State signs MoU with Toyota Kirloskar for plant at Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar

MUMBAI: The Maharashtra government on Wednesday signed an MoU with the Toyota Kirloskar Motor company to set up a Rs 20,000 manufacturing plant at AURIC City in Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar. The factory will manufacture electric and hybrid cars and is expected to roll out 4 lakh cars per year. ToI had reported this on July 31st.

Around 16,000 jobs are expected to be generated by the project, including 8,000 direct jobs and 8,000 indirect jobs. Around 850 acres of land has been given for the project, an official statement said.

The MoU was signed just a day after the cabinet sub-committee on industry cleared projects worth Rs 81,137 crores. The state assembly polls are due in October and the Mahayuti government has been under attack from the Opposition for the flight of big-ticket projects like the Vedanta Foxconn and Tata Airbus, from the state.

Chief minister Eknath Shinde said the project will revolutionize India's e-car manufacturing industry. He also said the state is also promoting electric vehicles on a large scale and has also increased the use of vehicles in the public transport system. He also said that 80% of the $60 million agreements signed in Davos in the last two years have been implemented .

Deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis described the MoU as a historic agreement. “Maharashtra has always been a prominent player in the automobile sector and welcoming Toyota marks a new era in the automotive industry. The Toyota project is poised to revolutionise India’s electric car manufacturing industry,” he said.

“This investment will not only create employment but also achieve economic progress in Marathwada,” he added. This agreement will be important to achieve the goal of economic growth. The state has a port like JNPT and it is going to be a three times bigger port. It will be the largest port in the country. Also, a dry port will be established in Jalna. Fadnavis also said that investment in Marathwada means all export facilities will be made available as it is good for exports.