21 January,2025 10:04 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Devendra Fadnavis with WEF founder Klaus Schwab. Pic/X
A day after Maharashtra Chief Minister (CM) Devendra Fadnavis met Klaus Schwab, the founder and Chairman of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule said that he expected significant investments in Maharashtra over the next two-three days.
"Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis wants Maharashtra to be the number one state of the country. In Davos, the first agreement with an investment of Rs 5,500 crore was made for Gadchiroli district, which is a tribal, inaccessible, Naxalite-affected area," he told ANI.
The minister added that such agreements would create more employment opportunities for the people of Maharashtra.
"I express my gratitude to him on behalf of the 14-crore people of Maharashtra, and I expect that in the next two-three days, a lot of investment will come to Maharashtra. These agreements will bring a lot of strength to Maharashtra and will take the 14 crore people of the state towards employment..." Bawankule further said.
During the meeting, CM Fadnavis and Klaus Schwab discussed various topics, including green energy, electric vehicles, and new developments in the industrial sector. Schwab also extended his best wishes for Maharashtra's continued growth, ANI reported.
After the meeting, Fadnavis said, "The investment meetings will be starting from tomorrow [Tuesday]. Today [Monday], I started my day with a meeting with Klaus Schwab, the Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum. We discussed the collaboration between the state of Maharashtra and WEF. Tomorrow, we will have more meetings."
The meeting with Schwab is part of a broader series of engagements for Fadnavis at Davos. Schwab had visited Mumbai during this year's Ganeshotsav, where he and his wife participated in a traditional Ganesh aarti at Fadnavis's official residence, marking the beginning of the interactions that continued in Davos.
Earlier, Fadnavis met Frank Jurgen Richter, President of Horasys and former WEF director. The two discussed plans for organising a global business conference in Mumbai and the possibility of establishing Horasys' headquarters in the city. The discussions also focused on innovation and new technology, emphasising Maharashtra's role as a hub for business and investment, ANi reported.
The annual WEF meeting in Davos will conclude on Friday. The meeting brings together government, business, and civil society leaders to set the year's agenda on how leaders can make the world a better place for all.
(With ANI inputs)