Survey Template for Pune Growth Hub to Be Finalized Soon, Says Officials
Reported by Mubarak Ansari
Pune, 6th November 2025: Divisional Commissioner Dr. Chandrakant Pulkundwar has directed officials to begin a comprehensive survey at the earliest to prepare a draft economic plan for the ‘Pune Growth Hub’ under the Pune Economic Zone. He emphasized that inputs from all relevant stakeholders, institutions, and citizens should be gathered to create a robust survey sample and an inclusive development roadmap.
Dr. Pulkundwar was speaking during a review meeting held at Vidhan Bhavan regarding the Pune Metropolitan Growth Hub project. Among those present were Pune Municipal Commissioner Naval Kishore Ram, Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA) Commissioner Dr. Yogesh Mhase (via video conferencing), Additional Commissioner Deepak Singla, PMPML Chairman and Managing Director Pankaj Deore, Zilla Parishad CEO Gajanan Patil, MahaMetro Director Atul Gadgil, and ISEG Director Shirish Sankhe.
Highlighting the strategic significance of the initiative, Dr. Pulkundwar said that NITI Aayog has included the Pune Metropolitan Region in its national ‘Growth Hub’ programme aimed at enhancing India’s global economic footprint. “A draft comprehensive economic development plan must be submitted to NITI Aayog at the earliest. For this, it is essential to collect detailed information about Pune’s existing economic potential, available infrastructure, regional strengths, and future challenges,” he said.
He further stated that while designing the survey, officials should ensure that citizens and stakeholders perceive it as a people-centric initiative aimed at improving livelihoods. He stressed the importance of accuracy and quality in the data collection process to ensure realistic and actionable results.
During the meeting, Municipal Commissioner Naval Kishore Ram said Pune is one of India’s fastest-growing urban centers, attracting numerous industries. “We must consider whether existing industries have adequate facilities for expansion. Pune’s economic growth rate needs to rise from the current 5–6 percent to 10 percent. Industries should be given priority in the survey, and policies similar to the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme should be explored to boost industrial development,” Ram said.
Making a presentation at the meeting, ISEG Director Shirish Sankhe informed that NITI Aayog has already prepared ‘Growth Hub’ economic development frameworks for four cities—Mumbai Metropolitan Region, Surat, Varanasi, and Visakhapatnam—with implementation already underway in Mumbai and Surat. “Consultations are in progress with stakeholders in Pune, and the survey template will be finalized soon for data collection across departments,” he added.
Officials from the Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporations, MahaMetro, Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC), Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC), Department of Skill, Employment, Entrepreneurship and Innovation, and Maharashtra Pollution Control Board were also present. Representatives from Pune International Centre and McKinsey & Company participated in the discussions.
