Maharashtra Day Message to be delivered by Governor on the occasion of the 57th anniversary of the formation of the State of Maharashtra
Maharashtra Day Message to be delivered by Shri Ch. Vidyasagar Rao, Hon’ble Governor of Maharashtra on the occasion of the 57th anniversary of the formation of the State of Maharashtra at Shivaji Park, Mumbai on Monday, 1st May 2017
Sisters and Brothers,
1. I extend my heartiest greetings to the people of Maharashtra on the joyous occasion of the 57th anniversary of the formation of Maharashtra. I also extend my greetings to all workers from the State on the occasion of International Labour Day. It is a proud moment for all of us, as Maharashtra Day is also being celebrated in Germany’s Munich and Stuttgart cities this year.
2. I pay my solemn tributes to the martyrs who laid down their lives for the formation of Samyukta Maharashtra.
3. On this occasion let us remember the great visionaries, leaders and social reformers of our State, particularly Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Mahatma Jyotiba Phule, Smt Savitribai Phule, Rajarshi Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj and Bharat Ratna Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar and others.
4. In order to address the recurring problem of scarcity of water in drought-prone areas of the State, the Government has taken various measures. I am glad to mention that under the Jalyukta Shivar Abhiyan, more than 2.5 lakh works have been completed and about 12 lakh thousand cubic meters of water storage potential has been created. I am sure, the ‘Farm Pond on Demand’ Scheme and such other initiatives will go a long way in fulfilling our dream of sustainable agriculture. I am happy to note that about 11,000 villages have already become drought free by conserving water in village watershed. Crop loan amounting to Rs 33,115 Crore has been disbursed to more than 48 lakh farmers and crop loans of 6.85 lakh farmers have been restructured.
5. I am happy to state that the State government purchased entire Tur dal that reached purchase centres till April 22nd. For this purpose sufficient funds were made available.
The World Bank – assisted ‘Nanaji Deshmukh Krishi Sanjeevani Project’ is being rolled out with a view to make 4,000 villages of Vidarbha and Marathwada drought free.
6. ‘Mi Mukhyamantri Boltoy’ has been started recently to facilitate direct interaction between the Chief Minister and the common man of our State.
7. I am glad to mention that as part of the ambitious ‘Swachh Bharat Abhiyan’, 225 cities and towns in the State have been declared ‘Open Defecation Free’. My Government reaffirms its commitment to make urban Maharashtra ‘Open Defecation Free’ by 2nd October, 2017.
8. With a view to eliminate malnutrition among tribal children in the State, the Government has broadened the scope of ‘Bharat Ratna Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Amrut Aahar Yojana’, under which pregnant women and lactating mothers are provided one square meal.
9. To achieve the object of ‘Health for All’, we have decided to launch the ‘Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Jan Arogya Yojana’ under which economically weaker sections of society will be extended the benefit of health insurance for surgeries and therapies. Under the ‘Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana’, Central Government has approved Rs. 600 crore for Super Speciality services in the Government Medical Colleges at Akola, Yavatmal, Latur and Aurangabad. ‘Jan Aushadhi Stores’ are being set up at 10 ESIS hospitals in the State to provide quality Generic Medicines at reasonable rates.
10. Maharashtra has maintained its position as the most preferred investment destination in the country. We have set up ‘Maharashtra Industry, Trade and Investment Facilitation Cell (MAITRI)’, a single window scheme for issuing 44 industrial clearances required across 18 departments. This has facilitated investment of more than Rs. 85,000 crore and creation of an estimated 1.5 lakh employment opportunities.
As many as 34 MoUs have been signed with major industry groups under the ‘Pramod Mahajan Kaushalya va Udyojakta Vikas Abhiyan’ resulting in the skilling of seven lakh youth.
11. I am happy to mention that during the last year’s Vana Mahotsav drive, a record 2.82 crore saplings were planted on a single day. It has now been decided to plant 50 crore saplings over the next three years. Sixty eight bio-diversity parks are also being developed under the ‘Uttamrao Patil Van Udhyan Yojana’. A botanical garden on the lines of ‘Bangalore Garden’ is being developed in Chandrapur.
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12. My government has introduced the ‘Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Swaadhar Yojana’ for Scheduled Castes and Nav Buddha students enrolled in 9th and 10th Standard, and for the students of vocational and non-vocational, undergraduate and postgraduate courses to provide financial help to make private hostel arrangements. As for the tribal students, the State Government has launched the ‘Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay Swayam Yojana’, to extend direct cash benefit. Also, the ‘Dr. Panjabrao Deshmukh Vastigruha Nirvah Bhatta Yojana’ is being implemented for sons and daughters of small farmers and labourers.
13. Sisters and brothers, Maharashtra is the first State in the country to have enacted the Maharashtra Aadhaar Act, 2016 making Aadhaar as the sole identifier of beneficiary for any subsidy or benefit or service.
14. With a view to transforming Mumbai into a world class city, the Versova-Bandra Sea Link Project, as an extension of the Bandra-Worli Sea Link Project will be constructed by MSRDC. The Nerul-Uran Railway Corridor is expected to be operational by July 2018.
Maharashtra has maximum number of cities selected under the Smart City Mission. For improving connectivity with major places, 10 Airports are being developed in the State.
My Government has decided to build the ‘Samruddhi Corridor’ – a Super Expressway between Nagpur and Mumbai, at an estimated cost of Rs. 46,000 Crore. Also, the work of Nagpur Metro and Pune Metro Rail Projects is in progress. Apart from high-ways, roads in rural areas measuring 30,000 kms are being upgraded under the Chief Minister Rural Roads Programme. We have decided to start passenger ferry services between New Ferry Wharf in Mumbai to Mandwa Port in Raigad and to Nerul in Navi Mumbai.
15. My fellow citizens, it is our endeavour to increase the use of Marathi language in judiciary. All new legislations and amendments in Marathi language are being made available in a timely manner.
16. Maharashtra is the first state in the country to enact the bill for prevention of attacks on media persons.
17. Under the Maharashtra Right to Services Act, 2016, as many as 372 services have been provided to citizens till date.
18. The State Government will be implementing the ‘Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana’ in 51 cities of the State. My government has enabled MHADA, to redevelop the B.D.D. chawls through modifications in the Development Control Regulations of Greater Mumbai.
I am pleased to announce the launching of Maha-RERA, or Maharashtra Real Estate Regulatory Authority which will register housing projects to make the process of buying and selling transparent, trusted and accountable.
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19. The year 2017 is being celebrated as ‘Visit Maharashtra Year’. I am sure, the new Tourism Policy will open new vistas of growth in the tourism sector.
20. I wish to assure you that my government is committed to achieve the comprehensive and inclusive socio-economic development of the State and welfare of its people.
21. I extend my heartiest greetings to the people on the occasion of Maharashtra Day. I seek the whole-hearted cooperation of citizens in building a modern, progressive and strong Maharashtra.
Jai Hind ! Jai Maharashtra !!
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