Mega projects did not leave Maharashtra during our term, says Samant

Nagpur, Nov 23 (PTI) Maharashtra Industries Minister Uday Samant on Thursday said big ticket investment projects did not move to other states during the tenure of the Eknath Shinde government.

Opposition parties routinely accuse the Shinde government of losing mega projects like the semi-conductor plant of Vedanta-Foxconn, the Tata-AirBus joint venture and the Bulk Drugs Park to other states, primarily Gujarat.

Talking to reporters, Samanat also dismissed the opposition's charge that the Diamond Bourse in Bandra Kurla Complex in Mumbai was being moved to Surat in Gujarat.

Any one businessman going to Gujarat for business expansion does not mean the entire gems and jewellery park has moved to the neighbouring state, he countered.

On the contrary, the country's biggest gems and jewellery park is coming up in Navi Mumbai and it can generate 50,000 jobs, Samant asserted.

'We tabled a White Paper in the last session of the state legislature, which proved the three projects did not move to other states during our tenure. The White Paper is authentic,' he said.

'I had asked (the opposition) to produce proof if anyone had anything more than what was mentioned in the White Paper, but no one came forward,' he added. PTI PR BNM BNM