Davos [Switzerland], January 21 : Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday stated that the Davos visit, undertaken on the occasion of the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Switzerland, is an important effort to attract knowledge, technology and foreign investment to India and, in turn, to Maharashtra.
On the second day of the visit, the Raigad-Pen Growth Centre was announced as the first city in the Third Mumbai.
Today, primarily strategic Memoranda of Understanding were signed. These included technical cooperation agreements with the University of California, University of Berkeley, Technical University of Munich, Urban Futures Collective - London, ICCI - Italy, A*STAR Tuning Institute, Norwegian Geotechnical Institute, and Subana Jurong of Singapore in the field of urban planning.
Through these agreements, Maharashtra is not only attracting investment but also acquiring knowledge and technology. This will help bring in large-scale industries and enable effective work across various sectors. Agreements on urban planning and transport will help improve the structure of city transport networks.
Chief Minister Fadnavis said that the Davos visit helps secure knowledge, technology and foreign direct investment (FDI), which greatly benefits the country and the state. This year, meaningful dialogue and coordination were achieved with leading companies in urban planning and transport management.
The Chief Minister said the state is striving to provide quality and timely healthcare facilities to the last mile. In this regard, a positive and constructive discussion on medical technology was held during a Davos session. A roadmap for healthcare facilities in the state has been prepared through this dialogue. Efforts are underway to build a strong MedTech startup ecosystem in Maharashtra, and agreements have been signed with some of the world's leading companies that have developed such facilities.
The Growth Centre will be developed 15 to 20 kilometres from the Navi Mumbai airport, and its announcement was made at Davos. Permissions for this project had been in process for the past three to four years. With these approvals now in place, the first city in Third Mumbai has been announced, said Chief Minister Fadnavis.
The centre will follow a "plug-and-play" model, enabling entities to start operations immediately. This will be the country's first such project developed under a public-private partnership (PPP), with the state government, MMRDA and private players working together. A new business district is being created here, which will generate well-paying jobs and develop ecosystems for Global Capability Centres and fintech. Similar to BKC, this area will emerge as a major business district.
Following the announcement of this city, Memoranda of Understanding worth approximately ₹1 lakh crore have been signed. Leading global companies have shown strong interest, including Havana Group from the Republic of Korea, SSB Group and Ensar from Switzerland, FedEx from the United States, RiverRecycle Group from Finland, MGSA Group from Dubai, Spaces and Mapletree from Singapore, Genvy and Indospace Park Group, and Tribeca Developers from the United States. These foreign investments will help create a world-class city with "walk-to-work" facilities. With this, the first city of Third Mumbai is now set to become a reality, the Chief Minister announced.
The Magnetic Maharashtra Pavilion at Davos emerged as a major attraction. Entrepreneurs, investors and dignitaries from various fields visited the pavilion. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Industries Minister Dr. Uday Samant and the Maharashtra delegation welcomed these visitors.
CM Fadnavis met with World Bank President Ajay Banga to discuss the development of a Green Industrial Corridor in Maharashtra. This initiative could attract significant foreign investment and enhance competitiveness and export potential in the MSME sector.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis met Bermuda Prime Minister David Burt and discussed various issues, including inclusive development, citizen-centric governance and innovation in development sectors.
Hyundai Chairman Sung Kim also met Chief Minister Fadnavis and expressed happiness about Hyundai's presence in Maharashtra. He praised the state's EV policy and said the company plans to introduce five new EV models in the coming period. Sung Kim also invited the Chief Minister to the inauguration of Hyundai's Pune project.
AP Moller-Maersk CEO Vincent Clerc met Chief Minister Fadnavis and indicated terminal investment opportunities worth $2.5 billion in Maharashtra. Discussions were also held on the India-European Union supply chain corridor.
Finnish Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Ville Tavio met the Chief Minister to discuss India-Finland cooperation. Plans to organise a conference on the circular economy in Mumbai during May-June were also discussed.
Chief Minister Fadnavis held detailed discussions with Alon Stopel, Chairman of the Israel Innovation Authority, on partnerships in innovative research fields.
Hewlett-Packard Chairperson Patricia Russo and Senior Vice President Bhawna Agarwal met the Chief Minister to discuss enhanced cooperation in areas such as the use of artificial intelligence in security and digitisation.
Chief Minister Fadnavis also discussed thermal energy storage solutions and zero-carbon industrial heat with Andrew Ponec, CEO of Antora Energy. He also met Jessica Rosenworcel, Executive Director of the MIT Media Lab.