Tata Airbus and mega refinery projects to come up in Maharashtra, says Uday Samant amid Vedanta-Foxconn row

Under attack from the opposition for losing the $20 billion Vedanta Foxconn’s semiconductor project to Gujarat, Industry Minister Uday Samant on Thursday said that the Tata Airbus project for the production of military aircraft at Nagpur and the Rs 3 lakh crore mega refinery project at Barsu in Ratnagiri district will come up in Maharashtra. Samant has thereby confirmed the Free Press Journal break about the Shinde Fadnavis government’s move to attract the Tata Airbus project in Maharashtra outwitting competing states like Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.

On the Vedanta Foxconn project, Samant clarified that only talks were held and no MoU was signed. “Confusion has been created about the Vedanta-Foxconn project since yesterday. There was no formal MoU signed for the semiconductor project. There was only discussion,’’ he said.

He reiterated that the MVA government should have earlier taken a decision on providing a subsidy package to Vedanta Foxconn. “However, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis have taken a stand to bring affiliated projects in Maharashtra. The state government is committed to attract more investments and create jobs,’’ he noted.

Samant claimed that Maharashtra would get a bigger project as assured by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the Chief Minister.

Samant said that the departments of higher and technical education and industry should work hand in hand adding that the government was preparing a policy in this regard. This would help promote necessary skill sets needed for the industry as per its requirements.

Samant said that the bulk drug park will come up in Maharashtra. He was responding to the Yuva Sena chief Aaditya Thackeray’s claim that the state has lost the project to Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh.

The industry minister claimed that the mega refinery project would not go outside the state. “The misinformation campaign is being run against the refinery project and misleading claims are being made. While the local MLA is in favour the MP is opposing it (referring to Thackeray faction MLA Rajan Salvi and MP Vinayak Raut). The refinery project will help create more jobs in Konkan region,’’ he said, adding that for attracting refinery and other mega projects politics should be kept aside and everyone should work together.