Devidas Deshpande from Pune
CM Fadnavis has launched the ‘new Maharashtra’ initiative on the occasion of the state’s foundation day – May 1. A brand-new Maharashtra poised to attain its maximum potential and contribute a lion’s share in the growth of Bharat as it used to do in the past “Where have you brought my Maharashtra?”
That was the tagline on which the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) campaigned during the Assembly elections in 2014. The message struck a chord as the state was reeled under the consecutive droughts caused by the mismanagement and callousness, widespread corruption from top to bottom echelons of the government and raging discontent among the youth for being unable to fulfil their aspirations.
Two and a half years on, as the BJP-led Maharashtra government initiated the New Maharashtra campaign envisaged by the Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, all those disadvantages seem as some distant dreams. Here is a brand-new Maharashtra poised to attain its maximum potential and contribute a lion’s share in the growth of Bharat as it used to do in the past.
Transform MaharashtraThe initiative is aimed at increasing the participation of youths in governance and also seeking solutions to 11 critical challenges faced by the state like economic, education, and agriculture sectors. (Maharashtra is probably the only state in Bharat where youths from different sectors are invited to work as interns in Chief Minister”s Office. They get a first-hand experience of governance and their ideas are incorporated for easing the system.) |
A leading Marathi daily, carried a front-page anchor story in its Sunday edition narrating the experience of Mahesh Mukesh Galgalikar, a young Electronics Engineer from distant Yavatmal district in Vidarbha. He has developed a matchbox-sized ECG machine in response to Prime Minister Narendra Modi”s appeal of Start-Up India and floated a company in Pune. However, he did not know whom to approach and what to do next. He was about to leave for the US, he casually sent an SMS to the CM Fadnavis as the last attempt. Immediately, he received a reply from the CM to meet him and having been impressed with his research, the CM extended all the assistance that he wanted.
| Book village at Bhilar While focusing on the development and mundane matters, the government has also added some feathers to its cap for its social justice and cultural enterprises as well. The latest one is the small village of Bhilar in Satara district is located close to the twin hill-stations of Mahabaleshwar and Panchgani. Until now that claim fame for the large strawberry plantations. However, on May 4 this village has become Bharat”s own Hay-on-Wye, a village dedicated to books and books alone. The village is 100 kms from Pune conceived by the Education Minister Vinod Tawade. Under this project, 25 locations around the village are to be turned into reader hot spots or mini libraries. The State Government has provided amenities like chairs, tables, decorated umbrellas and glass cupboards to local villagers to decorate their places and give a pleasant reading experience to literature buffs. Another such village will come up at Malgund, the birthplace of poet Keshavsut or Krushnaji Keshav Damle who is considered as the pioneer of Modern Marathi poetry. The government has financed around 15,000 books to be kept there permanently for the public at around 25 key locations around the village of 600 families. The literary community has hailed the initiative with the hope that it would help people, especially the younger generations to acquire reading habits. Hay-on-Wye, a Welsh village, has inspired the idea of a book village. |
This is how the government is unning in Maharashtra. The people have not seen such efficiency in the past. For example, even in the scorching heat of May, there is hardly any news of water tankers deployed in the rural parts of the state that was a regular feature till last year, thanks to the Jalyukta Shivar campaign run successfully by the government. It earned the praise from a veteran and expert like Rajendra Singhji for its innovation and implementation.
Admittedly, the first two years of the government were lost in undoing the damage done by the earlier incompetent governments. The results of those efforts are being felt now. Take agriculture for example, a weak point of the state for almost two decades. The sector is poised at a turn around and as the CM Fadnavis says, “Due to the various measures taken by the state, the growth rate of agriculture sector has risen to 12.5% from the minus 11.2%. The government has allocated a record Rs 26 thousand crore for the farming and allied works. Two lakh farmers are to be trained under the Samruddha Sheti-Unnat Sheti (Prosperous Farming-Progressive Farming) campaign.”
In line with the Make in India campaign of the PM Modi, the Maharashtra initiated Make in Maharashtra campaign and has rigorously followed it. Thanks to these efforts, it has received actual investment of Rs 1 lakh 93 thousand crore out of the promised Rs 8 lakh crore.
One of the sectors where Maharashtra has taken unquestionable lead is the housing sector. The ambitious Housing for All scheme of the Central Government is being pursued untiringly and projects under this scheme are running in 142 cities. PM Modi recently laid foundation for more than 40 thousand homes under the scheme.
With these achievements, CM Fadnavis has launched the ‘new Maharashtra’ initiative on the occasion of the State’s Foundation Day – May 1. It is clearly inspired by PM Modi’s concept of a ‘New India’ and accommodates many of its features.
The event was called ‘Transform Maharashtra’ that was organised by an NGO in association with the State Government. The event itself was attended by more than 4,500 college students in which 11 teams were shortlisted by a panel of experts. To celebrate Maharashtra Day, CM Fadnavis had appealed college students to help him tackle 11 of the state’s most pressing problems. On the occasion, CM Fadnavis announced several initiatives like building toilets every 500 meters and forming a committee to look into the suggestions presented by the students. Speaking at the occasion, CM Fadnavis said, “Several good ideas have been generated at this event and to take them forward a committee headed by a Cabinet Minister will be formed. This is just the beginning, we would like more participation of youth in our policy making process”.Noted industrialist Ratan Tata, Western Command head of the Indian army Major General Anuj Mathur, and Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar were among those who attended the event.
Thanks to the education capital like Pune and commercial capital like Mumbai, the state attracts talents from all over the country and the leadership knows that encouraging them will benefit the state in the long run.
“A new India is being created under the dynamic leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. ‘Transform Maharashtra’ is such a platform through which a new Maharashtra will be created. Present youth power is going to provide a boost for creating a new Maharashtra. While doing this, development and progress of all the sections of society will be achieved. Maharashtra will have a lion’s share in creating a new India,” asserted the CM.
