Mumbai, Feb 28 (IANS) Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said on Friday that technology is the main pillar for development especially when the state government has set an ambitious target of $1 trillion economy.
He said that due to a slew of state government policies, Maharashtra is at the forefront of the country’s startup and technology sector, adding that the government is making special efforts to accelerate startups in the fintech and AI sectors.
After launching Mumbai Tech Week 2025, CM Fadnavis gave detailed information about the future roadmap for Maharashtra’s development and the state government’s technology and infrastructure projects.
CM Fadnavis said that the decision-making process of projects has been accelerated due to the war room.
“Earlier, permission had to be obtained from 18 different government agencies to start a project in Mumbai, due to which projects used to get delayed. Through the war room, all the concerned officials were brought together in one place and decisions were taken immediately. Due to this, projects like Metro, Coastal Road, and Atal Setu got accelerated,” he added.
CM Fadnavis said the Maharashtra government will focus on three major infrastructure projects in the next five years. Among them, is the Vadhvan Port project which will bring about a big change in the economy of Mumbai.
“The Vadhvan Port is three times larger than the existing JNPT, and since it has a 20-meter deep port, the world’s largest ships will be able to stop here. It will give India an important place in global maritime trade,” he added.
At the same time, CM Fadnavis further stated that the government is focussing on the construction of Navi Mumbai International Airport and a new smart city.
“Once this airport is completed, a new commercial and technology hub will be developed around it. These new cities will be three times larger than Mumbai and will provide great opportunities for industries,” he said.
According to the chief minister, the river linking project is being undertaken to provide permanent water supply to the drought-affected areas of Vidarbha and Marathwada. He asserted that these projects would benefit thousands of farmers and increase agricultural production.
Responding to the cyber security measures in the state, CM Fadnavis said that today, crime around the world is shifting to the cyber world.
“In the future, 70 per cent of crimes will be cyber crimes. Therefore, the most modern cyber security centre in India has been set up in Navi Mumbai. Now, since all banks and social media platforms are connected to this system, immediate action will be taken against any financial frauds,” he remarked.
CM Fadnavis claimed that due to the decrease in investment in the technology sector in Maharashtra between 2000 and 2014, many Information Technology companies shifted to Bengaluru and Hyderabad. However, he said that due to projects like Atal Setu, Navi Mumbai is now becoming a new technology hub and the startup and other technology companies are coming in a big way in Mumbai and around.
Commenting on the future development plan of Mumbai, CM Fadnavis said that due to the shortage of commercial space in today’s Mumbai, new cities will be set up in Navi Mumbai, Naveen Thane and Vadhvan Port. This will provide more space for industries and reduce the pressure in Mumbai.
Meanwhile, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the Mumbai Metropolitan Regional Development Authority and the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI). Further, an MoU was also signed between the Department of Information Technology and Meta regarding the Aaple Sarkar WhatsApp Chatbot. Another MoU was inked between the Department of Skill, Employment, Entrepreneurship and Innovation and TEAM regarding the Knowledge AI Hub.
It was also announced that an Entrepreneur Museum will be established to promote entrepreneurship.
–IANS
sj/svn
