Maharashtra, one of the largest states in India, has a large presence at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos. The team is led by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who told NDTV that electric vehicles (EV) is an area where the state is a major focus. He also called for embracing AI and not ignoring the impending disruptions.
“EVs are the future. We are getting a lot of investments in EV manufacturing. GSW, Mahindra, Toyota are building plants; many global players are planning to make EVs in our state,” Mr Fadnavis said.
“Having said that, we are focusing on public transport and that includes a lot of EVs. The BMC (civic agency) has ordered 5,000 EVs. Pune already has a fleet of 1,000 EVs. MSRTC, Which is our state transport, order has been placed for 5,000 electric vehicles, work is going on to convert public transport into EVs,” the Chief Minister said.
He said he expects the entire public transport fleet to be completely green in three-four years.
defense manufacturing
The defense sector is something that is obviously important to the larger national perspective. Bharat Forge has a significant presence in Maharashtra. This is an area that is growing as India is now increasingly becoming an exporter of arms.
In this context, Mr Fadnavis said that fortunately, Maharashtra has created an ecosystem for defense equipment manufacturing.
“This huge ecosystem has been created in Nagpur and other parts of Maharashtra. We have signed MoUs with Bharat Forge and other companies which are bringing FDI in defense manufacturing,” he said.
The chief minister said manufacturing got a boost due to the import obligation introduced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, making it mandatory for companies to have parts made in India.
“That started the ecosystem and now we are actually producing equipment and even exporting equipment,” he said.
Mr Fadnavis announced that his government was considering building a 100-hectare “Innovation City” near Mumbai.
‘Can’t run away from AI’
With artificial intelligence (AI) being discussed at Davos, Mr Fadnavis stressed on widespread acceptance of AI and not being so worried about AI taking away jobs.
“See, this was the logic when computers arrived and many of our leaders also used to say that ‘we are ruining our country by accepting computers.’ They used to say that we will become unemployed and will never progress and generate many arguments.
“But I always feel that you can’t run away from technology. We’re really a globalized community and in such a community if you say ‘I’m not using AI’, it doesn’t work. You have to Technology is like that; you have to know how to ride it.
“I think we need to know that AI is reality. AI is going to change the job market. AI is going to create new jobs. AI is going to take away some old jobs. So upskilling and reskilling and a human resources Creating these jobs is the prime responsibility of the government,” Mr Fadnavis told NDTV.
The five-day meeting that began on Monday in Davos is exploring ways to restart growth, harness new technologies and strengthen social and economic resilience, according to the World Economic Forum. Nearly 3,000 leaders from more than 130 countries are participating in the global meeting, including 350 government leaders.
India’s participation in Davos aims to strengthen partnerships, attract investments and position the country as a global leader in sustainable development and technological innovation. India sent five Union Ministers, three Chief Ministers and ministers from several other states to the WEF this time.
