Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde at the World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting 2023, in Davos, Switzerland on January 16, 2023.
| Photo Credit: PTI
Despite the global economic recession, investors are still attracted towards India and especially Maharashtra, the State’s Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said on Wednesday, claiming that one lakh jobs would be created — directly or indirectly — as a result of the memoranda of understanding (MoUs) signed by the State at the ongoing World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
Speaking to reporters outside the Mumbai International Airport following his return from Davos, Mr. Shinde said that MoUs to the tune of ₹1.37 lakh crore had been signed at the WEF, adding that this figure would rise with more investors expected to sign MoUs in Mumbai in the near future.
In a thinly-veiled jibe at the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalition, and particularly Shiv Sena (UBT) leaders Uddhav Thackeray and Aaditya Thackeray, Mr. Shinde stressed that these MoUs would be executed on the ground and not just remain on paper.
“The fact that MoUs to the tune of ₹1.37 lakh crore were signed is a big thing in itself. This figure is set to exceed ₹1.50 lakh crore as the State Industries Minister [Uday Samant] and his team will be signing more MoUs today and tomorrow. But these MoUs will be executed and implemented at the ground level…That is the most important thing. They are not MoUs that were just drawn-up,” said Mr. Shinde, in a dig at former Maharashtra Minister Aaditya Thackeray’s Davos visit in May 2022.
‘PM’s popularity driving investment’
Stating that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s imprint and popularity was evident everywhere at the WEF, Mr. Shinde said that there was widespread enthusiasm about investing in India, and particularly Maharashtra. He said that he would be discussing his Davos visit with Mr. Modi during the latter’s visit to Mumbai on Thursday.
“We all have been working under the PM’s guidance for the last eight years. His soaring popularity has also helped in showcasing Maharashtra’s progress. The PM’s Mumbai visit will be beneficial for Maharashtra,” Mr. Shinde said.
The six-month-old Shinde-Fadnavis government has been facing flak from the Opposition MVA coalition for reportedly “losing” big-ticket projects like Vedanta-Foxconn to neighbouring Gujarat.
Pro-industry promises
“The attraction towards Maharashtra was evident in my meetings with several foreign dignitaries who visited the ‘Maharashtra Pavilion’ in Davos, including the Luxembourg PM and important personages from Saudi Arabia, who showed eagerness to invest in a number of sectors in the State. This is a matter of great pride for us,” Mr. Shinde said.
The CM said that from the discussions he had with foreign dignitaries and global investors, it was clear that they reposed great trust in Maharashtra and viewed the State as “pro-industry” and “pro-investment”.
“The WEF event has been extremely satisfying and the State will benefit immensely from this. We have assured investors at Davos that we will roll out the red carpet for them in form of attractive subsidies, tax benefits, special packages. Even when we formed the new government, Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis and myself had already taken decisions at the Cabinet meeting to benefit industry and create a suitable climate for investment like single-window clearance,” he said.
