Develop Latur as hub for medical industry: Dhiraj Deshmukh

Explaining the proposal, Deshmukh said manufacturing medical equipment is not a water intensive industry. “Latur is a known education hub and would be able to provide the required talent necessary to work in the sector,” he told The Indian Express. “Latur is a drought-prone area and so, industry which requires less water will be able to flourish there,” he added.

Deshmukh has discussed the proposal idea with state Industry Minister Subhash Desai and Minister for Medical Education Amit Deshmukh, and has also proposed a special policy to increase investment in the sector. “Like the IT policy, a special policy will be drafted, which would see the state government actively engaging with industry to understand their needs. We hope things will work out soon,” he said.

The state government has signed many MoUs with various national and international firms during the Magnetic Maharashtra event. Most MoUs were signed for setting up facilities in Pune, Mumbai and Aurangabad.

After Aurangabad, Latur is perhaps the only district in Marathwada which has reported 100 per cent occupancy of its MIDC area, Deshmukh said.

With the world increasingly going digital, Latur can also house the call centres necessary for running telemedicine helplines, Deshmukh said.

Like other parts of Maharashtra, Latur has seen reverse migration with many workers returning home from Pune and Mumbai.