Pune International Centre lays down model road-map for progressive Maharashtra

Pune based think tank has released a policy document on eve of assembly elections

With Maharashtra Assembly Elections round the corner some of the eminent economist, senior scientists and industrialist have laid down the map for making Maharashtra a progressive state by releasing a policy document.

The Pune International Centre (PIC), a think tank based in Pune, with members such as Dr Raghunath Mashelkar, economist Vijay Kelkar, Anu Aga and other, released a policy document that includes achievable goals for the next 10 years that will take Maharashtra on to the road of growth.

The report, Progressive Maharashtra: Road Map 2014-19 was released by eminent scientist and president of PIC Raghunath Mashelkar., PIC VP and economist ViJay Kelkar among others.

‘Progressive Maharashtra: Road Map 2014-19’ puts forward many concrete ideas keeping in mind the development of Maharashtra. It is drafted on the backdrop of the Assembly Elections in the state. The main objective behind the publication is to achieve social and financial development of people from various strata in the society. It also aims at helping the new government in taking policy decisions.

The areas in which the policy goals have been suggested are agriculture, manufacturing, industry, health, education, water resources, solar energy, administration, urbanisation, tribal development, regional equity, and research and development. Raghunath Mashelkar, Vijay Kelkar, Abhay Tilak, Chandrahas Deshpande, Niranjan Rajadhyaksh, Pradeep Apte, Sumita Kale and Prashant Girbane have contributed in the document.

"We will be sending this report to all the concerned political parties. We had done a similar exercise during the Lok Sabha elections and released a study, Innovating India: The Road Map 2014-19. We got immense support from political parties across party line with a few incorporating some points," said Mashelkar.

Kelkar further pointed out that though the State's economic growth has been of high order, it has its own limitation and deficiencies that need to be addressed. "If Maharashtra would have been an independent state, it would be among the top 20 economies of the world. But the State is losing some of its cutting edge lead. The parties should focus on modernizing agriculture, focus on land reforms among other issue," he added.