Pune to Become National Growth Hub: Ajit Pawar's Vision

Pune to become a national growth hub focusing on tech, manufacturing, and education, aiming to create 15-18 lakh jobs by 2030, says Ajit Pawar.

PUNE: The Pune Metropolitan Region (PMR) will be developed as a national-level growth hub with a focus on technology, manufacturing, education, and green mobility, deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar announced on Thursday. Pawar was speaking at a meeting in Mantralaya held as per the NITI (National Institution for Transforming India) Aayog’s guidelines.

The Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA) will fund the initiative; while the Yashwantrao Chavan Academy of Development Administration (Yashada), which is the Maharashtra government’s training institute that trains officials and stakeholders and plays a key role in human resource development, will prepare the planning framework, Pawar said.

The Centre had proposed 14 growth hubs in the 2024 union budget, with the first phase including Mumbai, Surat, Vizag, and Varanasi. Now, preparations have begun to include Pune in this list, said Pawar. “Pune has strong potential due to its information technology (IT) sector, metro and ring road projects, industrial corridors, and world-class education and healthcare,” Pawar said. Yashada will prepare an economic development plan for the PMR, which will be implemented by local bodies such as the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA). The divisional commissioner will oversee the progress.

Pune currently has a gross income of ₹4.2 lakh crore. By 2030, the city is expected to create 15 to 18 lakh jobs, including six lakh jobs for women, Pawar said. A review meeting will soon be held at Yashada under the chairmanship of chief minister Devendra Fadnavis to coordinate efforts among agencies. Key development areas under the growth hub model include IT, artificial intelligence (AI), electric vehicles (EVs), clean tech, and semiconductors. Industrial clusters in Chakan, Talegaon, and Ranjangaon will be further strengthened.

With over 800 higher education institutions, Pune will be positioned as a ‘skilling-export’ city. Heritage and agrotourism, spiritual tourism, and adventure zones will also be developed. The city will focus on improving ease-of-doing business, skills’ certification, and attracting start-ups and foreign investment.