Maharashtra govt restructures state Industry Sector
Mumbai, July 27
In a major administrative reform aimed at realising the vision of a "Viksit Maharashtra 2047" and boosting global competitiveness, the Government of Maharashtra has officially restructured the Directorate of Industries into three distinct, specialised commissionerates.
The decision, approved by the State Cabinet, comes into immediate effect as per the Government Resolution (GR) issued on Monday by the Principal Secretary (Industries Department), P Anbalagan.
Under the new policy framework, the Directorate of Industries is bifurcated into: the Commissionerate of Industries, which retains overall administrative control and oversees large, mega, and ultra-mega industrial projects; the Commissionerate of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME), dedicated to strengthening scheme implementation and administration for MSMEs. The Commissioner for MSME will also serve as the ex-officio Managing Director of the Maharashtra Small Scale Industries Development Corporation (MSSIDC); and the Commissionerate of Services will function as a strategic nodal body guiding service-sector industries and emerging technologies.
Additionally, specialised cells including the MAITRI Cell and Invest Maharashtra will operate under the administrative control of the Commissioner of Industries. The headquarters for the newly formed MSME Commissionerate, Services Commissionerate, and Invest Maharashtra will be located in Mumbai.
The industries department has sought 30,000 sq ft of space in the Air India building, which the state government recently acquired.
The Sub-Divisional Office at Nanded has been closed, and its jurisdiction transferred to the Regional Office at Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar.
A revised staffing framework approving 1,373 total positions (1,084 regular posts and 289 outsourced posts) across all offices has been sanctioned.
The restructuring and creation of new posts entail an estimated additional annual financial burden of Rs 35.96 crore. Senior Indian Administrative Service (IAS) cadre positions have been created for the posts of Service Commissioner and Executive Director (Invest Maharashtra).
A dedicated cell consisting of one Chief Technical Officer and nine Technical Assistants (via outsourcing) has been constituted under the Commissioner of Industries, said the Government Resolution.
The state government's move comes with an ambitious target of Maharashtra becoming a one-trillion-dollar economy by 2029-30 and a five-trillion-dollar economy by 2047 while pursuing the Vision Maharashtra 2047 mission.
— IANS
Reader Comments
As a small business owner in Pune, I hope this MSME Commissionerate actually delivers. We've been struggling with delayed subsidies and red tape for years. Let's see if this reforms the ground reality or just creates more babus. 🤔
The 35.96 crore additional burden is a concern, but if it helps us reach the $1 trillion target, it's worth it. However, I hope the government also focuses on skilling our youth to match the needs of these new commissionerates. Vision without execution is just hallucination.
Finally, the service sector is getting its own dedicated body! With Mumbai being a hub for fintech and IT, this could create thousands of jobs. But why only Mumbai for headquarters? Why not Nagpur or Aurangabad to boost regional development? 🙏
Good step, but typical Maharashtra government - creating new posts and offices without fixing the existing ones! The Nanded office closure shows they're just shuffling deck chairs. Hope the MAITRI cell isn't another paper tiger. 🙄
This is great news for startups in Maharashtra! The services commissioner can help emerging tech like AI and biotech. But I hope the MSME commissioner doesn't forget about tiny businesses in rural areas. We need inclusive growth, not just Mumbai-centric development. 💪
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