Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday declared that Nashik, which has religious and spiritual importance, will become a growth engine of development in the coming years and the government has launched Rs 33,000-crore projects for the Kumbh Mela.
He asserted that there will be unstoppable development in Nashik, which will host the mega Simhastha Kumbh Mela whose main events will run from Oct. 31, 2026, to July 24, 2028.
"In line with the Simhastha Kumbh Mela, Nashik district, which has religious and spiritual importance, will become a growth engine of development in the coming period. Nashik will not stop in terms of development. Industrial development here will get real strength through capacity and facilities and employment opportunities will be available through investment," the CM asserted.
He was speaking at the closing ceremony of the 'Kumbh Udyog Sangam and Nashik Investment Summit 2026' organized in the north Maharashtra city.
The programme was attended by a host of state ministers, including Girish Mahajan (water resources), Uday Samant (industries), Dada Bhuse (education), Narhari Zirwal (food and drug administration) and Sanjay Savkare (textiles) besides Dhule Lok Sabha MP Shobha Bachhav and senior bureaucrats.
On this occasion, Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) worth Rs 13,190 crore were signed with more than 300 industrialists, envisaging creation of roughly 32,000 jobs, said officials.
Stating that Nashik is a city with great development opportunities, Fadnavis said the Kumbh Udyog Sangam was a good initiative to attract investment.
"Through this investment conference, Nashik has come back into the mainstream of development. We have been holding district-focused investment conferences for the last three years. So far, a total of Rs 31,945 crore have been invested in Nashik district. This will provide employment to 66,000 people.
"As many as 77% of the MoUs signed so far have been implemented. These include investments in electronics, agricultural services , automobiles, textiles and service sectors," he said.
Many industrial groups have shown interest in investing in Nashik district and for this, they need to get the necessary land. Companies like Mahindra & Mahindra are investing in Nashik, the CM told the gathering.
Many industrial groups are interested in expanding their ventures in the district, located around 200km from Mumbai, he stated.
In the last two years, Rs 57,000 crore investment has come to Nashik. The state government signed pacts envisaging Rs 12,000 crore investment in the district during the World Economic Forum held in Davos, Switzerland, the Chief Minister said.
"New magnets of industry have been created in the state. Nashik, a new magnet, has been created in North Maharashtra. Therefore, the development of Nashik will not stop now. Ahilyanagar, Jalgaon, Dhule, Nandurbar are also becoming growth engines of industry," he said.
Apart from this, big industries are coming up in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar and Jalna in the Marathwada region of central Maharashtra, he said, adding the government is adopting a balanced approach towards development.
He further said Maharashtra wants to become a trillion dollar economy.
"Initially, the policy was to focus on development only in Mumbai, Pune and metropolitan regions. The state government took a stand that every district should be made the centre of development," the CM maintained.
Capabilities and facilities of every district should be utilised and hence the government is giving priority to small scale industries along with large ones, Fadnavis noted.
"We have created an industry-friendly policy to make it easier for entrepreneurs to invest and start businesses. Various permits have been brought under one roof. Facilities like Maitri have been created for this, which has increased the confidence of investors. More than three lakh applications have been processed through Maitri," he stated.
Maharashtra Industry, Trade, and Investment Facilitation Cell (Maitri) portal, launched in February 2025, consolidates all notified services from various departments in a single digital platform.
"Industries are starting up everywhere in the state. Maharashtra has now become the capital of start-ups. More than 30,000 start-ups have come up in the state. Start-ups have revolutionized the agricultural sector," said Fadnavis.
The state government has undertaken projects worth Rs 33,000 crore for the Kumbh Mela and this investment will act as a magnet for industry for the next 15-20 years, he noted.
Due to communication facilities, dry port, infrastructure facilities and ring road created due to this mega investment, an economy of Rs 3 lakh crore will be created in Nashik district in the next 10 years, the CM said.
"The Kumbh Mela will initiate changes in terms of development as there are investment opportunities. Apart from this, the focus is on the Godavari river purification and environmental protection," he emphasised.
Stating that the work of linking a spiritual festival like Kumbh Mela with entrepreneurship has been done through this investment conference, Kumbh Mela minister Girish Mahajan said the mega religious gathering belongs to every Nashik resident.
"Nashik's connectivity with other parts of the state is increasing. The airport is also being expanded and Railway facilities are being expanded. Efforts are being made to take Nashik forward in the industrial sector," Mahajan said. Industries Minister Samant said problems of entrepreneurs are being solved through the Maitri cell.
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