Eknath Shinde, Chief Minister of Maharashtra, was in Davos this week with a message to business and industry that the Indian state has incentives and programmes to support the success of investment plans as well as improved infrastructure.
Mr Shinde said there were high expectations for his new government, and the state was focusing on drawing interest to sectors such as education, agriculture, health and clean energy.
“We have huge potential. We have good infrastructure, skilled manpower, land … and we will give capital subsidies … power tariff subsidies and will give interest rate subsidies,” he said during an interview at the Maharashtra pavilion on the main promenade in the Swiss resort town.
The state is part of a very visible Indian presence at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting this year, following on from a similar effort last May.
India’s leadership of the G20 will also bring a number of global level meetings and events this year to the state, which will boost its profile beyond what most know about its capital, Mumbai.
Maharashtra is the equivalent of the world’s 12th largest country by population and the 36th largest economy. It is the biggest contributor to the gross domestic product of a country which is the world’s fifth largest economy.
A political crisis in the state ended last summer, after Mr Shinde was sworn in as Chief Minister. He is allied with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s BJP party.
Mr Shinde was set to return home almost immediately for a critical and scheduled visit to the state by Mr Modi.
The minister and his new administration want to seize on the momentum they have built up to secure greater investment and economic opportunity.
While in Davos, he signed a number of preliminary agreements with companies and countries, worth a total of $17 billion.
“The people’s expectations of our government are very high,” said Mr Shinde, following more than two years “when the momentum was lost”.
“We have huge potential, we have good infrastructure, skilled manpower, land … and we will give capital subsidies … power tariff subsidies and will give interest rate subsidies
Eknath Shinde,
Maharashtra chief minister
India’s economy grew by 8.7 per cent in the last fiscal year and is forecast to become the world’s second largest by 2075.
“Our vision for Maharashtra [includes] conservation, connectivity and clean cities [and] the slums redevelopment project in Mumbai,” he said.
It is also one of the leading states for installed renewable energy capacity.
However, increasing incidences of extreme weather events are a risk to Maharashtra’s outlook.
“We have two extremes of climate change. One drought and one floods [which we face] at the same time,” said Mr Shinde.
They are a significant economic cost.
Much of the efforts to deal with these disasters are centred on providing relief to those affected, he said.
Stuck in a job without a pay rise? Here's what to do
Chris Greaves, the managing director of Hays Gulf Region, says those without a pay rise for an extended period must start asking questions – both of themselves and their employer.
“First, are they happy with that or do they want more?” he says. “Job-seeking is a time-consuming, frustrating and long-winded affair so are they prepared to put themselves through that rigmarole? Before they consider that, they must ask their employer what is happening.”
Most employees bring up pay rise queries at their annual performance appraisal and find out what the company has in store for them from a career perspective.
Those with no formal appraisal system, Mr Greaves says, should ask HR or their line manager for an assessment.
“You want to find out how they value your contribution and where your job could go,” he says. “You’ve got to be brave enough to ask some questions and if you don’t like the answers then you have to develop a strategy or change jobs if you are prepared to go through the job-seeking process.”
For those that do reach the salary negotiation with their current employer, Mr Greaves says there is no point in asking for less than 5 per cent.
“However, this can only really have any chance of success if you can identify where you add value to the business (preferably you can put a monetary value on it), or you can point to a sustained contribution above the call of duty or to other achievements you think your employer will value.”
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The years Ramadan fell in May
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
How much sugar is in chocolate Easter eggs?
- The 169g Crunchie egg has 15.9g of sugar per 25g serving, working out at around 107g of sugar per egg
- The 190g Maltesers Teasers egg contains 58g of sugar per 100g for the egg and 19.6g of sugar in each of the two Teasers bars that come with it
- The 188g Smarties egg has 113g of sugar per egg and 22.8g in the tube of Smarties it contains
- The Milky Bar white chocolate Egg Hunt Pack contains eight eggs at 7.7g of sugar per egg
- The Cadbury Creme Egg contains 26g of sugar per 40g egg
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
MATCH INFO
Day 2 at Mount Maunganui
England 353
Stokes 91, Denly 74, Southee 4-88
New Zealand 144-4
Williamson 51, S Curran 2-28
Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
MO
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECreators%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EMohammed%20Amer%2C%20Ramy%20Youssef%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EMohammed%20Amer%2C%20Teresa%20Ruiz%2C%20Omar%20Elba%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
BABYLON
%3Cp%3EDirector%3A%20Damien%20Chazelle%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EStars%3A%20Brad%20Pitt%2C%20Margot%20Robbie%2C%20Jean%20Smart%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ERating%3A%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
