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Terming the inauguration of Navi Mumbai International Airport a “dream come true” for Maharashtra, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday said that the project which was conceptualised in the 1990s was expedited after a single meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“The NMIA was conceptualised way back in the 1990s. But there was just a board with no signs of a project during the Congress regime. But when I became the CM ( in 2014), we sought clearances from the Centre which were pending for several decades. In a single meeting PM Narendra Modi resolved all the issues paving way forward for the project,” Fadnavis said.
The chief minister said that the government is now focussed on the country’s first offshore international airport along with the Rs 76,000-crore Wadhwan port project.
The Prime Minister on Wednesday inaugurated two mega infra projects in Mumbai — Phase 1 of Navi Mumbai International Airport and Phase 2B of the underground Metro Line-3. The event was attended by Fadnavis, his deputies Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar and Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu.
Deputy CM Eknath Shinde said, “Under Modi’s leadership Maharashtra has received Rs 10 lakh crore for the infrastructure projects.”
Ajit Pawar said the infrastructure-led development which is the vision of Modi is integral for growth and employment. “With NMIA, the state is further empowered to push development, growth and employment,” he said.
Speaking on the occasion, Union minister Naidu said, “NMIA will help create around two lakh job opportunities and make Mumbai the country’s aviation capital.”
Earlier in the day, Fadnavis held a meeting with a business delegation from the UK in Mumbai.
The chief minister said that with bold reforms undertaken to ensure ease of doing business, Maharashtra has become the most favoured destination for industrial investment and global trade.
During the discussion on promoting trade and business partnership, he appraised the delegation about state infrastructure, facilities, policies and plans ahead.
“As London has its identity with the UK, Mumbai means Maharashtra. And Maharashtra means India. The ease of doing business has simplified the process. The state government has set up a special war room to resolve the complex issues that arise in business partnerships which are monitored monthly,” the CM said.
He also drew attention to multiple sectors which hold promises for overseas investments in Maharashtra.
“While Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar is becoming EV hubs, Nagpur is an emerging solar module manufacturing hub. And Pune is leading in manufacturing. Maharashtra is leading with maximum startups and foreign direct investments. The data centre, Artificial Intelligence and Quantum technology setup are coming up in Pune,” Fadnavis added.
According to the CMO, the UK delegation has assured to collaborate with Maharashtra in AI and other sectors.
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