Ajit Pawar outlines roadmap for agriculture, industrial sectors in Maharashtra

Maharashtra Finance Minister Ajit Pawar on Monday has outlined the roadmap for the agriculture and industry sectors as well as for achieving the 1 trillion dollar economy target While speaking on the floor of the house Pawar said that investments worth Rs 1572654 crore will be coming to Maharashtra soon which will create 16 lakh jobs in the state Pawar who is also the states deputy Chief Minister was replying to a debate in the Lower House of the legislatureAgricultureThe growth rate of agriculture in 202324 was 33 per cent which surged to 87 per cent owing to the financial strength provided to the farmers the finance minister informed the houseHe also stated that several initiatives have been taken for the agricultural sector These include introducing AI artificial intelligence technology in agriculture as well as the Jal Yukt Shivar and One Taluka One Market schemes River Linking Projects for irrigation Maharashtra Irrigation Improvement Programme Bamboo cultivation and the Marathwada Water Grid for farmers in MarathwadaIn the next two years the state will spend Rs 500 crore for the adoption of AI in crop planning he said asserting that the use of technology in the sector will help Maharashtras farmers prosperThe government is facing pressure and there is a slight increase in the deficit but thoughtfully we have decided to provide free electricity to 45 lakh agricultural pumps said Pawar adding that during the pandemic it was the agricultural sector that had saved the stateTherefore we consider farmers and agriculture to be an important component of the states priorities For this reason I have made a significant provision of Rs 9700 crore for the agricultural sector in this budget he saidIndustryThe Deputy CM also spoke about the reforms taking place in the industrial sectorThe state already has a conducive environment for investment Today we are at the top in the country in terms of Foreign Direct Investment FDI Recently the Chief Minister went to Davos As a result of the agreements made there an investment of Rs 1572654 crore will be coming to Maharashtra in the coming period and 16 lakh jobs will be created Through the Make in Maharashtra initiative we are going to introduce a new industrial policy to attract investments As a result we have set a target of Rs 40 lakh crore investment and the creation of 50 lakh jobs in the next five years he saidPawar also assured that the government is taking full precautions to ensure that foreign investment and industries do not leave the state According to Pawar Maharashtras GDP Gross State Domestic Product growth has nearly doubled in the past five yearsThe GDP growth rate is around an average of 12 per cent In the past five years it has increased by Rs 23 lakh crore This means in five years the GDP has nearly doubled The statersquos GDP grows by approximately 10 per cent every year Now we are trying to increase the growth rate to 14 to 15 per cent he saidPawar also said that the state is gearing up for massive projects such as the expansion of the JNPT Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust Through this Maharashtra will see massive investment millions of jobs will be created and auxiliary businesses will emerge The international airport in Navi Mumbai will be operational in a few days We are setting up ports in various locations The metro network is being developed in the states metropolitan areas Various industrial clusters are being formed These infrastructure projects have created a supportive environment for industries in the state As a result foreign investment is being attracted to our state in large amounts Maharashtra is receiving top priority for foreign investment he informed