Maha’s moment on the world stage at Davos, says CM Shinde

Mumbai, Jan. 16 (IANS) Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Tuesday said that the Davos World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting would be a “big chance to showcase Maharashtra” at the global level in the presence of leading personalities from all over the world.

Interacting with the media shortly before boarding for his three-day trip to Davos, Shinde said: “This is a big opportunity… Maharashtra will get a chance for branding and showcasing at the international level at WEF, where prominent people from all over the world, including heads of governments come.”

Highlighting the willingness of foreign players to invest in Maharashtra, he said that the state offers a huge potential in the form of infrastructure, connectivity and skilled manpower.

“The state’s industry policy is very flexible… This visit to Davos will be more successful than in 2023, more MoUs will be signed and their conversion will also take place,” said Shinde.

Last year, the state signed MoUs worth Rs 1.37 lakh-crore and around 76 per cent have been implemented, and in 2024, the Chief Minister is eyeing MoUs worth over Rs 3.10 lakh-crore across sectors and districts in Maharashtra.

Shinde claimed that before his regime took over, the state had plummeted to the third or fourth slot in the country, but after he took over as Chief Minister, the state reclaimed its numero uno position attracting FDI.

“The Prime Minister’s dream of a $5 trillion economy goes through Maharashtra. We have set a target of Rs 1 trillion for the state,” he added.

At the 2024 WEF Davos meet (January 15-19), Shinde has lined up an impressive schedule of meetings with top Indian and global corporate honchos, diplomats, world leaders and others attending seminars, besides various WEF programmes.

Soon after landing in Davos on Tuesday, the Chief Minister will inaugurate the state-of-the-art Maharashtra Pavilion set up near the India Hall, where the delegation is expected to hold all important meetings and sign various agreements.

Aiming for effective branding of the state on the world stage, the Maharashtra Pavilion has meeting rooms with all facilities and there will be an audio-visual exhibition providing information on horse-racing in the state.

Officials said that through these MoUs, the state would attract value-adding industries like steel, IT, IT-related sectors, nuclear energy and renewable power, green hydrogens, diamonds and jewellery, data centres, logistics, agro-industrial, agriculture and forest produce, with scope for generating employment and boosting local industries for all-round development of the state.

On Wednesday, the Chief Minister will meet Adani Group Chairman Gautam Adani, Michael Zahm of Amazon Web Services, Prince of Liechtenstein Hans-Adam II, the top executives of Hitachi Group, Carlsberg, Dassault Systems, Volvo, and more.

Among those slated to meet Shinde are the Industry Minister of Oman, Finance Minister of Saudi Arabia, Energy Minister of South Africa, South Korea’s Gyeonggi Province Governor Kim Dong-Yeon, executives of DP World, UAE, Louis Dreyfus Company of The Netherlands, Witkowitz Atomica of Czechia, Capgemini SE of France, AP Moller Maersk of Denmark, Ball Corporation, US, and members of the WEF’s Agriculture & Food Processing Group.

The CM Chief Minister deliver a speech on ‘Challenges in Civil Sector, Innovation & Sustainable Development’ at the main event in the WEF convention centre and join a seminar on ‘Agriculture, Women’s Participation & Food Security’, a CII convention and host a banquet for various dignitaries on Wednesday evening.

At the CII conference on Thursday, the state plans to sign 20 MoUs worth around Rs 2.50 lakh-crore, which could increase with major companies, and the investments would come not only to the traditional Mumbai-Pune regions, but also new locations like Raigad, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Nagpur, Jalna and the Maoist-hit Chandrapur and Gadchiroli districts.

The WEF is an international NGO for public-private sector collaboration in Switzerland, and its 54th annual meeting would provide an opportunity to focus on the fundamental principles driving trust, including transparency, consistency, and accountability.

The WEF will welcome over 100 governments, all major international organisations, 1,000 partners, civil society leaders, experts, youth representatives, social entrepreneurs, and news outlets at the five-day huddle.

–IANS

qn/ksk