Maha CM says his govt focussed in infra development, slams those who skipped NITI Aayog meet

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Saturday said his government was focussing on infrastructure development as connectivity was important for progress and was working at removing speed breakers put in the way of projects by the previous Maha Vikas Aghadi dispensation.

Talking to reporters in Delhi after attending the NITI Aayog meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the chief minister said the vision for 2047, when the country completes 100 years of Independence, was discussed.

The focus will be on employment, self-employment, women's empowerment, education, health etc, he said, adding that development gets expedited when ''the state and Union governments are of one ideology''.

''We have expedited development projects on war footing and project implementation is being closely monitored,'' Shinde said.

He said the Centre and NITI Aayog must evolve a customised strategy for all states so that each of them can complement and contribute to the 'Vikasit Bharat' (developed India) promise of the prime minister.

In his address at the meeting, Shinde said Maharashtra has made rapid progress but a leader is never satisfied as there is always room to achieve more.

A new investment, people and environment-friendly Maharashtra maritime development policy will be unveiled soon by his government to improve water transport and passenger mobility in Mumbai and the Konkan coast, the CM said. The Shirdi international airport in Ahmednagar has been declared a major airport and the integrated cargo facility there will boost economic activity and overall development around the renowned temple town, he added.

The Maharashtra government will set up a state skills university and launch M.Tech courses in cyber security, cloud computing and will also work towards promoting start ups and incubators, Shinde said.

Maharashtra is the top performer among states in the start up ranking framework and his government will soon launch a Rs 200 crore innovation and technological development fund, the CM said.

The state government is developing the Maharashtra migration tracking systems (MahaMTS) to ensure services are provided to migrant families, Shinde said.

To overcome the problem of irrigation and drinking water in Marathwada, a water grid project has been initiated, he said, adding that the Koyna tailrace water is proposed to be used for irrigation and drinking purposes in the Konkan belt.

He also said his government, after taking over in June last year, had removed all hurdles in the ambitious Mumbai-Ahmedabad high speed rail corridor, popularly called the bullet train project.

Asserting that the response of the prime minister was positive to the development issues and suggestions of Maharashtra, Shinde said his government was also working on access-controlled highways to connect various cities.

Criticising those chief ministers who did not attend the NITI Aayog meeting, Shinde said people they represent and their states have to suffer due to such moves.

He slammed opposition parties for boycotting Sunday's inauguration of the new Parliament building by PM Modi.

''The Parliament is not about any party. It is unfortunate that hatred for PM Modi is bringing such parties together. They should set aside their egos and hatred for the PM and take part in the inauguration event,'' Shinde said.

Shinde added that Modi would be re-elected for a third term as prime minister in 2024 with a record mandate.

Meanwhile, Shiv Sena (UBT) Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut said some chief ministers not attending the NITI Aayog meeting means the Union government and the NITI Aayog were not behaving properly with these states.

''They are unhappy... (Delhi Chief minister Arvind) Kejriwal, West Bengal Chief minister Mamata ji (Bannerjee) have boycotted it. Those who do not resort to sycophancy, the NITI Aayog does not meet their demands. Everyone knows this,'' Raut alleged.

Chief Ministers Arvind Kejriwal (Dehi), Bhagwant Mann (Punjab), Mamata Banerjee (West Bengal), Nitish Kumar (Bihar), M K Stalin (Tamil Nadu), K Chandrashekar Rao (Telangana) and Ashok Gehlot (Rajasthan) did not attend the meeting.

Addressing the eighth Governing Council meeting of NITI Aayog in New Delhi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday asked the states and districts to develop a long-term vision to make India a developed country by 2047, when the country completes 100 years of Independence.

Modi also urged the states to take financially prudent decisions which are capable of delivering programmes that meet the aspirations of the people.

Briefing media about the deliberations of the meeting, NITI Aayog CEO BVR Subrahmanyam said 11 chief ministers did not attend the Governing Council meeting.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)