National News : Prime Minister Narendra Modi today laid the foundation stone of various projects worth more than Rs 11,200 crore in the state through video conferencing in Maharashtra. PM Modi inaugurated the Pune Metro section from District Court to Swargate and Solapur Airport. Apart from this, Bidkin Industrial Area was dedicated to the nation. Apart from this, he laid the foundation stone of the memorial of Krantijyoti Savitribai Phule's Balika Vidyalaya in Bhidewada. Prime Minister Modi said on this occasion, Maharashtra is witnessing a new chapter of development. The District Court to Swargate section route has just been inaugurated. Metro will now start running on this route as well. The foundation stone of Swargate-Katraj section has also been laid today. Today, the foundation stone of our revered Krantijyoti Savitribai Phule Memorial has also been laid.  

Modi highlighted the importance of development-driven governance in ensuring Maharashtra's progress. He said, devotees of Lord Vitthal have received a special gift today. The work of upgrading the airport to connect Solapur with direct air connectivity has been completed. The capacity of the terminal building here has been increased. New facilities have been created for passengers. This will greatly facilitate devotees of Vithoba at every level in the country and abroad. People will now be able to reach Solapur directly to have darshan of Lord Vitthal. Trade, business and tourism will also get a boost here.
 
The Prime Minister praised the work done for the expansion of Pune Metro since 2016, as decisions were taken quickly and obstacles were removed. He said that the current government has built a modern metro network in Pune, whereas the previous government could barely build a single metro pillar in 8 years. We need to take steps now so that the increasing population of Pune does not reduce the speed of the city, but increases its capacity. This will happen when Pune's public transport will be modern, this will happen when the city expands but the connectivity of one area to another remains excellent. Today, the Mahayuti government is working day and night with this thinking and approach. 

 What is Bidkin Industrial Area? 
Bidkin Industrial Area is a project spread over 7,855 acres. Which has been developed under the National Industrial Corridor Development Program (NICDP) as part of the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor. Located 20 km south of Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar in Maharashtra, this industrial center has immense potential to accelerate economic development in the Marathwada region. The central government has approved a project worth Rs 6,414 crore to be developed here in three phases.

Phase A, covering 2,511 acres, has been prioritised with an investment of Rs 2,427 crore. Maharashtra Industrial Township Limited (MITL), a special purpose vehicle formed with a 51:49 partnership between Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) and National Industrial Corridor Development and Implementation Trust (NICDIT), will operate the project.

 The Bidkin industrial area is now equipped with wide roads, quality water and power supply and advanced sewage and common effluent treatment plants. Bidkin has already seen interest from several big investors. Notable companies like Ather Energy (100 acres), Lubrizol (120 acres), Toyota-Kirloskar (MoU for 850 acres) and JSW Green Mobility (500 acres) have committed to invest in the region. These four projects will entail a combined investment of Rs 56,200 crore, generating employment for over 30,000 people. A total of 1,822 acres (38 plots) have been allotted in the industrial and mixed-use zones in just three years since construction.