Fadnavis wants business-friendly policies to boost economy

He said the policies implemented by the previous Congress-NCP government failed to attract investments

Asserting his willingness to make changes in the Special Economic Zone (SEZ) policy, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has said the only way to boost the state's economy is by easing the business culture.

Maharashtra's growth rate has plummeted to its lowest level in the past four years, he said.

"Industrialists and investors are wary of expanding their business here because they are tired of running around taking the necessary permissions for it. There are 76 different permissions needed to start a business as of now. I have instructed the concerned officials to reduce it to 25 within a week," Fadnavis told reporters here last evening.

He said top industrialists have urged him not to go out of his way to provide leeway for businessmen to conduct their operations. "Big businessmen only want what is due to them under the law. They want to conduct their businesses with minimal technical problems," he said.

"Days are gone when files relating to a particular industry were transferred from one department to the other. Now each concerned department will submit its opinion within a time frame. The nodal department will take a final call," the Chief Minister said.

The policies implemented by the previous Congress-NCP government failed to attract investments, hence those policies will undergo an overhaul to suit investment growth, he said.

"This government is very keen on bringing investments in the state, only then will the GSDP (Gross State Domestic Product) increase, which will in turn bring efficiency in the taxation system and increase state resources," he said.

"We have identified zones of DMIC (Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor), Nagpur-Amravati belt and private SEZs near Pune as potential investment destinations," Fadnavis said adding that the first two smart cities in the state will come up in Aurangabad and Raigad districts.

The government is committed towards removing lapses in the RRZ (River Regulatory Zone) policy as well, he said.

Referring to hurdles in the change in use of land procedures, Fadnavis said MIDC (Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation) will be empowered to issue requisite permissions, which will bring down the time required to change the use of a land.

"Change in use of land is a lengthy procedure. It takes minimum eight months to convert a farm land into an industrial land. The MIDC needs to be empowered and Development Control rules need to be put in place. This would enable the Urban Development department to take care of the process and time required to issue permissions will come down to 15 days," he said.