CM hits back, defends govt on investments

The Times of India: Mumbai: Monday, June 18, 2012.

Lashing out yet again at criticism over industries moving out of the state, chief minister Prithviraj Chavan on Sunday said that the state is and would continue to be the number one destination for industrial investments.

Calling the criticism unfair and deliberate, Chavan said that statistics showed that the state is the top destination for investment and spelled out the multinational companies that have invested in Maharashtra in the recent times. He was addressing an event organized by Maharashtra Times, a group newspaper, in South Mumbai.

NCP chief Sharad Pawar had recently hit out at the Chavan-led government for industries shifting out of the state. Claiming that the state had a comparative advantage in workforce, infrastructure and industrial relations, Chavan said that despite competition from other states growing, the state was still the leader. Chavan then dared BJP-ruled Gujarat to make the Nano agreement public. "We accessed portions of the agreement under RTI and felt that the concessions offered are not sustainable," Chavan said.

Hinted at major changes in approach to irrigation in the state, Chavan said a presentation by the department will take place this week.