Now Reading: 36,211 firms shut in Maharashtra, Congress and CM Fadnavis clash over data
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36,211 firms shut in Maharashtra, Congress and CM Fadnavis clash over data
36,211 firms shut in Maharashtra, Congress and CM Fadnavis clash over data
Maharashtra Congress chief Harshwardhan Sapkal said 36,211 private companies have closed in the state over the past five years, citing a Lok Sabha reply by Union minister Harsh Malhotra. Sapkal accused Chief…
The Story in Brief
Maharashtra Congress chief Harshwardhan Sapkal said 36,211 private companies have closed in the state over the past five years, citing a Lok Sabha reply by Union minister Harsh Malhotra. Sapkal accused Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis of denying the reality and claimed that closures were concentrated in the Mumbai-Pune-Nashik belt, blaming corruption and proximity to power for forcing industries to shut or relocate.
Fadnavis countered that 76% of closed companies were 'defunct', never operational, and that Maharashtra still leads the nation with 3.96 lakh active firms, data as of June 2025. He posted figures showing 41,525 new companies registered in the state in 2025-26, more than double Delhi's count. He acknowledged issues in the Chakan industrial belt and said a plan had been finalised to address them.
The Indian Opinion
Both sides are cherry-picking data for political gain. Congress highlights the gross closure number without distinguishing defunct firms from genuine shutdowns. Fadnavis boasts of gross registrations while glossing over the 20 companies actually moving out of Chakan, affecting 2,000 workers. The real test is net employment growth and whether new jobs match the promises. The state government's short- and long-term plan for Chakan will be the first concrete measure to watch.
Sources (2): timesofindia.indiatimes.com, timesofindia.indiatimes.com (2)
This story was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above.
Updated: this story now draws on 2 sources.
