The channel celebrated visionary leadership and sectoral excellence, honouring leaders across 31 categories
Mumbai, May 16, 2025: ET Now Swadesh, Times Network’s Hindi Business News Channel, held the first edition of ‘Gems of Maharashtra’, an event celebrating the state’s remarkable progress across diverse sectors, including real estate, EV manufacturing, new age technology, hospitality amongst other. The event provided a platform to recognize key contributors across 31 categories shaping Mumbai’s economic landscape while facilitating insightful discussions on the region’s growth potential.
Speaking at ET Now Swadesh’s ‘Gems of Maharashtra’ event, Chief Guest Shri Mangal Prabhat Lodha, Minister of Skills, Employment, Entrepreneurship, and Innovation, Government of Maharashtra, said, “India was once known as the ‘Sone Ki Chidiya’ — the Golden Bird — not because of external wealth, but because of the unstoppable spirit of our people. Today, with over a billion citizens, having just around one lakh people engaged in startups is not enough to reclaim that title. Every Indian must embrace entrepreneurship — it’s not optional, it’s essential. Maharashtra is standing at the edge of a transformation. In the next 15 days, we will unveil a revolutionary Innovation Policy. Alongside it, a 100-acre Innovation City is being developed — with 14 buildings, each dedicated to a key sector like AI, pharmaceuticals, and automobiles.”
He further added, “We are also launching a startup education programme to train 1 lakh students by March 2026. Our goal is not just to talk about startups — we want them to thrive. We will be providing 1,000 days of handholding, low interest working capital loans, and strong support from industry leaders. Our mission is to foster 27,000 startups — not just in cities, but in every corner of Maharashtra, right down to the villages. For women entrepreneurs, we’ve introduced the Ahilyabai Holkar Yojana and are building dedicated Industrial Training Institutes. Additionally, our New Innovation Policy which is yet to be launched, will definitely include focused support for women in startups.”
The honorees at the Gems of Maharashtra event were spanning fields such as Real Estate, wellness, sports, education, technology and more. The event celebrated their achievements and contributions across various sectors. The winners included:
| Sr. No. | Category | Winner | Company |
| 1 | Excellence In Jewellery Manufacturing | Manoj Jha & Poonam Jha | Kamakhya Jewels Ltd. |
| 2 | Excellence In Textile Speciality Chemicals | Dr Aneel Kashi Murarka | Mirachem Industriies |
| 3 | Excellence In Higher Education | Raman Preet | Pune Institute of Business Management |
| 4 | Excellence In Change Maker In Human Empowerment | Sanjay Kalika Mishra | Apex Group |
| 5 | Excellence In Financial Services | Sachin Bamgude | Apnarupee Fin India Pvt. Ltd. |
| 6 | Excellence In Scientific Wellness & Nutraceutical Innovation | Dr. S. Kumar | APPROPRIATE DIET THERAPY |
| 7 | Excellence In Consultancy to Emerging Start-ups & SME’s | Hardik Khatri | APT Global Fincon Pvt. Ltd. |
| 8 | Excellence In Event Management | Siddhesh P | BrandSmith United |
| 9 | Excellence In Sports | Gopal Dash Baghel | Council of College Sports Premier League in India |
| 10 | Excellence In Education | Sanjay D. Patil | D. Y. Patil Education Society, Deemed to be University, Kolhapur |
| 11 | Excellence In Hospitality & Real Estate | Jimmy Mistry | Della Resorts & Adventure |
| 12 | Excellence In Architecture | Ar. Swapnil Kshirsagar | Design11 |
| 13 | Excellence In Service & Industry | Dr. Deepak Fulambrikar | Fulambri Group Of Companies |
| 14 | Excellence In Jeweller For Generations | Rameshchandra M. Jain | Gajari Jewellers |
| 15 | Excellence In Digital Marketing & Public Relations Solution | Bhaskar Tare & Parag Dhurke | Gloocal Communications Pvt. Ltd. |
| 16 | Excellence In Corporate Trainer & Life Coach | Viveck Shettyy | Indus Communications |
| 17 | Excellence In Outstanding Educational Work | Adv. Shardul Sudhakarrao Jadhavar | Jadhavar Group of Institutes |
| 18 | Excellence In Luxury Beauty Salon | Shailesh More | Jean Claude Olivier |
| 19 | Excellence In Residential and Commercial Development | Aakash Agarwal | Krisala Developers |
| 20 | Excellence In Automotive Accessories | Manish Kolhatkar & Mandar Kirane | M-Tek Engineers |
| 21 | Excellence In Real Estate | Harish Shroff | Nyati Group |
| 22 | Excellence In Restoration & Conservation Of Heritage Structures | Dr. Ram Savani | Savani Heritage Conservation Pvt. Ltd. |
| 23 | Excellence In Data Technology | Himanshu Pandey | Segumento India Pvt. Ltd. |
| 24 | Excellence In Stainless Steel Kitchen Utensils & Cookware | Bhavesh Jain | Shree Vallabh Metals |
| 25 | Excellence In Sales Training & Life Coaching | Shridhar Dinanath Kuknor | Shridhar Dinanath Kuknor |
| 26 | Excellence In Green Steel | Yashraj Peety | SRJ Peety Steels Pvt. Ltd. |
| 27 | Excellence In Food Tech | Amit Ghotikar | TFCS Kitchen Solutions Ltd |
| 28 | Excellence In EV Two Wheeler Manufacturing | Jhumarmal Tunwal | Tunwal E-Motors Ltd. |
| 29 | Excellence In Yoga & Fitness | Devendra Sopan Kodalkar | Yog Saamarthya |
| 30 | Excellence In Plastic Industry | Vishal Agarwal | Yudo Hot Runner India Pvt. Ltd. |
| 31 | Excellence In Nutrition Social Impact | Dr RadhaKrishna Das, CEO & Gorakshanath Gambhire, COO | Annamrita Foundation |
The event concluded with the unveiling of a commemorative coffee table book by Chief Guest Shri Mangal Prabhat Lodha. The successful ‘Gems of Maharashtra,’ underscored ET Now Swadesh’s commitment to fostering collaboration and recognizing the vibrancy and diverse sectors of the state.
ET NOW Swadesh
ET NOW Swadesh is a Hindi Business News Channel that leads with a powerful proposition, Badho Desh Ke Saath and promises to be a catalyst of growth, energizing every discerning Indian to Rise with India. Catering to a diverse segment of viewers including entrepreneurs, traders, corporates & every Indian citizen at large, ET NOW Swadesh offers compelling content that empowers, engages and educates viewers with financial knowledge to weave their growth to India’s success story.