Amid the ongoing blame game between the Shinde-Fadnavis government and the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) partners over the loss of the Vedanta-Foxconn project to Gujarat, the Yuva Sena chief and former minister, Aaditya Thackeray, has fired a fresh salvo against the current establishment.
Aaditya, who is on his Shiv Samvad Yatra in Ratnagiri, wrote, ‘’15th July 2022: HPC meeting is conducted for the semiconductor project, offering all possible incentives. 25th- 26th July: current dispensation claims in Assembly & media that industry is coming to Maharashtra. Yet, the Industries Department loses out on this. 1 lakh job opportunity lost.’’
Aaditya has thereby countered the criticism against the Shiv Sena-led Maha Vikas Aghadi government by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Industry Minister Uday Samant for not taking the decision despite engaging in talks with Vedanta Foxconn since January 5. The Yuva Sena chief claimed that even though HPC had cleared on July 15 and the CM himself told the legislature during the monsoon session and to the media that the Vedanta Foxconn project was coming to the state, why had it gone to Gujarat.
Industry department sources told the Free Press Journal, ‘’The project has not moved to Gujarat only for want of HPC and cabinet approvals. What was important was that the CM, in a letter to Vedanta chief Anil Agarwal, written on July 26, had asked to seek Central Government Alignment to facilitate project development in Maharashtra. Rest is history now.’’
Shinde, in his letter, invited Agarwal and the Vedanta team, Foxconn, and AvanStrate to ink a MoU on July 29. The CM had assured Agarwal that HPC had given its nod for the subsidy package and it would be cleared by the state cabinet.
As reported by the Free Press Journal, the HPC had cleared the capital subsidy of Rs 39,000 crore, comprising Rs 2200 crore towards 1,100 acres of land, of which 400 acres were to be provided free of cost and 700 acres at 75% of the going rate. Besides, 1200 mw of power supply at Rs 3 per unit for 20 years, a waiver of 7.5% electricity duty for 10 years, and a subsidised stamp duty waiver of 5%. In addition, the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation would provide a water subsidy worth Rs 337 crore and Rs 812 crore towards waste management.
The state government’s package was more compared to the Gujarat government’s Rs 28,000 crore package comprising 200 acres of land in Dholera at 75% of the going rate, electricity at Rs 2 per unit, and subsidised stamp duty waiver of 5%.
