Maharashtra plans dedicated zones to encourage start-up ecosystem
State government will soon unveil a policy to establish MIDC-like zones for start-ups that will have co-working spaces, residential apartments, and data centres etc; first zone to come near Mumbai
- Feb 22, 2023,
- Updated Feb 22, 2023 10:39 AM IST
The Maharashtra government is actively working on a holistic policy to encourage more start-ups in the state by offering them dedicated zones with all the required infrastructure under one roof.
The state – which has the highest number of registered start-ups in the country among all states but still lags behind Karnataka in terms of the number of unicorns – will soon unveil a policy document that will help establish such zones that will offer start-ups, among other things, co-working space, residential apartments, high speed connectivity, and data centres.
According to a senior government official, these zones will be spread across the state with the first one being planned to be launched in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), which includes Mumbai and its surrounding satellite towns like Navi Mumbai, Kalyan-Dombivali, Mira-Bhayander, and Bhiwandi among other places.
“For the start-ups, it is under active consideration right now and in a short duration of time, new policy documents will come up where the state government is looking to set up a data centre or co-working space and residential space for the start-ups,” says Anand Madia, Officer on Special Duty (OSD) to Maharashtra Chief Minister.
“You will be able to see the plan pretty soon… there will be one hot spot in the MMR region and eventually we will create hubs… we have six critical zones in Maharashtra, and every zone will have one starting with MMR and then it will be spread across the zones,” added Madia who has earlier worked with the governments of Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh on projects related to e-governance and technology.
Incidentally, the policy will be designed on the lines of Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC), which has dedicated zones spread across the states to provide businesses with facilities like land, roads, and other utility services with a dedicated focus to encourage industries.
“Yes, something along those lines (MIDC). The chief minister and the deputy chief minister are very clear that ‘whatever we have to do, it has to have an end result, we don’t want to do anything just for the sake of doing it’,” says Madia, who hails from the prime minister’s home state of Gujarat.
The first zone is likely to be built entirely by the government and based on the experience and feedback the subsequent zones could be built on a PPP – public private partnership -- basis.
“We will create a platform to enable a start-up to skill itself, grow itself and to fund itself. We are just the enablers. I cannot expect a fund or an angel investor to go to different parts (of the state),” says Madia while highlighting the fact that focusing on start-ups will help create significant self-employment, which is a huge priority focus area for the state government.
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The Maharashtra government is actively working on a holistic policy to encourage more start-ups in the state by offering them dedicated zones with all the required infrastructure under one roof.
The state – which has the highest number of registered start-ups in the country among all states but still lags behind Karnataka in terms of the number of unicorns – will soon unveil a policy document that will help establish such zones that will offer start-ups, among other things, co-working space, residential apartments, high speed connectivity, and data centres.
According to a senior government official, these zones will be spread across the state with the first one being planned to be launched in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), which includes Mumbai and its surrounding satellite towns like Navi Mumbai, Kalyan-Dombivali, Mira-Bhayander, and Bhiwandi among other places.
“For the start-ups, it is under active consideration right now and in a short duration of time, new policy documents will come up where the state government is looking to set up a data centre or co-working space and residential space for the start-ups,” says Anand Madia, Officer on Special Duty (OSD) to Maharashtra Chief Minister.
“You will be able to see the plan pretty soon… there will be one hot spot in the MMR region and eventually we will create hubs… we have six critical zones in Maharashtra, and every zone will have one starting with MMR and then it will be spread across the zones,” added Madia who has earlier worked with the governments of Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh on projects related to e-governance and technology.
Incidentally, the policy will be designed on the lines of Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC), which has dedicated zones spread across the states to provide businesses with facilities like land, roads, and other utility services with a dedicated focus to encourage industries.
“Yes, something along those lines (MIDC). The chief minister and the deputy chief minister are very clear that ‘whatever we have to do, it has to have an end result, we don’t want to do anything just for the sake of doing it’,” says Madia, who hails from the prime minister’s home state of Gujarat.
The first zone is likely to be built entirely by the government and based on the experience and feedback the subsequent zones could be built on a PPP – public private partnership -- basis.
“We will create a platform to enable a start-up to skill itself, grow itself and to fund itself. We are just the enablers. I cannot expect a fund or an angel investor to go to different parts (of the state),” says Madia while highlighting the fact that focusing on start-ups will help create significant self-employment, which is a huge priority focus area for the state government.
Also read: Hindenburg effect: Gautam Adani's net worth slips to around $46 bn on massive slide in m-cap, stocks
Also read: Want to start SIP in shares? HDFC Securities picks 15 stocks for you