Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis speaks during the inauguration of Phase 1 of the Navi Mumbai International Airport, in Navi Mumbai.
Credit: PTI photo
Mumbai: With the largest-ever trade delegation visiting India, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis projected the potential of the upcoming Third Mumbai in Raigad district and Fourth Mumbai in Palghar district.
“As Maharashtra is the gateway to India’s 5 trillion dollar economy goal, with a target to become India’s first 1 trillion dollar State by 2030, it gives a natural advantage to execute and work towards the historic milestone of India - UK FTAs’ execution and this is the right place to start,” Fadnavis said during an interaction with top CEOs of the United Kingdom at the The Taj Mahal Palace, Mumbai.
The delegation, during the two-day tour, is led by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
In fact, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) comprising the twin districts of Mumbai City and Mumbai Suburban and neighbouring districts of Palghar, Thane and Raigad is being developed as a global hub.
While Mumbai City and Mumbai Suburban is known as the financial capital of Mumbai, the satellite township of Navi Mumbai along the Thane-Raigad belt was developed as a sort of Second Mumbai - with an aim to decongest Mumbai.
The Third Mumbai is coming up around the Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) in what is known as Navi Mumbai Airport Influence Notified Area (NAINA) in the Raigad district.
The Fourth Mumbai is coming up along the upcoming Vadhavan Port and another international airport in the Palghar district.
"We had a very insightful discussion across varied sectors like finance & markets, energy & climate transition, aviation & connectivity, digital & telecom, infrastructure & urban development, consumer & lifestyle, education & healthcare. The response from the leaders was very encouraging. I absolutely look forward to welcoming the global giants to Maharashtra and ensure full support,” the Chief Minister said.
The CEOs, during the meeting with Fadnavis, were led by UK Secretary of State for Business and Trade Peter Kyle and Secretary of State for Scotland Douglas Alexander.
The rare and remarkable gathering included the global leaders like Sean Doyle, Chairman and Chief Executive, British Airways, Shai Wess, CEO, Virgin Atlantic, Bill Winters, Group Chief Executive at Standard Chartered, Jerome Frost, CEO, Arup Group, Murray Auchincloss Chief Executive Officer, BP, Allison Kirkby, Chief Executive, BT Group, Nik Jhangiani, Chief Executive Officer, Diageo, David Schwimmer - Chief Executive Officer, LSEG, Rick Haythornthwaite, Chairman, NatWest.