Address by Governor on the occasion of 68th Anniversary of the Republic of India
Address by Shri CH. Vidyasagar Rao, Governor of Maharashtra on the occasion of the 68th Anniversary of the Republic of India at Shivaji Park, Mumbai at 9 am on Friday, 26 January 2018
Sisters and Brothers,
I extend my heartiest greetings to the people of Maharashtra on the joyous occasion of the 69th Republic Day. I pay my tribute to the brave martyrs from Maharashtra who made the supreme sacrifice of their lives in defending India’s territorial integrity and maintaining law and order.
2. My government has taken various decisions to bring about the educational, social and economic advancement of weaker sections of society.
3. The work of creation of world class memorials of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar has already been initiated.
4. A separate ‘VJNT, OBC, SBC Welfare Department’ has been created by the Government to take special care of the welfare of the Vimukt Jatis, Nomadic Tribes, Other Backward Classes and Special Backward Classes. The Government has increased the annual income limit of parents of students belonging to De- notified Tribes, Nomadic Tribes, Other Backward Classes and Special Backward Classes seeking scholarship from Rs. 6 lakh to Rs. 8 lakh.
5. The Government has designed the Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj Scholarship Scheme and included 605 courses under it. The scheme will benefit more than 6 lakh students from economically backward classes. The Government has also enhanced the capital of Annasaheb Patil Financial Development Corporation by Rs.400 Crore.
6. I am proud to state that Maharashtra has registered an average economic growth of 9 per cent over the last 4 years.
7. The State’s agriculture and allied sector has recorded a double digit growth of 12.5 per cent. Investment in agriculture has risen to 30 per cent. Maharashtra has been ranked first in agriculture development in the entire country. Under the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana, a special dairy project is being implemented in 11 districts of Vidarbha and Marathwada with assistance from the National Dairy Development Board. The dairy project will supplement the income of farmers.
8. The Government has introduced the ‘Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Shetkari Sanman Yojana’ with a view to lending support to debt-ridden small and marginal farmers. An amount of Rs. 23,102 crore has been directly transferred to the accounts of 47.86 lakh eligible farmers.
9. I am pleased to state that more than 11,000 villages from Maharashtra have become drought – free during the last two years, thanks to the effective implementation of the Jalyukta Shivar Abhiyan. Around 4.25 lakh works have been completed under the Abhiyan creating water storage capacity of 16.82 TCM.
10. Under ‘Gaalmukta Dharan and Gaalyukta Shivar Yojana’, de-siltation of 31,549 dams is being carried out. So far, 92 lac cubic metres of silt has been excavated from around 2 thousand dams. Under the ‘Maagel Tyaala Shet-Tale’ Scheme’, construction of more than 56 thousand farm ponds has been completed.
11. Maharashtra continues to remain the preferred investment destination for domestic as well as foreign investors. Between April 2016 and March 2017, the State has received Foreign Direct Investment of Rs. 1.3 lakh Crore.
12. With a view to encourage women entrepreneurs, the State Government has recently approved its Industrial Policy for women entrepreneurs.
13. I am pleased to announce that the State has organised the first Global Investment Summit ‘Magnetic Maharashtra: Convergence 2018’ in the month of February. The Summit will showcase the achievements of the State, facilitate investments into the state and provide an impetus to the ‘Make in India’ programme.
14. My Government recently approved the Innovation and Start up Policy that aims at offering incentives and funds to entrepreneurs. Under the Skill India Mission, the State has provided skill training to more than 8 lakh youth.
15. Across the state, large-scale infrastructure projects are being executed to improve the quality of life of citizens. The work of construction of 742 flyovers, including 226 railway bridges on National and State Highways, and repairs of 27,371 km- long roads is in progress. Under the Chief Minister’s Gram Sadak Yojana, construction work of nearly 1500 kms of roads has been completed. Maharashtra has around 350 kms of planned metro network involving an investment of Rs 1,42,306 Cr in three metro cities, namely Mumbai, Nagpur and Pune. Together the metro rail network will serve 11.1 million commuters every day.
16. While the work of Navi Mumbai International Airport has already commenced, the government has undertaken the work of setting up 10 more airports in the State. The International Airport at Shirdi has become fully operational recently.
17. As part of the ambitious mega tree plantation drive, a record 5.43 crore saplings have been planted in the State during the last monsoon.
18. Under the Swachh Bharat Mission, entire Urban Maharashtra has been declared Open Defecation Free on 1st October, 2017. Till date, 22,793 Gram Panchyats and 212 Talukas have been declared Open Defecation – Free.
19. My Government has taken a revolutionary decision to provide one per cent reservation for orphans in government jobs under the general category.
20. The ‘Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Amrut Ahaar Yojana’ is being implemented to tackle the problem of malnutrition and anaemia prevalent in tribal areas. Under the scheme, supplementary nutrition is provided to children from the age group of 6 months to 6 years and also to pregnant women and lactating mothers.
21. Let us on this day reaffirm our commitment to the ideals and values enshrined in our Constitution and strive to build a strong and prosperous Maharashtra. I extend my heartiest greetings to the people of Maharashtra on the occasion of the Republic Day.
Jai Hind ! Jai Maharashtra !!