Fadnavis to roll out dedicated chemical industry policy in Maharashtra in November

Mumbai, Oct 22 : Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday announced that the state government will roll out a dedicated policy for the chemical industry in the first week of November 2026, following extensive consultations with industry leaders.

Addressing industry representatives at the ‘India Chem 2026’ event, inaugurated by Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare and Chemicals and Fertilisers JP Nadda, Fadnavis said the government was in the final stages of drafting the policy to address the specific needs and demands of the sector.

He said that while Maharashtra’s industrial policy formulated in 2025 had given considerable attention to the chemical industry, subsequent interactions with industry stakeholders highlighted the need for a separate, sector-specific framework.

“After discussing with chemical industry leaders, when we prepared our industrial policy in 2025, we specifically focused on the chemical industry and gave it attention in several ways. But later, when I personally interacted with the entire chemical industry here, it became clear that this sector needs a sector-specific policy,” Fadnavis said.

The Chief Minister said the final drafting process was underway, incorporating suggestions from prominent industry representatives, including participants at the event. The government has sought to bring together key requirements and industry demands into a comprehensive, forward-looking policy framework.

Expressing confidence that the proposed policy would attract substantial investment, Fadnavis described it as investor-friendly and said it would encourage investors to expand their presence in Maharashtra.

Highlighting initiatives to simplify regulatory procedures and facilitate investments, he said the government had launched the Maharashtra Industry, Trade and Investment Facilitation (MAITRI) portal as a single-window electronic clearance platform for industries.

He said the platform was designed to address departmental hurdles and streamline approvals. The state had also established a separate platform, ‘Invest Maharashtra’, to provide investors with a seamless experience and reduce the need to approach multiple departments for clearances.

Outlining the state’s broader economic ambitions, Fadnavis said Maharashtra aimed to make a significant contribution to India’s goal of becoming a trillion-dollar economy by 2030, while the chemical sector had the potential to achieve trillion-dollar status by 2040.

He noted that the chemical industry currently generates around three lakh jobs in Maharashtra and expressed confidence that appropriate policies could significantly expand employment and investment opportunities.

“I believe that with the right policies, we can double this and triple our investment,” he said, adding that ‘India Chem 2026’ would create fresh opportunities for investment and growth in the sector.

Fadnavis also highlighted the importance of competitive federalism in attracting investments, saying that states needed to engage in healthy competition while working towards the country’s overall economic development. He referred to the participation of state leaders, including the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, and said collective efforts could strengthen the investment environment.

Thanking Union Minister JP Nadda for his leadership of the chemicals sector, Fadnavis particularly referred to the challenges posed by disruptions in global supply chains.

“When the entire supply chain was disrupted, I believe we have a great opportunity to build a new supply chain,” he said, stressing the need to use the changing global environment to strengthen the sector’s capabilities and create new investment avenues.