Mumbai: Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Thursday released a NITI Aayog report aiming to more than double the economic activity in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) to $300 billion by 2030 from the present $140 billion.
Opposition Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray, however, wondered if the study by the Central think tank, coming ahead of Maharashtra elections, was a precursor to turning the city into a Union Territory.
The report, released at 'Sahyadri', the state guest house, in the presence of Shinde's deputy Devendra Fadnavis and World Economic Forum founder chairman Klaus Schwab, said it is possible to increase the economic activity in the Mumbai region significantly in less than five years and create up to 28 lakh new jobs in the state.
It calls for investments across the megapolis, including by the private sector, to make it possible.
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The region needs to establish itself as a global services hub for industries like financial services, fintech, artificial intelligence, health and media, the report says.
The doubling of economic activity will lead to a rise in the per-capita income to up to $12,000 by 2030 from the present $5,248, it adds.
Speaking at a press conference, Aaditya Thackeray claimed that the BJP-led government at the Centre could be planning to turn Mumbai into a Union Territory, and hence this study.
“Our demand is that Mumbai must have its GIFT city which was stolen and taken to Gujarat. When we have our government at the Centre, Mumbai will have its own GIFT city,” the former state minister said.
He also demanded an apology from Union Commerce Minister and Mumbai North MP Piyush Goyal for "promoting" Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT City) near Ahmedabad. Regional parties including the Shiv Sena (UBT) and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) have in the past accused the Union government of harbouring plans to separate Mumbai from Maharashtra.
