India, Aug. 15 -- Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis released a barrage of figures on Friday, defending Maharashtra's position on the alleged closure of 36,211 companies in the state in the last five years. Fadnavis claimed that 76% of the companies alleged to have closed were non-functional or defunct.

He also claimed Maharashtra continues to lead in the number of registered companies, with 396,000 active units in the state. Of these, 45,525 new firms were registered in the last year.

Fadnavis, who released the figures on social media, was responding to criticism by NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar, who had quoted figures released in Parliament that 36,211 industrial units had been shuttered in Maharashtra in the last five years. Of these, 6,...