At a meeting with the Chief Minister of Maharashtra Devendra Fadnavis, and rising young MLA Rohit Suman RR Patil, in Mumbai, on June 29, 2026, two major initiatives were agreed upon- one for developing Tasgaon township, and the second for holding a Business Summit in New York.
At the International Collaboration Meet, Padma Shri recipient Dr. Sudhir Parikh, chairman of Parikh Worldwide Media, and through a video presentation, New Jersey Congressman Frank Pallone, a long-standing Friend of India and leader in the formation of the Indian American Caucus in Congress, expressed their strong support for the “Tasgaon Shines” project, which was formally launched that day, promising to take it international.
The project envisioned by MLA Patil aims at industrial transformation of a long-overlooked region of western Maharashtra, located in Sangli district, to make it an internationally connected, environmentally sustainable and self-sustaining ecosystem. It was wholeheartedly supported by CM Fadnavis as well as the delegates present in the Cabinet Hall, Vidhan Bhavan, Mumbai.
Addressing the gathering, the Chief Minister described “Tasgaon Shines” as a fitting realization of the lifelong dream of the late R.R. (Aabasaheb) Patil, former Deputy Chief Minister and Home Minister of Maharashtra, and the father of Rohit Patil, and husband of Sumitra Patil who was also present.
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International guests included Yogendra Puranik, the first person of Indian origin to be elected to public office in Japan.
Both Dr. Parikh, and Puranik addressed the gathering and spoke to the global partnerships that Tasgaon can build.
In a notable outcome, Dr Parikh, working with Congressman Frank Pallone, informed the gathering about plans to hold a Business Summit in the United States in August, which would present an opportunity for Patil to carry Tasgaon’s story to American industry and to the Indian-American community.
Dr. Parikh extended an invitation to CM Fadnavis for the Summit and received a positive response.
In his address to the gathering, Dr. Parikh noted his longstanding commitment to strengthening US-India relations.
“This is a critical moment in the history of India, the third largest economy in the world. I am here to help transform the rising interest of American corporations to invest in India,” he said. “Today, American investors and corporations are actively rethinking their supply chains, their manufacturing bases, and their long-term bets – and shifting their eyes toward India.”
He urged Maharashtra to “seize the moment” and spoke of the potential for investment not just in his area of interest – healthcare – but also in manufacturing, technology, infrastructure, clean energy, to name a few.
He praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for making India’s business climate “predictable,” a vital necessity for interested investors.
“Between Congressman Frank Pallone — a long-standing friend of India and a powerful voice in Washington — my colleagues at the Indo-American Chamber of Commerce, and my personal business network, I plan to influence American investors with real capital, real interest, and real readiness to explore opportunities in Tasgaon and across Maharashtra,” Dr. Parikh said.
“For a taluka that only recently struggled to keep its own young people at home, an invitation to present itself on a stage in the United States is a measure of how far the ambition now reaches,” a press release from MLA Patil’s office noted.
The International Collaboration Meet was attended by a distinguished gathering. Present from the State were the Chief Minister Fadnavis, as well as Lokesh Chandra, IAS, Additional Chief Secretary to the Chief Minister; and Dr P. Anbalagan, IAS, Principal Secretary (Industries), who extended the Industries Department’s support to the initiative.
Suman Patil, the mother of Rohit Patil also attended the meeting and her presence added a personal and familial significance to the “Tasgaon Shines” project.
Industry was represented by Nirav Mehta of Morgan Stanley; shwar Kumbhar of Brandworks Technologies; as well as Sushant Arora and Himanshu Sanadhya of Alchemy Cleantech, among others.
In a significant expression of confidence, two companies submitted Expressions of Interest for investment of the order of Rs. 1,100 crore in the Tasgaon project.
The event was coordinated by a team including advocate Ranjeetsinh Pawar of SRB-OJAS Advocates, advisor to the MLA office; Namita Repe of Primus Partners; and Karan Khetarpal of Wavelength Partners.