Mumbai, May 22: Chief Minister Devendra fadanvis said Maharashtra is rapidly emerging as a global leader in research, innovation, infrastructure, and economic development with the support of artificial intelligence and advanced technologies. Maharashtra has created a strong ecosystem for startups, technology-driven businesses, and data centre industries.
Fadnavis said Maharashtra is currently India’s startup and unicorn capital and is the closest among all Indian states to achieving the goal of becoming a one trillion-dollar economy. He noted that the state economy has grown from nearly ₹14 lakh crore in 2015 to around ₹54 lakh crore today, registering more than threefold growth in the last decade.
According to him, Maharashtra’s economy is presently valued at nearly 660 billion US dollars and has maintained an average growth rate of 10 percent. He expressed confidence that despite temporary challenges such as the El Niño impact during 2025–26, the state will achieve the one trillion-dollar economy target by 2030.
The Chief Minister said Maharashtra has already become the world’s 30th largest economy and is not competing with other Indian states but with global economies. He added that within the next two to three years, Maharashtra is expected to surpass the economies of Singapore and the united arab emirates.
Highlighting the role of technology, Fadnavis said artificial intelligence and digital systems are acting as force multipliers in governance and economic planning. Maharashtra is extensively using geographic information systems, data tracking, and data pooling to improve administration and policy implementation.
He said the state government has formed an Economic Advisory Council to prepare sector-wise development plans and launched the “Developed Maharashtra 2047” vision with short-term goals up to 2030, medium-term targets up to 2035, and long-term planning up to 2047.
To strengthen governance reforms, around 2,000 data points have been identified and assigned to departments for performance monitoring. A dedicated Vision Management Unit has also been established to oversee implementation, with departmental performance reportedly ranging between 75 and 95 percent.
Fadnavis said Maharashtra has achieved a significantly higher conversion rate of investment agreements into actual projects compared to the national average. While India’s average conversion rate for Memorandums of Understanding is around 35 percent, Maharashtra has achieved 55 to 60 percent and agreements signed during the world economic forum annual meeting have recorded an 85 percent conversion rate. Each agreement is monitored through a dedicated relationship manager and a centralized war-room system.
Speaking on artificial intelligence initiatives, the Chief Minister said Maharashtra has established a separate AI department and commissionerate. AI-based systems are already being used in administration and the criminal justice system, where processes from crime scene investigation to filing charge sheets have been digitized and integrated through blockchain technology.
For farmers, the state government has developed the “Mahavistar” application, which has been downloaded by nearly five million farmers. The app acts as a one-stop solution for agricultural services and uses AI-powered agents to answer farmers’ queries. Fadnavis added that the app also supports the Bhili tribal language, enabling tribal communities to interact with the platform in their native language.
The Chief Minister said India’s young population makes AI adoption easier, noting that over 65 percent of the country’s population is below the age of 35. He emphasized that embracing artificial intelligence openly is essential for maintaining competitiveness in business, industry, and the global economy.
