Mumbai: The Samruddhi Mahamarg project, connecting the JNPT in Mumbai and MIHAN in Nagpur, might prove a game-changer for Maharashtra, as it will shorten the commute time from 18 hours to 8 hours. In a four-part webinar series from December 8 to December 11, The Free Press Journal, in association with the MSRDC (Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation), will discuss new opportunities and challenges that will be held out by the project.
The first webinar will talk about the Samruddhi project itself. The subsequent sessions will deal with agro-processing zones, industrial clusters and smart cities, education and skill development – all of which are likely to be game changers for a resurgent Maharashtra.
On December 8, from 3pm onwards, the panellists — Radheshyam Mopalwar, VC & Managing Director, MSRDC; Vijay Waghmare, Joint Managing Director, MSRDC; and Chandrakant Pulkundwar, Joint Managing Director, MSRDC, will highlight the journey of the project and how it will change the lives of the people of Maharashtra.
The following day, from 3pm onwards, panellists Deepak Taware, CMD, Maharashtra State Warehousing Corporation; Arun Raste, Executive Director, National Dairy Development Board; and Sachin Sharma, GM & Head- Channel Operations, ITC will talk about agro-based industries.
The ‘Industrial Clusters, Township and IT’ session will be held on December 10, from 12pm onwards. The panellists for this session will be: Venugopal Reddy, Principal Secretary (Industries), Maharashtra Government; Carlos Rojas- Arbulú, Consul and Senior Trade Commissioner, Consulate General of Canada in Mumbai; Tej Paul Bhatla, VP & Head Public Services Business India, TCS; and Mohit Bhasin, Partner and Lead, KPMG. This session will discuss opportunities in other industries and townships.
The series will end with an ‘Education, Skill Development and Jobs’ session on December 11, from 3pm onwards. The panellists for the session are: Sujata Saunik, Additional Chief Secretary at Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Maharashtra Government; Ramesh Bhat, officiating VC and Dean, Management Studies, NMIMS University; and Lim Boon Tiong, COO, ITEES, Singapore. When industries open, there will be a need for talent, to fill newly created job opportunities. Most people will be from the neighbourhood. There will be need for better education – both schools and colleges and skill development centres – to exploit the potential of a young and aspirational population. Some jobs will relate to agriculture, some to new businesses and city management. These will be the concepts that are likely to be discussed during the last session.
