Zee Business Editor Amish Devgan speaks to Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.
Like Modi's 'Make in India', you have come up with the 'Make in Maharashtra' campaign. Tell us about it.
Maharashtra is the most progressive and industrialised state of this country; to make India successful, Maharashtra also needs to be successful. So, to keep Modiji's agenda going strong, we have come up with a similar campaign at the state level. And we have already designed policies for it.
Do you think corruption is a serious issue? What would you like to say about opening cases against leaders of the Nationalist Congress party?
It's all about transparency. Modiji advised me to run the government for development. And transparency needs to be restored, so as to earn people's faith.
Corporates want to know about the status of infrastructural development in Maharashtra since it is the financial capital of the country.
We're working on a 72-km metro. We're also constructing a coastal road to de-congest the traffic in the city. Work on the trans-harbour link has picked up pace. The centre needs to give us a couple of clearances. Housing is our main focus. To become a world-class city, Mumbai needs housing and transportation.
As the chief minister of Maharashtra, what's your promise to India Inc?
To set up a plant or factory in a designated industrial area, you needed 76 permits earlier. But now, only 25 are required. We're bringing the process to a single IT platform so as to make it credible. Earlier, permissions took about one to three yers, but now it's done in 3 months.
We're following the models of good governance in all states - Gujarat, MP etc., so that by the next year, others would follow Maharashtra's model of growth.
What are your three priorities as the CM?
Firstly, I plan to create a better environment for industries. I aim to improve the state's ranking in the ease-of-doing-business lists. Secondly, there's a strong need to revolutionise and develop the agriculture sector. Within a year, we plan to make 5,000 villages drought-free. And lastly, as Modiji said, we need to provide housing for everyone and work towards a Swachh Bharat.
The opposition is calling you a 'soft CM'. Your comments?
Everyone can see that my priorities are not really "soft".
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