More than 1.5 years after its inauguration with great fanfare, 'Maharashtra House' in Stuttgart, Germany, has yet to commence operations. Inaugurated as a trade facilitation and liaison office in August 2024 by then school education minister Deepak Kesarkar, the office has been closed from day one following directives from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) that it should not be operationalised and all proceedings must be suspended until further orders.
Background and Inauguration
Kesarkar had travelled to Stuttgart with a delegation of officials for the inauguration. However, the office has remained shut as the MEA has not granted the necessary approvals. In a reply to SP MLA Rais Shaikh's calling attention motion, school education minister Dada Bhuse stated, "The proposal for approval to operate Maharashtra House as a liaison office is submitted to the Centre and is currently under consideration. As per the instructions of MEA, the office hasn't been operationalised and all its proceedings are suspended till further orders. Maharashtra government has not yet operationalised Maharashtra House and has not taken possession."
MoU and Operational Details
Bhuse explained that a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed in February 2024 to provide skilled manpower to the German state of Baden-Württemberg. To ensure mutual coordination between Maharashtra and Baden-Württemberg and to have a fixed point of contact, Baden-Württemberg provided a free liaison office in Stuttgart, named Maharashtra House. The office is operated by a company called C4HUB GmbH, which provides space free of charge. Manpower and other administrative or office expenses are borne by C4HUB GmbH, ensuring no financial burden on the Maharashtra government.
Current Status and Statements
Kesarkar noted that he had "made the announcement of the opening of Maharashtra House" and that it can only be started after MEA approval. C4HUB GmbH's Bastian Mueller told TOI in a written response that although the inauguration of Maharashtra House was planned, it has been abandoned due to missing approvals. "Approval of C4HUB by Baden-Württemberg is not completed yet. This was a precondition of the MEA to decide about the setup of the Maharashtra House. As MEA approval had not been granted, no office space was leased and no personnel were hired. The entire process stopped without inauguration and execution. No financial transactions have been made by Maharashtra or Baden-Württemberg to C4HUB at all. C4HUB GmbH does not operate or manage a governmental contact office on behalf of Maharashtra or Baden-Württemberg," Mueller said. The Baden-Württemberg government did not respond to queries from TOI. Ranjit Deol, principal secretary of school education, also did not respond.
Future Prospects
Mueller added, "The inauguration was planned and announced expecting the MEA permit will arrive in time. On the day of the event, we got to know that the permission by MEA is still pending. So the event was repurposed to an announcement of a representation office instead. C4HUB is still willing to offer their services, because the idea is good and has a big potential."
