Mitra Should Focus on Key Sectors: Chief Minister Eknath Shinde

Mumbai, August 12: Chief Minister Eknath Shinde emphasized that as Maharashtra strives to become a trillion-dollar economy, ‘Mitra’ should prioritize agriculture, health, education, environment, infrastructure, and energy. He stated that focusing on these areas would greatly benefit citizens and contribute significantly to the state’s development. On this occasion, Chief Minister Shinde, along with Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, launched two significant initiatives: the Institutional Capacity Building Project (worth $188 million, supported by the World Bank) to enhance district-level development in Maharashtra, and the Maharashtra Responsive Development Program (worth $400 million, supported by the World Bank) to address flood issues in the Krishna-Bhima basin, particularly in Kolhapur and Sangli districts.

The meeting of ‘Mitra’s’ governing body took place at Varsha’s residence, where the Chief Minister addressed the attendees. Present at the meeting were Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, ‘Mitra’ Vice President Rajesh Kshirsagar, Chief Executive Officer Pravin Pardeshi, and various senior officials including Additional Chief Secretaries Dr. I.S. Chahal, Vikas Kharge, Shrikar Pardeshi, Deepak Kapoor, O.P. Gupta, Rajagopal Deora, and Abha Shukla.

Maharashtra has become the first state in India to achieve the milestone of a half-million-dollar economy. The Maharashtra District Growth and Institutional Capacity Enhancement (MahaSTRIDE) project was inaugurated to strengthen institutional capacities for district-level development, as recommended by the Maharashtra Economic Development Advisory Council and aligned with the central government’s policy of focusing on districts for development and income growth. The World Bank will provide Rs 1,562 crore for this project.

Additionally, the Maharashtra Responsive Development Program aims to address flood situations in the Krishna-Bhima basin, particularly in Kolhapur and Sangli. This project, valued at Rs 3,200 crore, will receive Rs 2,240 crore in financial assistance from the World Bank, according to CEO Pravin Pardeshi. The meeting also discussed the goal of achieving a 17.55 percent growth rate by 2028 and increasing investment to 37 percent of GDP.

Chief Minister Shinde praised ‘Mitra’ for its role as a think tank and its contributions to Maharashtra’s development, which will support Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of a five-trillion-dollar economy. He directed ‘Mitra’ to focus on related issues in the Mumbai metropolitan area and emphasized the importance of addressing climate change and promoting organic farming.

In addition, the state government has approved 123 irrigation projects, with a focus on timely completion to benefit farmers. The government is also working on providing solar power to the agricultural sector, aiming to generate 9,200 MW of solar energy.

‘Mitra’ has also approved the establishment of implementation cells for MahaSTRIDE and MRDP, and an innovative State Data Policy has been adopted to utilize statistical information for development work.

Chief Minister Shinde highlighted the progress in reducing travel time due to the Samriddhi Highway and encouraged the establishment of more industries in Marathwada and Vidarbha. He urged ‘Mitra’ to prioritize green hydrogen and support projects benefiting districts such as Narpar, Marathwada Watergrid, Panganga, Wainganga, and Nalganga.

On this occasion, ‘Mitra’ signed Memoranda of Understanding with four knowledge partners: Gokhale Institute, IIM Nagpur, IIT Mumbai, and the Mumbai School of Economics. The Piramal Foundation will support the training programs.