Mumbai: Amidst the ongoing blame game over the loss of five major projects, with a total worth of over Rs 1.8 lakh crore to Gujarat and other states, the Shinde-Fadnavis government will soon release a White Paper on the MoUs signed and implemented during the two and half year rule of the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government.
This was announced by Industry Minister Uday Samant, who claimed that merely signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) does not mean these projects are commissioned.
He added that the White Paper will also include details with regard to the MVA government’s role in not taking timely decisions on the $20 billion Vedanta-Foxconn semiconductor project, the Rs 22,000 crore Tata Airbus defence transport plane project, the bulk drug project, the medical device project and the SAFRAN project.
The White Paper will also give details pertaining to the correspondence by the Maharashtra Government, Industries Department, MIDC with domestic and foreign companies, the meetings held in Davos and information about MoUs worth Rs 80,000 crore signed there in the presence of former ministers Aaditya Thackeray, Subhash Desai and Nitin Raut.
Samant’s announcements came a day after former industry minister Subhash Desai had said that they will soon come out with a White Paper giving details on the 123 projects and their present status which had come to Maharashtra, despite the coronavirus pandemic, during the MVA rule.
This is also the Shinde-Fadnavis government’s attempt to put the Thackeray camp in particular and other opposition parties in the wrong, and hold them responsible for spoiling the future of youth who lost job opportunities because the investors moved to Gujarat and other states.
Samant reiterated that the Thackeray camp and opposition are running a narrative that the Vedanta-Foxconn, Tata Airbus, bulk drug project, medical device project and SAFRAN project moved out of Maharashtra after the new government came to power.
‘’However, these projects had moved out of Maharashtra during the MVA rule. I have been demanding the opponents [without naming Shiv Sena Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray leader Aaditya Thackeray and former industry minister Subhash Desai] to release the relevant papers on the state government’s communication with these companies and the minutes of the meetings.
"However, they have not released them so far. The investors could not zero in on Maharashtra as the cabinet sub committee meetings did not take place for 14 months to decide the incentive package to be offered to them,’’ he claimed.
Samant reiterated that the opponents should show the necessary papers to substantiate their allegations.
Samant released the document pertaining to MoU between Vedanta-Foxconn and the Gujarat government and also on Tata Airbus project with the neighbouring state.
On the SAFRAN MRO project, the minister referred to the Centre’s release, which had said that the company CEO on July 5 had met the defence minister Rajnath Singh and revealed its investment at Hyderabad, Telangana. He claimed that the MVA government had not made any efforts for the land for the SAFRAN project.
Samant asked three questions to MVA leaders:
‘’Why did you not hold a high power committee meeting after Vedanta Foxconn submitted the application on January 5,2022? Why did that meeting have to be held on July 15 after the Shinde-Fadnavis government came to power?
"Why was the ministerial sub-committee meeting not held for 14 months to implement the MoUs that were signed during the Maha Vikas Aghadi government?
How many letters did Mahavikas Aghadi government send to the central government, defense department, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the Tata-Airbus project?
He called upon the opposition and critics of the Shinde Fadnavis government to work together to attract more investments in Maharashtra, and thereby retain its pre-eminence.
