Pune: State govt has approved the transfer of 1,000 acres in Indapur’s Ratnapuri estate to the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) for the establishment of a new industrial estate to boost local entrepreneurship and strengthen the rural economy.“The decision will boost industrial investment in Indapur and Baramati, create employment opportunities, encourage local entrepreneurship and strengthen the rural economy,” govt said in a statement.The decision was finalised at a cabinet meeting held after deputy CM Sunetra Ajit Pawar assumed office. “The land allocation is not merely an administrative decision but a step towards fulfilling the vision of late Ajitdada, who shared a deep bond with Indapur and its people. It was his dream that the youth should get employment opportunities and that the region should witness development through industrial growth,” she said in a statement.The proposed estate is located near the Walchandnagar industrial zone, home to Walchandnagar Industries specialising in precision manufacturing across aerospace, defence and sugar plant machinery. It is also roughly 30km from the Baramati industrial area, which hosts industries ranging from automotive manufacturing to food processing.The land handed over was earlier under the Maharashtra State Agriculture Corporation. Initially, MIDC had sought state approval to acquire 135 hectares (333 acres) across three villages in Ratnapuri. Of this, it received 131 hectares in July, while the remaining 65 hectares is still pending. Subsequently, MIDC requested an additional 600 hectares to expand the planned industrial zone.In her first cabinet meeting as deputy CM, Sunetra Pawar also secured approval for a sports complex to be set up at Katfal village in Baramati. The cabinet cleared an estimated outlay of Rs 75.13 crore for the project, which will be developed on around 70,000sqm of land. 
