Maharashtra CM, Uddhav Thackeray said that the state is planning to set up a large incubation centre for startups near Mumbai soon to give a boost to new-age enterprises. Speaking at the annual NTLF event of IT industry lobby Nasscom, Thackeray also expressed his vision to turn Mumbai into one of the fintech hubs in Asia.

Since the launch of the Nasscom 10,000 startups programme, the last three years have witnessed over 50 new companies being benefitted and over 1,300 jobs having been created. Encouraged by this success, the state government is planning to set up a large incubation centre near Mumbai with Nasscom in the near future, said Thackeray without elaborating on the plan.

After the success with the 2015 IT Policy, Thackeray said the state is now creating an IT/ITes (IT enabled services) promotion policy for 2021 which will have a focus on creating the right ecosystem for technology companies, incentives for innovation and research and development, and a close working relationship with the state.

Maharashtra already uses tech inputs for governance and extending services to the public, including blockchain, internet of things and artificial intelligence-based solutions, Thackeray said.

He also added that the state is on its way to becoming a $1 trillion GSDP state by 2025.
Currently, Maharashtra’s GSDP is close to $500 billion or 16 per cent of the national GDP, he said, adding that a third of the foreign direct investment received by the country comes to the state.

Thackeray mentioned while the pandemic period was a testing time for all and the tech industry helped in ensuring that people stay connected through audio and visual modes and said COVID-19 helped hasten the pace of technology adoption.