Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Monday said his government's priority is to work for the common man and it is committed to extending the reservation benefits to the Other Backward Classes, Maratha and Dhangar communities.
Speaking on the country's 76th Independence Day after hoisting the national flag at the State secretariat as the Chief Minister for the first time, Mr. Shinde said several parts of the State have witnessed floods due to heavy rainfall.
“We started working from day one and our priority is to work for the common man, farmers, the working class,” said Mr. Shinde, who was sworn in as the Chief Minister on June 30 this year.
“The government is committed to extending the benefits of reservation to the OBCs, Maratha and Dhangar (shepherd) communities,” he said. The Chief Minister said 15 lakh hectares of land in 28 districts of the State has been affected due to floods. The assistance to the affected people has been doubled, he said.
“To find a permanent solution to the floods, we are undertaking a programme of deepening and desilting of rivers in a scientific manner,” he said.
On the environment front, Mr. Shinde said all mangrove forests will be declared as reserve forests.
For the State capital, he said the Mumbai Metropolitan Regional Development Authority (MMDRA) has been granted permission to raise loans worth ₹60,000 crore which will expedite several infrastructure projects.
Mr. Shinde said his government is continuously in touch with the Centre for the development of the State.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah have assured full support to Maharashtra, he said.
“We have given directions to the administration to fully implement the Central schemes,” the Chief Minister said.
The government will implement the National Education Policy (NEP), he said, adding that no school in the State will have only one teacher.
There has been 75% implementation of the Jal Jeevan Mission, a Central scheme that aims to provide piped drinking water to all rural households. Work on the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, a Central housing scheme, is also on, he said.
In the coming days, the first phase of the Samruddhi Highway connecting Mumbai and Nagpur will be started, the Chief Minister said and also stressed on creating greenfield cities.
Mr. Shinde said several steps have been taken to promote industries in the State and he recently met industrialists, including former Tata Sons chairman Ratan Tata, and they have responded positively to it.
For building houses for police personnel, directions have been given to the Home, and Urban Development departments and the Central and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO) to prepare a plan, he said.
