Nashik To See Unstoppable Development, ₹33,000 Cr Projects Launched For Kumbh Mela: Fadnavis

Nashik, which has religious and spiritual importance and will host the mega Simhastha Kumbh Mela, will become a growth engine of development in the coming years, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has said.

The government has launched ₹33,000-crore projects for the Kumbh Mela, whose main events will be held from October 31 this year to July 24, 2028, the CM said on Wednesday.

"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," he asserted.

Fadnavis was speaking at the closing ceremony of the 'Kumbh Udyog Sangam and Nashik Investment Summit 2026' organised in the north Maharashtra city.

The programme was attended by state ministers, including Girish Mahajan (water resources), Uday Samant (industries), Dada Bhuse (education), Narhari Zirwal (food and drug administration) and Sanjay Savkare (textiles), Dhule MP Shobha Bachhav and senior bureaucrats.

On the occasion, Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) of ₹13,190 crore were signed with more than 300 industrialists, envisaging the creation of nearly 32,000 jobs, said officials.

Stating that Nashik is a city with great development opportunities, Fadnavis said the Kumbh Udyog Sangam is 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 ₹31,945 crore has been invested in the Nashik district. This will provide employment to 66,000 people.

The state government has undertaken projects of ₹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 ₹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.

"So far, 77% of the MoUs signed have been implemented. These include investments in electronics, agricultural services, automobiles, textiles and service sectors," Fadnavis said.

Many industrial groups have shown interest in investing in Nashik, and for this, they need to get the necessary land. Companies like Mahindra & Mahindra are investing in Nashik, the CM told the gathering.

He further noted that many industrial groups are interested in expanding their ventures in the district, located around 200 km from Mumbai.

In the last two years, ₹57,000 crore investment has come to Nashik. The state government signed pacts envisaging ₹12,000 crore investment in the district during the World Economic Forum held in Davos, Switzerland, the chief minister informed.

"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, he said, adding the government is adopting a balanced approach towards development.

Maharashtra wants to become a trillion-dollar economy, the CM stressed.

"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," he 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.

The 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 revolutionised the agricultural sector," Fadnavis added.

Mahajan said the work of linking Kumbh Mela with entrepreneurship has been done through this investment conference, adding the spiritual festival belongs to every Nashik resident.

"Nashik's connectivity with other parts of the state is increasing. The airport is also being expanded, and the railway facilities are being expanded. Efforts are being made to take Nashik forward in the industrial sector," the Kumbh Mela minister said.

Samant said the problems of entrepreneurs are being solved through the Maitri cell.