Grand inauguration of ‘Advantage Vidarbha 2026 – Khasdar Industrial Festival’
Four Memorandums of Understanding signed on the very first day
The identity of the Naxal-affected Gadchiroli district in Vidarbha will be transformed into the “Green Steel Hub of India.” By creating a comprehensive steel ecosystem in Gadchiroli, steel will be supplied to the world at rates cheaper than China, expressed Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis with confidence.
He was addressing the gathering at the inauguration ceremony of the Advantage Vidarbha 2026 – Khasdar Industrial Festival, organised by the Association for Industrial Development (AID) at the Rashtrasant Tukadoji Maharaj Nagpur University campus, Ambazari–Amravati Road, Nagpur.
The Chief Minister stated that the objective is to create multiple industrial “magnet hubs” across the state and ensure the development of surrounding districts. He especially appreciated the integrated automobile facility proposed by Mahindra & Mahindra Limited in Nagpur.
The facility is expected to commence operations by 2028 and will involve an investment of ₹15,000 crore. In addition, the country’s largest solar module ecosystem is being developed in Nagpur, which is expected to generate around one lakh jobs.
On the lines of the successful integrated textile park in Amravati, another park will be developed under the PM MITRA scheme. An aviation school is also being set up near Amravati Airport, which will significantly benefit the districts of Yavatmal, Buldhana, Washim and Akola. Highlighting the upcoming wave of Global Capability Centres (GCCs), he stressed the importance of a forward-looking industrial policy.
Chief Minister Fadnavis also elaborated on the Nalganga project, water management, food processing, and gas-based industries.
State Industries Secretary P. Anbalagan provided information on three upcoming industrial clusters in Maharashtra and said that by 2047, Vidarbha would contribute substantially to the nation’s development.
Earlier, AID President Ashish Kale, in his introductory address, reviewed the previous two Khasdar Industrial Festivals and highlighted the achievements during that period. He stated that through AID, proposals related to GCCs and bamboo-based industries were approved and incorporated into the state’s industrial policy.
A Global Skill University spread over 100 acres is progressing rapidly, and the Nagpur Municipal Corporation, AID, and Tata Stride are jointly implementing several skill-development initiatives. He added that Advantage Vidarbha 2026 has an expanded format this year, featuring 370 stalls, three days of business sessions, a grand expo, and evening entertainment programmes.
Addressing the event, Adani Group Director Jeet Adani expressed confidence that due to the visionary and positive policies of the Union Budget, India could achieve sustained economic growth and emerge as the world’s largest economy by 2047.
The programme was anchored by Vasundhara Kashikar, while the vote of thanks was delivered by Executive Member Nirbhay Sancheti.
Need to Create Skilled Manpower for Industries in Vidarbha – Union Minister Nitin Gadkari
Union Minister Nitin Gadkari emphasised that as large-scale investments and industries are coming to Vidarbha, there is an urgent need to create skilled manpower to meet industrial requirements. He underlined the importance of industrial growth for overall regional development and poverty alleviation. He also stressed identifying the unique strengths of each district—for example, cotton-producing districts could develop cotton-based industries. By recognising the strengths of all districts, export-oriented industries can be created, he said.
Referring to the high-quality iron ore in Gadchiroli, he noted that the district has the potential to become a global steel hub. He also appreciated the Association for Industrial Development for successfully ensuring the inclusion of tourism-related recommendations in the state’s industrial policy.
Four MoUs Signed on the First Day
On the very first day, four significant Memorandums of Understanding were signed. The first MoU was with Super Smelters Limited, which will invest ₹10,000 crore in the steel sector, benefiting Gadchiroli along with the districts of Wardha and Chandrapur.
Mahindra & Mahindra Limited will invest ₹15,000 crore over the next ten years to develop an integrated hub for automobiles, electric vehicles and tractors in Nagpur. This hub will also be expanded to Nashik and Sambhajinagar, leading to large-scale employment generation. In addition, agreements were signed between N-Motive India, GIBC and AID.
Felicitation of Satyanarayan Nuwal
Padma Shri awardee Satyanarayan Nuwal and his wife were felicitated at the hands of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Union Minister Nitin Gadkari. On this occasion, a citation written by AID Secretary Dr Vijay Sharma was read out.
Felicitation of Investors
Investors who have contributed to Vidarbha’s industrial growth were honoured, including Lloyds Metals and Energy Limited Managing Director Balasubramaniam Prabhakaran, Adani Group (Airports) Director Jeet Adani, Mahindra & Mahindra Executive Director Rajesh Jejurikar, Pernod Ricard India CEO and Managing Director Jean Touboul, Super Smelters Limited’s Sitaram Agrawal, and Goyal Ganga Group’s Atul Goyal.
Dignitaries Present
Prominent dignitaries present at the inauguration included Maharashtra Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule, Minister of State for Finance Ashish Jaiswal, Minister of State for Education Pankaj Bhoyar, former MP Ajay Sancheti, State Industries Secretary Dr P. Anbalagan, Chief Minister’s Chief Financial Advisor Kaustubh Dhavse, Mahindra & Mahindra CEO Rajesh Jejurikar, Adani Group (Airports) Director Jeet Adani, Lloyds Metals and Energy Managing Director Balasubramaniam Prabhakaran, and Solar Group Chairman Padma Shri Satyanarayan Nuwal.
Additionally, AID office-bearers and members including President Ashish Kale, Secretary Vijaykumar Sharma, Sanjay Gupta, Girdhari Mantri, Ashok Goyal, Prasanna Deshpande, Nirbhay Sancheti, Prasanna Mohile, Vinod Tambi, Nikhil Gadkari, Rajesh Rokde, Ravi Bortarkar, Prashant Ugemuge, Mahesh Sadhwani, Alok Khandelwal, Ajay Kapoor, Mahendra Kshirsagar and Rajesh Bagdi were present. MLA Parinay Phuke and Vice-Chancellor of Rashtrasant Tukadoji Maharaj Nagpur University, Manali Kshirsagar, were also specially present.
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