Pune Growth Hub: Niti Ayog’s B.V.R. Subrahmanyam Urges Swift Completion Of Metropolitan Region’s Economic Blueprint
Pune Growth Hub: Niti Ayog's B.V.R. Subrahmanyam Urges Swift Completion Of Metropolitan Region’s Economic Blueprint
Pune, October 30, 2025: The Pune Metropolitan Region holds immense potential for economic development, and the upcoming ‘Pune Metropolitan Region Growth Hub’ plan will play a crucial role in realizing that potential. Hence, the draft of the comprehensive economic blueprint should be prepared and presented at the earliest, directed NITI Aayog CEO B.V.R. Subrahmanyam.
He was speaking at a review meeting on the ‘Pune Metropolitan Growth Hub’ held at the state legislature. Present at the meeting were State Finance Commission Chairman Dr. Nitin Kareer, Divisional Commissioner Dr. Chandrakant Pulkundwar, PMC Commissioner Naval Kishore Ram, Agriculture Commissioner Suraj Mandhare, PMRDA Commissioner Dr. Yogesh Mhase, Additional Commissioner Deepak Singla, PMC Additional Commissioner Prithviraj B.P., Slum Rehabilitation Authority CEO Dr. Satish Khadke, District Collector Jitendra Dudi, Zilla Parishad CEO Gajanan Patil, KPIT CEO Ravi Pandit, and others. Shirish Sankhe, Director of ISEG and Partner at McKinsey & Company, joined virtually.
Subrahmanyam presented the key features of the economic blueprints prepared earlier for four major cities — Mumbai Metropolitan Region, Surat, Varanasi, and Visakhapatnam — under the first phase of the NITI Aayog initiative. He noted that Pune has always been a leader in the automotive, IT, and manufacturing sectors, offering significant opportunities for economic growth. “That’s precisely why Pune has been selected as a Growth Hub,” he said, emphasizing that proper planning could enhance economic output, increase GDP, and generate large-scale employment. He also instructed officials to gather detailed data on regional resources and inter-departmental sectors.
Dr. Kareer suggested various measures and added that the Mumbai and Pune Growth Hubs would significantly boost Maharashtra’s economic growth. Divisional Commissioner Dr. Pulkundwar stated that coordination with various departments is underway and that the economic plan will be finalized soon.
ISEG and McKinsey’s representative, Shirish Sankhe, gave a detailed presentation on the process of preparing the economic plan. The initiative aims to boost GDP and create large-scale employment across 8–10 metropolitan regions in India. Since Pune is part of the next phase, a comprehensive presentation of the city’s current economic profile was made during the meeting.
PMRDA Commissioner Dr. Mhase outlined the authority’s ongoing development initiatives — including the ring road project, infrastructure expansion, river pollution control, city planning, sewage management, and affordable housing — all of which contribute to regional economic growth. The Pune International Centre will record these developments to guide future planning.
The Pune Metropolitan Region’s economic development plan is expected to be finalized within the next four months. As part of this process, detailed information from various departments and economic sectors will be collected. Questionnaires will also be prepared to gather inputs and feedback from stakeholders, entrepreneurs, and citizens.
The Maharashtra government has designated the PMRDA as the implementing authority for the Growth Hub initiative. The Pune International Centre, in coordination with PMRDA, will collect inter-departmental data and prepare the final strategy.
The ‘Pune Growth Hub’ project was inaugurated on August 1, 2025, at Yashada, Pune, through a memorandum of understanding signed between NITI Aayog, the Maharashtra Planning Department, and the Pune International Centre.
Officials from all departments represented in the executive committee under the Divisional Commissioner’s chairmanship were present at the meeting.
