Mercedes Benz to make Rs 3,000 crore investment in Maharashtra, says Uday Samant

Uday Samant. File Pic

German car-maker Mercedes Benz will make an investment of Rs 3,000 crore in Maharashtra, state Industries Minister Uday Samant said on Thursday.

In a post on X, Uday Samant said while on a tour of Germany, he met top executives of Mercedes Benz on Thursday and discussed investment opportunities in the state.

"Mercedes Benz will invest Rs 3,000 crore in Maharashtra this year. This will help create employment opportunities in the state," he said.

The development could give a shot in the arm, ahead of assembly elections, to the Shiv Sena-BJP-NCP government which has been battling charges from the opposition that Maharashtra is losing big-ticket industrial projects to other states including Gujarat.

Earlier, amid criticism by Opposition over Maharashtra losing big projects to other states, Industries Minister Uday Samant claimed GAIL never submitted a complete proposal about setting up a plant.

Addressing allegations from opposition leaders regarding GAIL's departure from Maharashtra, Samant said the state government cannot be held responsible for GAIL's decision (to invest in Madhya Pradesh).

The Gas Authority of India (GAIL) had earlier scouted land in Maharashtra but later announced setting up a plant in a petrochemical unit with a Rs 50,000 crore investment.

The opposition parties, including Shiv Sena (UBT), had alleged that "policy paralysis" in the Shiv Sena-BJP-NCP government was the main reason behind the state losing a big investment.

"GAIL never submitted a complete proposal before the state government. It has asked for land in Ratnagiri district, but the MIDC area didn't have sufficient land. The land was later made available. When availability was confirmed, GAIL officials cited previous protests and political pressure as reasons for not pursuing the refinery proposal further," Samant said.

He said Industries Department officials asked the company whether it would be setting up a refinery or not because the region had earlier faced strong opposition to other mega projects.

"The company did not submit its complete proposal, hence the government should not be held responsible for it (GAIL's decision to invest in MP)," the minister said.