Rajya Sabha member Vijay Darda urges Maharashtra government to set up 'auto hub' in Vidarbha

Rajya Sabha member Vijay Darda has requested Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to facilitate setting up of an 'automobile hub' here to attract investment and create job opportunities in Vidarbha region.

The automobile industry has the potential to create huge employment opportunities. One mother unit supports between 100 and 300 ancillary units and hence the state government should take an initiative to set up an 'automobile hub' in Nagpur, Darda said in a letter to Fadnavis, a copy of which was released to the media today.

Darda said for last three years, he had been trying to pursue the issue with the state government and had written to former Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan and the then Union Heavy Industries Minister Praful Patel in this regard.

He also mentioned in the letter that the then state industries minister Jawaharlal Darda had made an effort to lure auto industry to Vidarbha region.

Mahindra & Mahindra's tractor plant was set up in MIDC and is successfully running. The plant had begun with five tractors per day and now the capacity has reached 250 tractors per day, the Lokmat Group chairman pointed out.

Vidarbha, with its geo-centric location in the country, world class industrial and social infrastructure and salubrious climate round the year, is an ideal region to set up an industry.

The only need is vigorous promotion of the region by offering sops and tax concessions, Darda said, adding that if the 'auto hub' comes up in Vidarbha, it will create jobs avenues in all 11 districts of the region.