thereby creating 500,000 direct and indirect jobs. The policy is expected to help establish 10,000 start-ups in five years and develop an enabling ecosystem for the start-up industry. Twelve sectors have been identified for estab-lishing incubators with each sector having at least three incubators.

According to officials from Maharashtra State Skill Development Society, to begin with, at least 15 start-up incubators will be estab-lished across the State developing at least 10 lakh sq. ft of incubation space over a period of five years.

Depending on the need, plans will be made to scale it up to around 35 such centres. These 35 centres will be divided equally among 12 distinct, prominent and buzzing sectors that have been identified by the Government — construction, production and manufacturing, textile, automotive, hospitality, healthcare,

The World Bank’s in-novation policies for developing countries involve guidelines focused primarily on: Financial support (“Watering”); Re-laxation and concession in rules (“Removing the weeds”); Research, devel-opment and information (“Nurturing the soil”) and Education (“Preparing ground”).

WORLD BANK GUIDELINES

Vision w Entrpreneurship

Maharashtra State Innovation and Start-Up Policy is expected to generate an investment of `5,000 crore in the start-up space by 2022 and create 500,000 direct and indirect jobs, says Varsha C

The Maharashtra State Innovation Society (MSInS), established under the Department of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, is a world-class innovation ecosystem that will act as nodal agency to boost innovation driven per-formance and efficiency in every sector. The main objective of the Society is to provide an Innovation Promotion Platform to academics, entrepreneurs, researchers and Government, drawing upon na-tional and international experiences, to foster a culture of innovation in the State. With the formation of the Society, the state aims to boost grass-root innovations to benefit the population at large and contribute towards minimization of the economic divides in the State.

It will help create an entrepreneurial ecosys-tem within the State that would entail establish-ing a network of incubators, cultivating entrepre-neurial mind-sets among students and connecting relevant stakeholders across the ecosystem.


banking, finance and insurance, organised retail, pharmaceutical and chemical, informa-tion technology and enabled services, agro-pro-cessing and biotechnology — thus amounting to no more than three incubators per sector.

The plan is to evenly distribute these in-cubators across each district of the State on a public-private partnership model with lead industries from relevant sectors. The main fea-tures of the Policy are as follows:

n Development of infrastructure and related facilitiesn Human capital and skill developmentn Funding, fiscal and non-fiscal incentives, con-

cessions/encouragementn Industry engagement and monitoringn Rural and social enterprises

In view to promote PM Modi’s Start-up In-dia initiative and encourage entrepreneurship

According to the newly-approved policy, a start-up is an entity that has been registered in the last five years, is working to develop inno-vative solutions and has an annual turnover of up to `25 crore. The incubators will be established through public-private partner-ships with the state’s leading education institutions and industry. As an added push, the Maharashtra Start-up Policy has made provisions for funding support and other incentives to the start-ups. The State Govern-ment is also committed to offer guarantee for a portion of the loans disbursed to the start-ups.

in the State, the Maharashtra State Govern-ment has proposed to issue a 100per cent waiv-er to start-ups or incubators on stamp duty and registration charges, on their first transaction.

There’s a 50per cent proposed waiver on their second transaction as well. This is bound to make buying/renting spaces for start-ups much easier. The Government also announced plans to introduce a range of funding conces-sions for budding entrepreneurs and SMBs.

Under the Ease of Doing Business scheme, there will be a single-window clearance system for licenses for setting up units. Construction, electrical connection and property registra-tion will be made easier and inter-state goods transport and labour laws will be modified. The policy has been drafted in sync with the Central government’s Start-up India policy.

Incentives for the YoungGoing a step ahead in encouraging Student Start-ups, the Government has offered to es-tablish an inter-connected network with col-lege campuses, to allow students to use their start-up plans as project studies or to seek grace marks in their exams.

If implemented, it will also allow students to offset their work against required atten-dance in college. Students involved in start-up teams will be given 20per cent relaxation in at-tendance per semester.

Also, students desirous of becoming entre-preneurs will be allowed a minimum of one gap-year and a maximum of two gap-years in their second institutional year.

The policy also calls for setting up two world-class accelerators, one each in Nagpur and Aurangabad, in collaboration with expe-rienced national and international establish-ments on PPP mode to facilitate start-ups. The policy has been prepared by the Government of Maharashtra’s Skill Development and En-trepreneurship Department. With more than 1,000 start-ups in its kitty and with a dedicat-ed policy now in place, Maharashtra is poised for a make-over, and will, definitely, be a force to reckon with in the near future.

Above: CM at a biscuit manufacturing Start-Up

The state gets 50per cent of the country’s foreign direct investment and has 50

per cent of all big-ticket infrastructure. The summit will strengthen our position as the gateway for all industrial invest-

ments in India. It will be the convergence of ideas, leaders and businesses.

Devendra Fadnavis, Chief Minister, Maharashtra”

“


BOOST TO THE ELECTRONIC SECTORWith Maharashtra Government’s Electronic System Design and Manufacturing (ESDM) policy, the State is well on its way to becoming a new IT hub of India. Mrudula Varaskar highlights the facts that will be instrumental in building a strong electronic sector in the State

The Indian electronics sector is one of the fastest developing sectors with a growing demand of electronic products and services. It can be a major contrib-

utor to the economy. However, despite its huge potential, it has largely remained untapped and hasn’t really grown beyond IT services.

The manufacturing opportunities of the in-dustry have been limited due to various chal-lenges. But by identifying and turning these challenges into opportunities, the State Gov-ernment is all geared up to make Maharashtra a new electronic hub of India.

For this, the Government is taking impor-tant measures like infrastructure expansion, promoting advanced technology, rewarding

innovation and enhancement of skills. But the biggest initiative comes in the form of a new ESDM (Electronic System Design and Manu-facturing) policy. Benefiting from the incen-tives and provisions proposed in the policy and with the investment of $3 billion, the electronic sector is expected to generate a turnover of $12 billion by 2020 and will create more than one lakh jobs. The export of ESDM sector is also expected to grow up to $2 Billion by 2020.

The ESDM PolicyThe main objectives of the new ESDM policy are to create a specialized governance struc-ture within the Government for the specific needs of the sector and to promote creation of Intellectual Property (IP) by allocating more funds to Research and Development for start-ups in the electronic and nano electron-ics sector. Also, the thrust is on making skilled manpower available by collaborating with the industry stakeholders and to ensure the best practices in e-waste management are followed as per the directives. u The government plans to achieve these ob-

jectives by setting up projects of Lithium ion battery and LED manufacturing, estab-lishing industry-friendly stable tax system, offering incentives to technology transfer, research and development and IPR creation. Also, 24×7 uninterrupted quality power, electronics development, Refund of Employ-ers’ Contribution to Provident fund and ESI @ 25per cent of FCI for 5 years in A and B areas and 10 years other areasu Refund of Local Body Tax paid against pur-

chase of raw material for FCI for 5 years in AandB areas and 10 years other areasu 100per cent exemption from Electricity Duty

for the IPS period from date of commence-ment of commercial productionu 100per cent stamp duty exemption for land,

term loan, merger/demerger, transfer of com-pany etc.

Electronics Manufacturing Cluster (EMC) Scheme Under the EMC scheme, Greenfield EMCs are given assistance as grant-in-aid equal to 50per cent of project cost, up to `50 crores for every 100 acres of land. The minimum industry con-tribution should be 25per cent of the project cost and the Greenfield EMCs, which are ap-proved by Government of India, will receive up to `15 crores for every 100 acres of land. This

Vision w ESDM

The ESDM policy is set to give a boost to the electronic sector which is expected to generate a turnover of $ 12 bn by 2020.


will be contributed by the MIDC if the units are in MIDC areas or by the State Government outside the MIDC areas. The designated elec-tronics industry cluster would be assured of uninterrupted 24×7 quality power by provid-ing dedicated additional feeders.

Incentives For supporting the Research and Development activities, the concerned institutions will get need-based support.

This will include new and existing Research and Development institutions, testing facili-ties, incubation and innovation centres. Simi-larly, one-time assistance given to contract or sponsored research work from any ESDM in-dustrial unit or ESDM industries association to the recognized Research and Development institutions or approved technical colleges, will be considered at 50per cent of the project cost, up to maximum `50 lakh.

An important provision of Electronics De-velopment Fund has been made by the State Government to develop the ESDM sector with the initial corpus of `50 crores. It will be in-vested through other professionally managed Early Stage Angel Funds and Venture Funds.

Also, to promote exports, the Government plans to encourage co-ordination, tie-ups and proactive investments in Maharashtra by lead-ing global ESDM companies from all over the world.

Robust EcosystemFor developing the right ecosystem in the State, the Government plans to set up “an-chor units” which will make investments of more than `150 crore in the electronic manu-facturing clusters. For this, incentive pack-ages will be given to first two anchor units as these units will attract other players in the sector and many MSME units can come up around them.

Ensuring Skilled and Competent ManpowerLike any other industry, the electronic sec-tor cannot function effectively without skilled manpower and competent workforce. So, the Government is committed to train the man-power by ensuring appropriate infrastructure for training.

For this, the focus is on starting and up-grading ITIs, technical and vocational schools, particularly for the staff working as op-erators on machines. The ESDM units will walso be able to train outside candidates in their in-house training facilities. For the staff working in after-sales services, short-term courses and training institutes will be promot-

ed through public-private partnership.

Amendments in Legislations The State Government has made several changes to current legislations such as relax-ing working hours, work shifts and employ-ment of women. Women employees, with their consent, will be allowed to work in shifts, pro-vided the management takes the responsibil-ity of their safety. The ESDM industry will be brought under the “Maharashtra Essential Services and Maintenance Act” and the act will be amended accordingly.

ESDM units with less than 100 employees and not discharging process effluent will not require a consent of Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB), though they will have to connect to local sewage networks for dispos-ing electronic waste, used batteries etc. Also, similar to units in SEZs, contract labour act will be relaxed after the approval by the leg-islature.

The ESDM units will be treated as a contin-uous process industry and will have continu-ous electricity supply. Like most other sectors, these units too will have a single window clear-ance system for various approvals.

In the past too, the Maharashtra Govern-ment has supported electronic manufactur-ing clusters in Pune, Aurangabad and Navi Mumbai. But with the new ESDM policy, the Government has taken a very important initia-tive to build the electronic sector and meet its growing demand. There is no doubt that the success of the emerging ESDM sector will add yet another feather in Maharashtra’s cap.

Incentives for strength-ening MSME as per ESDM policy► 25 per cent one-time

subsidy on capital equip-ment for technological upgradation and cleaner production measures.

► 75 per cent subsidy on patent registration expenses, up to `10 lakh for national and `25 lakh for international patents

► 75 per cent of one-time incentive for carrying out credit rating by Government accredited agencies

► Tax exemption from property tax for 10 years

► Low VAT rates and mar-keting support to data communication electron-ic products under “goods of special importance’’ category

► Support to market development activi-ties for participation in international trade fairs, seminars etc.

► Separate investment subsidy package for manufacturing of Lithium ion battery, LED, TFT industries and other thrust areas/products


Logistics industry in India, which is growing at a Compounded Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 10 per cent has the potential to be worth $205 bil-

lion by 2020. However, logistics sector in In-dia still needs huge investments and a proper recognition. In November 2017, the Union Government accorded infrastructure status to logistics industry, to help it bring in more in-vestments and decrease overall logistics cost by 1-2 per cent for manufacturers.

The logistics sector that currently provides jobs to about 1.7 crore people is set to grow at even faster rate in coming years in terms of em-ployment generation. This expectation is led by drivers like friendly policies from the Govern-ments, streamlined tax structure with intro-duction of Goods and Service Tax, and focussed approach to convert this mostly unorganised segment into an organised supply chain man-agement system.

Increased ScopeHistorically, Indian companies have consid-ered warehousing activity as an unavoidable cost and the objective has always been to cut down costs as much as possible. This, how-ever, has resulted in huge under-investment in the sector, thus adversely impacting effi-cient and smooth functioning of supply chain

With a view to creating higher employment opportunities, the State Government has started work on creating Integrated Logistics Parks with value-added services and

skilled labour, says Yogesh Bhagwat

LOGISTICALLY SPEAKING

networks. With increasing competition and introduction of best practices by multinational companies, Indian businesses are now forced to rethink about importance of having an efficient logistics policy.

Maharashtra, with its strategic location and seamless connectivity between rail, water, air and road transport, is playing a significant role in boosting development of the logistics sector. The State has already moved towards develop-ment of Integrated Logistic Parks (ILP) and has come out with two policies, one for the ILP and other for Logistics Park or Building (LP).

As the name suggests, an ILP is a central-ised place for all types of logistic activities and value-added services (VAS) required by export-ers and local businesses for shipping goods.

For the ILP, the area requirement is 50 acres with an access road of 15 metres (minimum).

For Logistics Park or Building, the mini-mum area required is 20,000 sq. ft. Both the ILP and the LP are free to utilise more than 70 per cent or 80 per cent of total notified area respectively for logistic services and the rest for common facilities and support services. The ILPs and LPs are also provided higher ground coverage with relaxation on height restrictions.

Incentivising the sectorTo make the ILPs and LPs more attractive for developers, the Maharashtra Government is

Overview w Logistics


offering an additional floor space index (FSI) of up to 200 per cent over base FSI with or without premium, depending on the location, besides providing reservation of land parcels to be developed as logistics centres. The Govern-ment is also supplying power for consumption in Logistic Parks, except for business and com-mercial facilities, at industrial rates.

Both the ILP and the LP are kept out of the purview of the Maharashtra Mathadi, Hamal and Other Manual Workers (Regulation of Em-ployment and Welfare) Act, 1969. This means, the Mathadi Act, as it is known commonly, does not apply for ILPs and LPs in Maharashtra.

On a broader level, logistics comprises three major components such as transportation, stor-age and distribution. Transportation refers to infrastructure like ports, road, rail and air. Storage refers to warehouses and distribution includes service providers like freight forward-ers, multimodal operators and third party lo-gistics service providers.

To fulfil the gap between demand and supply of skilled manpower in logistics sector, the Gov-ernment of Maharashtra is developing skilled workforce through Maharashtra State Security Corporation (MSSC) and Late Pramod Maha-jan Skill Development Scheme. This will result in skilled manpower with sound knowledge of material loading, handling and storage which, in turn, will reduce wastage and operational inefficiencies.

As stated above, Maharashtra has a strate-gic advantage in terms of location and connec-tivity for a logistics hub. Especially areas under Mumbai Metropolitan Regional Development Authority (MMRDA), like Mumbai and its sub-urbs, Bhiwandi, Panvel, Taloja and Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT), which is one of the India’s busiest port, and locations between the Mumbai-Pune-Nashik triangle are considered as golden for logistics hubs.

In addition, Aurangabad and Nagpur, both at central location of Maharashtra and India respectively, offer great potential for logistics hubs.

The State Government is working towards upgrading and developing existing logistic in-frastructure in these areas.

Providing the ThrustOver the years, manufacturing sector has been a major driver of domestic logistics industry with companies spending anywhere between 2 – 20 per cent of their revenue on this. How-ever, changing dynamics of the retail industry has shifted the focus now from supplier to con-sumer over the past two decades, with concepts such as delivering right product at the right time gaining importance.

Increased popularity of e-commerce players, like Amazon and Flipkart, highlight the impor-tance of logistics sector, especially warehous-ing, inventory management and last-mile con-nectivity.

Another factor that is helping boost logis-tics segment is removal of a cumbersome tax structure. Introduction of GST is eliminating the need to have warehouses in each State to avoid Central Sales Tax (CST), thus ensuring removal of a redundant level of warehousing in the supply chain. This will enable a reduction in the number of warehouses and allow compa-nies to focus on building fewer, larger and more strategically-located warehouses.

Larger warehouses can also benefit from sophisticated IT systems like warehousing management systems that, at present, are not feasible in smaller, and scattered warehouses. The use of IT systems will help bring down the cost and improve service levels through econo-mies of scale.

The FutureSensing the need for ILPs with railway access, the Indian government has already started work on developing Multi Modal Logistic Hubs (MMLH) across the country. These hubs pro-vide all types of logistic services at a single location. With implementation of GST, com-panies are now free to focus on designing ef-ficient supply chain system through cost and time optimisation. Such a trend is set to fur-ther strengthen the case for developing more number of MMLHs in future.

With a specialised policy in place and advan-tages like location and connectivity, Maharash-tra offers immense potential for logistics sector in coming years.

Maharashtra Logistics Park Policy 2018 ► Logistics Parks have

industry status and in-valuable contribution in the country’s economy. Maharashtra is most industrious State in the country

► Bhiwandi, Panvel, Taloja, Nashik, Aurangabad, Talegaon, Nagpur have been designated as ‘Logistics Zones’

► Industry status to Logis-tics Parks

► MIDC is the special plan-ning authority to set up logistics park

► For the development of an ILP, FSI of 1 or the prevalent FSI in the area will be given

► Roads, power, communi-cation, water, waste wa-ter, aerodrum and other infrastructure facilities to be developed

► Canteens, medical cen-tres and other common facilities to be created

► Logistic services, merchant-commercial facility to be provided

► Additional FSI upto 200 percent

► Power to be supplied at industrial rates, MAITRI a single window for permissions

► Special emphasis on skill development


To expedite the economic development of the State, it is imperative to make the growth inclusive. The SC/ST policy of the State Government aims to do just that, reports Team Maharashtra Ahead

ON AN EQUAL FOOTING

The dream of a prosperous Maharashtra can only be fulfilled if all the sections of the society are on an equal platform and contribute in equal measure to the

growth of the economy. To achieve this goal, and, consequently, to incentivize entrepreneur-ship in the backward classes, the Maharashtra Government has formulated a new, dedicated policy for the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.

As per the policy, formulated on the 125th anniversary of Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar, 20 per cent of the total industrial plots will be reserved for scheduled castes and tribes. Also, land will be made available to them at a cheaper rate. Such a move will ensure a uniform economic growth in the State.

Through the policy, a special package of incentives will be provided to the backward classes over and above the existing Entrepre-neurship Development Schemes and Package Scheme of Incentives, 2013. The scheme will be applicable for manufacturing and services in-dustries set up by SC/ST entrepreneurs.An entity is eligible to avail the benefits of the policy if: u It is proprietary in nature with 100 per cent

stake by the SC/ST Entrepreneuru It is a partnership with the SC/ST partners

having 100 per cent stakeu It is a Co-operative with 100per cent mem-

bers from SC/ST category or combinationu It is a Private/Public where the Promoter

and Director are SC/ST entrepreneurs hav-ing 100 per cent controlling stake

Investment FundOne of the initiatives under the Scheme is setting up of an Investment Fund, with the primary objective of promoting and providing finance to sustainable enterprises which are fully owned by SC and ST entrepreneurs.

Land allotment and rebateUnder the policy, the entrepreneurs will be

allotted land at a discounted rate from the Gov-ernment. For this purpose, the MIDC will be reserving 20 per cent plots from the available land reserved for MSME units. The allotment will be done on a priority basis with a rebate of 30per cent of the land cost (MIDC) with a cap of `10 lacs and 20 per cent of land cost with a cap of `5 lac in other areas.

Venture Capital FundThe Government has created a venture capital fund of `200 cr to be granted for Viable Gap Funding for new start-ups. A special fund of `50 cr has also been created by the Social Jus-tice and Special Assistance Department and

Government of Maharashtra

BHARAT RATNA DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR SPECIAL PACKAGE SCHEME OF

INCENTIVE FOR SC/ST ENTREPRENEURS

Vision w Social Equality


Tribal Development Department. A committee has also been formed under the chairmanship of the Development Commitment (Industries) for scrutinizing the proposals for loan purposes.

Cluster Development Scheme The State government has proposed to pro-mote at least 10 clusters under MSI-CDP with a grant to the tune of 90 per cent of the proj-ect cost. For the development of clusters where 50per cent members are from SC/ST entrepre-neurs, a 100per cent grant will be provided for development.

Hand-holding Support Wherever required, the Government will pro-vide the beneficiaries hand-holding services after the loans are disbursed.

The MCED will conduct EDP to provide ori-entation regarding various managerial and op-erational functions.

Power Tariff and Interest Subsidy Another incentive provided by the Government to promote entrepreneurship among the back-ward classes is the power tariff and the inter-est rate subsidy. The eligible MSME units in Vidarbha, Marathwada, North Maharashtra,

Raigad, Sindhudurg and Ratnagiri will get `2 per unit subsidy in power tariff while `1 per unit will be given to the other areas.

The interest rate subsidy will be provided on terms loans taken for acquisition of fixed assets.

The subsidy to be calculated at effective rates of interest, after deducting the interest subsidy receivable from any institution or un-der any Government of India scheme and the penal/compound interest or 5per cent per an-num, whichever is less

Incubation Centre and Skill Development To help new Cnd start-up companies to devel-op by providing services such as management training or office space, the MIDC will provide land to SPV for implementing the Incubation Centres for SC/ST Entrepreneurs.

The MCED is also in consultation with the EDI, Ahmadabad, and NSDC to design pro-gram modules and organize residential EDPs for SC/ST Entrepreneurs.

Taluka Scheme for SC/ST Under the taluka scheme, one entrepreneur from both SC and ST each, in each taluka, will be supported by the Government right from setting up the unit till it becomes fully operational.

The scrutiny of applications and selection of beneficiaries will be done by the District Task Force comprising:u District Collector – Chairmanu Lead Bank Manager – Memberu District Social Welfare Officer – Memberu Project Officer; Tribal Development

Department – Memberu GM – DIC – Member Secretaryu Representative of DICCI - Member

With equal emphasis on growth of the back-ward classes, the Government is leaving no stone unturned for the overall development of the State. “Make in Maharashtra” will, un-doubtedly, lead to “Making Maharashtra” in the truest sense.

ZONE PER CENT OF FIXED CAPITAL CAPITAL SUBSIDY

CAP INVESTMENT

(IN LAKHS)

A,B AND C 15 PER CENT 15

D 20 PER CENT 20

D+ 25 PER CENT 25

NID AND NAXAL AREA 30 PER CENT 30

CAPITAL SUBSIDY BENEFITS:

Eligibility Criteria for beneficiaries:► Age limit – Minimum 18

years► No income ceiling► Residence of concerned

taluka by birth► Certified copy of caste

compulsory► Only 2 beneficiaries per

taluka – 1 each from SC and ST

► Only for new viable MSEs

► 1 person from 1 family eligible

► Start-up units eligible from 10per cent ad-ditional incentives


Sector w Winery

Winery industry in Maharashtra is best example of adopting the modern technology and innovation in the production and marketing. It has become one of the front-runners for the investment in Maharashtra in the span of just two and half decades, elaborates Samrat Phadnis and Shital Pawar

A PERFECT BLEND OF WINE AND TOURISM

Climatic conditions, infrastructure development, accepting challenges to bring innovation and finding new markets are the four major reasons

that have transformed Maharashtra’s winery industry and, subsequently, farming culture in parts of the State such as Nashik, Sangli, Pune, Solapur, Buldhana, Osmanabad and Ahmednagar.

Not all grapes produce quality wine and not all wine can find domestic market. Grapes of the wine quality require a lot of effort and a farmer requires changing the way he or she

is doing farming for years. This was a major cultural shift in farming and farmers in Na-shik, Sangli and other parts of the State have proved their capability that has brought Ma-harashtra at the number one position in wine production.

The State government believes that the win-eries have huge potential of growth in Maha-rashtra due to naturally available resources, weather and the soil. However, the production along with tourism is the best way to expect good returns on investment.

Keeping this view in mind, the Maharashtra government has organised its first wine festi-val ‘India Grape Harvest, Wine Festival 2018’ at Nashik between February 9 and March 11. It will promote wines made in the vineyards and wineries as well as various tourist destina-tions in the Nashik district and the adjoining places.

Tourists will be able to taste best va-riety of wines at the exhibition. In all, 72 types of wines will be showcased. In-teractive sessions between well-known Indian and foreign wine manufacturing firms from Stuttgart (Germany), Wakayama (Japan) and France. Various events will be organised at vineyards including masterclass cooking us-ing wine.

Pradeep Pachpatil, CMD of Somanda Vine-yards, explains that tourism-based-wine busi-ness is the future of sustainable wine industry. “Our winery is located right behind the com-plex with 20 tanks in varying sizes preserving


Soma’s finest wines. At the resort we cater to group and family get-togethers. We have a pri-vate pool, in-house chef, adventure sports and fabulous amenities. A winery along with tour-ism can earn good returns,” Pachpatil said.

Alok Chandra, an eminent Wine industry consultant, had said in his research article that if wine consumption continues to grow at a CAGR of just 15 per cent and 20 per cent re-spectively, volumes in 2024 would be 4 million and 8 million cases respectively. “The cost of setting up the additional capacity to cater to this demand would be between `18,000 crore and `30,000 crore over the next 10 years,” says Chandra. He envisages huge investment op-portunities in the industry.

In its annual overview, the APEDA has proposed the state governments to support wine grape production in India by way of in-centivisation of vineyards. Introduction of in-

ternationally well known wine grape varieties through ICAR institutions, up-gradation and strengthening of wine production infrastruc-ture, formulation of norms and guidelines for export worthy wine processing units so that they can graduate to international standards in terms of facility and quality standards, are some of the other proposals of the institution. The APEDA has also proposed conducting Wine promotional events alongside Indian cui-sine in identified countries in conjunction with Indian Missions that will help Indian wine to establish as a brand in foreign market.

This is the right time for the farmers, inves-tors and the market players to explore fully the potential of wine industry in Maharashtra. Policies are framed, farmers are innovative and the market is ready. Seems it’s perfect to say cheers sitting at the beautiful lush green vineyard...!

Nashik, the wine capital of India with 37 vine-yards accounts for 80 per cent of the Indian wine production and helping the ‘Make In Maharashtra’ program by exporting its produc-tion to the countries such as Malaysia, UAE, Bhutan, Germany, UK, Sri Lanka, Maldives and New Zealand especially. The export is growing every year, according to the several reports.


The women in our country, who consti-tute a sizeable proportion of the popu-lation, are yet to make their mark in society in terms of economic emancipa-

tion and empowerment. Women empowerment means a stronger economy.

According to the Sixth Economic Consensus by NSSO, only 8.05 million out of a total of 58.5 million business establishments in India are owned by women entrepreneurs, which makes it around 13.76 per cent of the total number of establishments.

To make the women empowered and con-tribute actively in the country’s economic growth, the Government of Maharashtra has unveiled a dedicated industrial policy for women. The policy, a first in the country draft-ed by any state, aims at boosting participation of women in the industrial sector and encour-aging women entrepreneurship.

Under the policy, first-generation women entrepreneurs, who set up micro, small or medium enterprises (MSMEs) in the state, will be entitled to a capital subsidy of up to `1 crore, depending on the location of the unit.

This is the first time the Government has extended a capital grant incentive to an industry segment. Women self-help groups can avail these incentives, but they would

SOME ENTREPRENEURS ARE BORN WOMEN

have to register as a company under the Com-panies Act.

These businesses would be offered special concessions for locating their units, and ex-tended lower power tariffs, higher interest subsides, and grants for branding their prod-ucts, among other incentives.

The ChallengesIn our country, a woman’s participation in the labour market is in relation to the economic condition of the household. The lower the in-come, the greater the participation and vise-versa.

Then there are other factors, such as, dis-tance of the work place from home, safe envi-ronment, unequal income, family responsibili-ties etc.

Where women are running their own enter-prises, the problems are compounded by fac-tors such as sexual discrimination and under-mined status in society, inadequate resources for starting a business, lack of technical and management knowledge, limited financial re-sources and investment support, lack of afford-able and safe business places.

Women need to actively participate in the building of India’s economy. Maharashtra’s dedicated industrial policy, first by any State, ensures just that, says Manisha Thakur

Vision w Women Empowerment

To make the women empowered and contribute actively in the country’s economic growth, the Government of Maharashtra has unveiled a dedicated industrial policy for women. The policy, a first in the country drafted by any state, aims at boosting par-ticipation of women in the industrial sector and encouraging women entrepreneurship.


The PolicyBased on data from 2000-2004, the United Na-tions Economic and Social Commission for In-dia and Pacific estimates that if India’s female labour force participation comes at par with that of the US, that is 86 per cent, its GDP would increase by 4.2 per cent a year and the growth rate by 1.08per cent.

The new, dedicated industrial policy for women entrepreneurs, aims to address all these issues and generate more employment opportunities for women by providing them technical, operational and financial support.

It guarantees capital support and a special provision for the same in the budget for estab-lishment of micro, small and medium initia-tives in case of women entrepreneurs. This will bring an annual burden of `648 crore on the state Exchequer. A separate budgetary head will be created for the expenditure. The ex-penditure should be viewed as an investment to boost industrial investment and financially empower women.”

Some of the important conditions to avail the benefits of this policy are: the beneficiary woman should be from the first generation of business/entrepreneurship; irrespective of the industry, should hold proprietary or partner-ship status or be associated with a coopera-tive or else; the industry she is associated with should have been established by a woman and where 50per cent of the staff are women.

Investment BoostCorresponding to the State Government’s overall industrial policy, the policy for women also aims at boosting investments in industri-ally backward belts.

New and eligible micro, small and medium establishments will be provided a capital grant according to the eligibility as per the taluka classification at the rate of 15per cent to 35per cent of steady capital investment and up to the limit of `20,00,000 to `100,00,000.

A concession will be provided to industries

in the districts of Vidarbha, Marathwada, North Maharashtra, Ratnagiri and Sindhu-durg at the rate of `2 per unit and for indus-tries from other districts the concession will be at the rate of `1 per unit. Also, a 5 per cent interest subsidy in loans availed for running the unit would be also be offered.

In addition to this, 50per cent of the cost these enterprises spend on their share of the employees’ provident fund and similar labour welfare initiatives will be borne by the State Government.

For an entrepreneur, branding of goods is essential to survive in an otherwise volatile market. Realising this basic need for doing business, the State Government has made a provision in the policy to offer financial as-sistance of up to `1 crore for branding initia-tives over next five years, while grants up to `10 lakh would be provided towards cost of participating in various exhibitions to promote products.

The new, dedicated industrial policy for women entrepreneurs, aims to generate more employment opportunities for women by

providing them technical, operational and financial support.”“


The policy proposes additional building rights to malls, commercial buildings, and market places for building spaces exclusively for women-run enterprises, while promising reservation for building such units in publicly-owned market places, railway station prem-ises, bus stations, and theatres, etc.

The State Government has also designed an incentive scheme for promoting women-run in-cubation centres, while proposing a dedicated skill development institute for women. En-couragement to the extent of 75 per cent of the project costs (Maximum of `5 crore) excluding the cost of land will be provided for the estab-lishment of an Incubation Centre on a Public, Private or Partnership basis.

The State Government would offer up to 90 per cent grants for industrial clusters catering exclusively to women-run enterprises. Besides, the Women and Child Development depart-ment will set up a venture capital of `50 crore

n A company with 100per cent share capital will be eligible for the policyn For proprietary

constituent, the share capital of the woman entrepreneur has to be 100 per cent n For partnership con-

stituents, the woman entrepreneur should have 100per cent share capital n For the cooperative

sector, a cooperative so-ciety with 100 per cent women entrepreneurs will be eligible only as per the Cooperative Act n In private or public

limited constituents, a company that has 100 per cent share capital by women entrepre-neurs will be eligible n Establishments with a

minimum of 50per cent women workers will be considered eligible for encouragement n Capital grant will be

provided at the rate of 15per cent to 35per cent and will be limited between `20,00,000 to `100,00,000 n Spaces will be reserved

for women entrepre-neurs at malls/business areas/markets as well as railway stations, bus stations, airports, thea-tres, mandis and other such places n 10per cent to 15per

cent additional FSI will be reserved on payment of 25 per cent surcharge n Self- help groups that

are registered and have been established ac-cording to definitions in nos. 3 and 4 above will be considered eligible n After the start of

production, training support to the extent of `3,000 per year for the first 3 years.

for financing women entrepreneurs.

MSME Institute for WomenA Women MSME (Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises) Institute will be created which will offer certified and drafted courses accord-ing to the needs of women entrepreneurs, or-ganisation of various workshops related to management, professional and technical skills, training and development, and a policy guid-ance system.

In order to resolve the difficulties of wom-en entrepreneurs, a special Women Cell will be created at a single window scheme under Maitri.

Finally, to give encouragement to the aspi-rants, awards will be given to the best women entrepreneurs in a variety of sectors on the lines of Information Technology Awards.

It is estimated that the percentage of wom-en entrepreneurs will increase almost twice with this policy and in the next five years, as many as 20,000 new women entrepreneurs and 1,00,000 employment opportunities will be created.

MAHARASHTRA AHEAD n FEBRUARY 2018 6161 MAHARASHTRA AHEAD n FEBRUARY 2018

Showcasing its cultural might, the City of Mumbai beckoned the

world in its first-ever shopping festival, reports Irshad Bagwan

MUMBAI BECKONS

India’s first of its kind city-wide festival was celebrated from 12th – 31st January, 2018 across the length and breadth of the city of Mumbai. Maharashtra Tourism

Development Corporation (MTDC) in associa-tion with the Ministry of Tourism, Government of Maharashtra, has launched the first edition of its annual property, the Mumbai Shopping Festival (MSF).

From one-of-a-kind outdoor markets and flash mobs to arenas, mega sales and rewards, this 3-week event was sure to impress. Wheth-er it was having fun with your family and friends or getting your hands on the hottest fashion trends, MSF2018 was where all the ac-tion was.

The festival presented visitors with world-class, immersive retail experience clubbed with captivating live performances, throughout

the city.The festivities of the Night Bazaar Flea

Market and Khao Galli went on till midnight at Worli Sea Face and till 4 am at Malad and Powai and the number of visitors at each venue, over 50,000 in Worli, over 130,000 in Malad and over 100,000 in Powai, was proof of people’s enthusiasm for such an affair.

Initiativew Mumbai Shopping Festival

It gives me great pleasure to declare that India’s first ever city-wide festi-val, the Jio Mumbai Shopping Festival 2018, saw enthusiastic par-ticipation from the city of Mumbai. It is by far the most inclusive effort un-dertaken by anyone to involve citizens at multiple locations and it is our belief that the Jio Mumbai Shopping Festival, in the years to come, will become a destination to visit for global travellers.Devendra Fadnavis, Chief Minister

”

“

62 MAHARASHTRA AHEAD n FEBRUARY 2018 MAHARASHTRA AHEAD n FEBRUARY 2018 62

The events across the city were held every weekend throughout the festival, with over 650 performances in multiple stages, and saw over 50,000 people enjoying the cultural extravaganza and festivities across 13 dif-ferent locations, including Crawford Market Worli Sea-Face, Bandra Bandstand, Gore-gaon, Talao Pali, Thane, Juhu Beach, Vashi Railway station, Belapur, Kharghar and Kandivali amongst others.

The Color Run, also known as the Happiest 5k on the Planet, was a unique race that celebrated wellness, happiness, and individuality. This largest running series in the world, with over 6 million runners world-wide in more than 40 countries, was launched in India as part of the Mumbai Shopping Festival 2018 and saw an enthusiastic

participation from Mumbai with over 2000 participants.

Rewarding shoppers was also a critical element of the event. Lucky shoppers won daily, weekly and bumper prizes during the Festival. To enhance the visibility of the Fes-tival, the MTDC teamed up with various retail and commerce bodies, including The Maha-rashtra Chamber of Housing Industry, Fed-eration of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry, The Federation of Hotel and Restau-rant Associations of India, Gem Jewellery Ex-port Promotion Council, National Real Estate Development Council, Retailers Association of India, Indian Bullion and Jewellers Asso-ciation Ltd, and Federation of Retail Traders Welfare Association. Shopping partners for the Festival included all major malls and over 2000 retail chains in Mumbai.

The Jio Mumbai Shopping Festival 2018 has already become the talk of town as one of the biggest Government initiatives for promoting arts and crafts of the State, and the Ministry of Tourism along with the MTDC are determined to make it even bigger in the coming years.

The Mumbai Shopping Festival 2018 saw customers indulge in heritage brands and uncover the local design scene.

As a leading fashion and financial city, Mumbai, was the perfect destination to host this larger than life extravaganza.

Jaykumar Rawal, Minister of Tourism and EGS ”

“

n Over 250,000 visitors visited the MSF2018 Night Bazaar and Khao Galli across three weekends.n Over 50,000 people

witnessed upcoming tal-ent on multiple stages across 11 venues with over 650 performances.


REPUBLIC DAY AWARDS

Above: Sarvesh Navande getting the best NCC Cadet Award from PM Modi.Top Right: The Union Minister for Defence, Nirmala Sitharaman presenting the award for the best school children item in Republic Day Parade 2018 to South Central Zone Cultural Centre, Nagpur (Maharashtra) for performing ‘Baredi Dance’ from Madhya Pradesh, at makeshift Rashtriya Rangshala Camp, in New Delhi on January 28, 2018.

Above:The Union Minister for Defence, Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman presenting the award for the best tableau in Republic Day Parade 2018 to Maharashtra tableau depicting coronation of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, at makeshift Rashtriya Rangshala Camp, Delhi Cantt on 28 January 2018Below: Magnetic Maharashtra Tableau in Republic Day Parade at Shivaji Park, Mumbai

Government’s initiative to make bank loans available for

self help groups at 0% interest rate.

Sumatibai SukalikarUdyogini Mahila Sakshamikaran Yojana

Maharashtra State Rural Livelihoods Mission (MSRLM)

Department of Rural Development

Repay the loan in time andget the interest amount back…• Participation of the self help group in Maharashtra State

Rural Livelihoods Mission mandatory.

• The group should be registered at NRLM

• Timely repayment of the installments of the loans

mandatory

• Interest grants for distribution: ` 7.5 crore• Eligible self help groups in 2016-17: 34, 381

Come, let us make ourlives prosperous by

participating in self help groups

Shri Narendra ModiHon’ble Prime Minister

Shri Devendra FadnavisHon’ble Chief Minister

Pankaja Gopinath MundeMinister of Rural Development, Women

and Child Welfare

Shri Dadaji BhuseMinister of State, Rural Development

For more details contact Panchayat Samiti Office

O.I.G.S. Presented byThe Government of India

Meenal JoglekarSenior Assistant Director

Directorate General of Information and Public RelationsMaharashtra Government

Barrack No. 19, Free Press Journal MargMumbai 400 021.

Printed by Kala Jyothi Processes Pvt. Ltd. Published by Directorate General of Information and Public Relations on behalf of Government of Maharashtra and Printed at Kala Jyothi Processes Pvt. Ltd. Plot No. W-17 and W-18, MIDC, Taloja IndustrialArea, Taloja - 410208, Navi Mumbai. Published at Directorate General of Information and Public Relations, Maharashtra Government, Free Press Journal Marg, Mumbai 40002. Editor- in- chief BRIJESH SINGH, Director General of Information and Public Relations.

INTERVIEW: CHIEF MINISTER n SMART CITIES n ... CHIEF MINISTER n SMART CITIES n GROWTH CORRIDORS n INFRASTRUCTURE 2 MAHARASHTRA AHEAD n FEBRUARY 2018 POLICIES AT A GLANCE uPolicy chalked

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