Ajit Pawar wanted to put Baramati on international map

Mumbai: Nestled in the Deccan Plateau, the hustling-bustling town of Baramati in Pune district, was once a drought-prone area. However, today it known for its agriculture, horticulture, cooperatives, dairies, industries, education and development - and of course, the Pawar-family.

Baramati is around 100 kms away from Pune and around 250 kms away from Mumbai.

While the development was initiated by Sharad Pawar, a four-time former Maharashtra Chief Minister and three-term Union Minister having handled defence and agriculture, it was his nephew Ajit Pawar who did the groundwork over the past four decades.

While the tehsil-town is known for what is often described as Baramati Model or Baramati Pattern, Ajit wanted it to be put on the international map.

In Baramati, Sharad is popularly known as Saheb and Ajit was Dada.

In fact, Ajit also wanted the Baramati Airport to be upgraded - taking in view of the future needs.

“We want people to come and see Baramati for themselves, not only from India but other countries,” Ajit had told this DH correspondent during his 2024 Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha election trails.

A view of Baramati. 

One of Ajit's close aides Sachin Satav, who is the President of Baramati Municipal Council.

“Despite his busy schedule in Mumbai and elsewhere in Maharashtra, he used to one day every week in Baramati, where he reviewed the work. He started at dawn and was on the field. Pawar Saheb sowed the seed... Ajit Dada worked like a ‘mali’ (gardener) and nurses Baramati,” said Satav, whose grandfather Dhondiba Satav was a President of Baramati Municipal Council, a post that was later occupied by his father Sadashiv Satav and mother Jayashree Satav.

“He will oversee each and every work, know even minute details, plans, proposals, expenditures, progress,” he told DH, adding that Ajit Pawar also wanted the Baramati Airport to be upgraded as he also wanted to put Baramati in the international map.

“Ajit Dada has big plans, we will take his associates along for inspections of works on the ground and give instructions. He was a stickler for time. If you are late, you have it. Sometimes he may be very strong in his words but he was very soft at heart,” a Pawar-family associate, who is considered close to NCP and NCP (SP), told DH.

The Baramati Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) is one of the leading industrial areas of the State.

A view of Baramati. 

“Baramati has companies like Piaggio, Fererro, Dynamix Dairy, Kalyani Steels, Bharat Forge, Godfrey Phillips, SMT Limited, Imsofer, Senvion, Schreiber Dynamix Dairies Ltd. The MIDC complex has an array of facilities. The main crops include sugarcane, grapes, jowar, cotton and wheat. The sugar factories here are among the best,” a senior Baramati-based journalist and political analyst said.

“The Bhigwan Bird Sanctuary, which is located near Baramati, is a paradise of bird lovers. Agriculture tourism, eco-tourism, wildlife tourism are being promoted,” says a person associated with Pawar-family companies.

Baramati MIDC has a Baramati Hi-Tech Textile Park Ltd., set up over a sprawling 60 acres of land which houses small domestic garment manufacturers, consisting of a comprehensive group of textile-oriented units specializing in functions such as garment-making, apparel printing.

“Baramati is transforming rural lives through sustainable agriculture, quality education, and community empowerment. From pioneering water conservation and modern farming practices to building one of India’s leading women’s education campuses, the Trust has become a model of integrated rural development. Embracing innovation, technology, and global collaboration, it works across sectors like agri-tech, healthcare, skill development, and entrepreneurship,” according to the Agricultural Development Trust, Baramati.

“Our story is one of resilience, innovation, and a shared vision for the prosperity of Baramati's industries,” according to Baramati Industrial Development Association (BIDA).