Focus on industry, not traditional farming, for Maharashtra to progress: Sharad Pawar
Sharad Pawar said Maharashtra must focus on industries rather than traditional farming, as land is limited and farming cannot employ everyone.
When the country became independent, the population was 35 crore; it has since grown but the land remains the same. Land for farming is falling short, and traditional farming cannot provide jobs to everyone. Maharashtra therefore needs to focus on various businesses and industries instead of traditional farming, so that the state can progress rapidly in the coming years. This was said by former union agriculture minister Sharad Pawar.
Pawar was speaking at the launch of the brochure for the Maratha Entrepreneurs Association's International Expo 2027, which he launched himself. MLA Rohit Pawar, association president Vikram Gaikwad, former president Ankush Asbe, Arun Nimhan, Sai Patil, Sayali Kale and treasurer Rajesh Kurade were present on the occasion.
Sharad Pawar said that the more industries are decentralised, the more benefit will reach the lower sections of society, especially rural areas. He said Mumbai was once the industrial capital, but when the number of industries there began to decline, he himself, while heading the state government, worked to make it the economic capital. As a result, Mumbai is today known as the country's economic capital. He said strong political will is necessary while taking decisions on industry, and that Maharashtra's industries will not move out of the state, and the jobs they create will not be lost to Marathi youth, only if infrastructure is strengthened.
MLA Rohit Pawar said that due to a lack of infrastructure, industrialists from Chakan are moving out of Maharashtra. Traffic congestion in Hinjewadi remains a problem. He said the government should pay attention to infrastructure. He said Maharashtra has the most expensive commercial electricity, making it difficult to attract industries. According to him, a data centre cannot be considered investment, since a data centre worth Rs 2,000 crore is capable of employing only 200 people. Rohit Pawar said that if foreign investment comes to Maharashtra, it should benefit the state's industries and businesses, so that the youth here can truly become fit for both jobs and enterprise.
Vikram Gaikwad said the Maratha community's population in Maharashtra is around 35 per cent, but its share in industry and business is only one to two per cent. The Maratha Entrepreneurs Association is working to change this picture. He said the association is working on how to build a mindset among Marathi youth to grow businesses instead of taking up jobs, and as part of this, an industrial scholarship of Rs 1 lakh will be given to youth aged 14 to 17 to help create new entrepreneurs.
At the same event, Sharad Pawar also inaugurated the association's Ahilyanagar chapter. Ganesh Satpute, Ravi Ghate, Deepali Chavan, Monika Badhaya, Nilesh Chavan, Vinod Jadhav, Jagdish Kadam, Vilas Yadav, Sagar Yadav, Raju Bhise, Mahesh Bhagwat, Sachin Khatpe, Chandrakant Gaikwad, Suhas Admane, Ankush Ajbe, Tejraj Patil, Vikram Gaikwad, Rohan Builders, Mohar Group Digital Dam, Jawahar Chorge, Satish Kokate, Madhukar Chorge, Yogesh Pasalkar, Ajaysinh Desai and P. N. Gadgil were felicitated for their support in making the association's business expo a success.
