The one leader besides Prime Minister Narendra Modi who left a mark on the delgates at the Make in India Week’s first two days was Devendra Fadnavis. The Maharashtra chief minister seems to be the chosen one when it comes to Modi’s his pet project to boost manufacturing. Fadnavis was the PM’s pick for the top office in the state — whose capital became the chosen city to host the mega event. Fadnavis also has the distinction of travelling abroad with the PM for investment summits. Little wonder then that Maharashtra raced ahead of competition on day one itself, inking agreements (MoUs) worth Rs 62,000 crore with both Indian and international players, even as other CMs arrived in Mumbai to lure investors.

Fadnavis says these MoUs will be a game-changer in the state’s efforts to remove regional imbalance in economic development. Be it commerce, trade or industry, Maharashtra has been in the forefront for over a century and Mumbai has maintained its status as the country’s financial capital. But if we remove Mumbai, Pune and Nashik, what remains is the stark reality of underprivileged people denied the same opportunities in sectors like industry, manufacturing, agro-processing and service sectors.