PUNE, 8 NOV. A survey will soon be conducted to prepare the 'Pune Growth Hub' draft economic master plan for the Pune economic region. The survey sample will be developed by collecting information on existing resources from all relevant stakeholders and citizens. A review meeting on the 'Pune Metropolitan Growth Hub' was chaired by Divisional Commissioner Dr. Chandrakant Pulkundwar at the Vidhan Bhavan, where the decision to conduct the survey was finalized. Officials present at the meeting included Pune Municipal Commissioner Naval Kishore Ram, PMRDA Metropolitan Commissioner Dr. Yogesh Mhase (via video conference), Additional Commissioner Deepak Singla, PMPML Chairman and Managing Director Pankaj Deore, Zilla Parishad CEO Gajanan Patil, Maha Metro Director Atul Gadgil, and ISEG Director Shirish Sankhe. Dr. Pulkundwar instructed that the survey process be completed immediately. He stated that the NITI Aayog included Pune in the 'Growth Hub' initiative to secure an important place for the Pune economic region in the global economy, and the draft comprehensive economic development master plan needs to be submitted to the commission as soon as possible. The comprehensive plan will be prepared based on compiled information regarding Pune and the surrounding area's current economic capabilities, available facilities, local strengths, future challenges, and areas requiring improvement. Dr. Pulkundwar stressed that the survey design should ensure that all stakeholders feel the survey aims to bring about positive changes in the lives of citizens in the future, and maximum emphasis should be placed on the accuracy and quality of the collected information. PMC Commissioner Naval Kishore Ram highlighted that the plan must consider facilities for the expansion of the large number of industries in the city and surrounding areas, and should aim to raise the city's economic growth from the current five to six percent to ten percent. He added that industries must be given important consideration in the survey, and thought must be given to how to bring the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme to Pune. NITI Aayog has previously prepared 'Growth Hub' economic development master plans for four cities—Mumbai, Surat, Varanasi, and Visakhapatnam—in the first phase, with implementation already underway in Mumbai and Surat.

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