Mumbai, Aug 15 (PTI) Maharashtra will play the most important role in India’s journey towards becoming a “Viksit Bharat”, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said on Saturday. He said Maharashtra leads the country on the economic front and has recorded 8.8 per cent growth in the first half of the year.
Speaking after hoisting the national flag at Mantralaya to mark the 80th Independence Day, Fadnavis said Maharashtra is an important contributor to India’s development and the government is working to ensure that every district becomes a “growth engine”.
“Today, I am very happy that Maharashtra is the country’s largest economy. This year too, in the first half, our growth rate is around 8.8 per cent,” he said.
Fadnavis said the government is making efforts to ensure that development is not concentrated in a few areas but reaches every district and the last person.
“One of the efforts we are making is to ensure that every district becomes a growth engine. Around 13 districts have made significant progress in this direction. We are trying to ensure that development reaches the last person, whether it is Gadchiroli or Palghar,” he added.
The chief minister said Maharashtra’s development journey is being pursued on the principles of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and as per the Constitution given by Dr B R Ambedkar, adding that Maharashtra is an extremely important contributor to the development of our country.
Fadnavis said Maharashtra had also emerged as a major destination for startups and investments, creating opportunities for the state’s youth.
“Maharashtra has become the country’s startup capital. In the edu city coming up in the state, cutting-edge education will be provided. The highest investment is coming to Maharashtra. We are trying to ensure that the maximum employment opportunities are created for our youth,” he said.
He said the government is preparing targeted schemes for deprived sections of society so that the benefits of development reach everyone.
Fadnavis said Maharashtra would remain a major contributor to India’s progress in the coming years.
He said India had made remarkable progress during the last 80 years and had emerged as the world’s fourth-largest economy.
“Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India’s journey over the last 12 years to become the world’s fourth-largest economy is remarkable,” he said.
According to Fadnavis, 25 crore people had been brought out of poverty, which is a “matter of satisfaction for all”.
He said the goal of “Viksit Bharat” is not merely to create a developed economy but to bring positive change in the lives of all sections of society.
“Viksit Bharat is not only about a developed economy. It is about bringing positive change, progress and improvement in the lives of every person in society- the poor, Dalits, tribals, farmers, farm labourers and women,” he said, adding that progress of every section is the true essence of Viksit Bharat concept.
Fadnavis said Maharashtra would have a particularly important role in achieving this national goal.
“If there is one state that will have the most important role in this concept of Viksit Bharat, it will be Maharashtra,” he said.
Notably, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday laid out a seven-point reform framework, ‘Sapta Dhara’, aimed at accelerating India’s journey towards becoming a developed nation by 2047, with a focus on manufacturing, agro-food production and food processing, technology and innovation, logistics, defence, green and blue economy, and soft power.
The Maharashtra chief minister highlighted the state’s initiatives for farmers, saying 56 lakh farmers would benefit from the Rs 36,585-crore loan waiver scheme.
Fadnavis further said 76 per cent of farmers are now receiving electricity during the day and the government will seek to provide daytime power to all farmers within the next year.
“We had dreamt of giving daytime electricity to farmers. Today, we are giving daytime electricity to 76 per cent of farmers. In the next year, we will fulfil our resolve to provide daytime electricity to 100 per cent of farmers,” he added.
The chief minister also spoke of the government’s efforts to ensure that the next generation did not have to face drought, citing river-linking projects in parts of North and Western Maharashtra.
“We have seen drought on a large scale, but the coming generation should not see drought,” he said.
Fadnavis said modern and world-class education, including the entry of foreign universities, is another area of focus.
He also appealed to citizens to remember their constitutional duties along with their rights.
“Let us all citizens remain conscious of our duties and take a resolve today that our Tricolour will always fly high,” he added. PTI MR NSK
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