maharashtra · pdf filetalegaon a flower mall on the lines of aalsmeer, in the netherlands,...

NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS � NAGPUR ASSEMBLY � CM WAR ROOM � NAVEGAON NATIONAL PARK

V O L . 5 I S S U E 1 � J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 6 � ` 5 0 � PA G E S 5 2

JalyuktaShivar

JalyuktaShivar Skill

Development

MaziKanya

Bhagyashree

Swachh Maharashtra Abhiyan

SaptapadiSwachhatechi

Resolutions2016

MAGNIFICENT MAHARASHTRA

HOMAGE TO DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR On December 6, on Mahaparinirvan Diwas of Bharat Ratna Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar, a social reformer

and architect of Constitution of India, millions of his followers gathered at his memorial at Chaityabhoomi in Mumbai.Governor Ch. Vidyasagar Rao and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and others paid floral tributes to the leader

Governor Ch. Vidyasagar Rao and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis paying floral tributes to the architect of Constitution of India, Bharat RatnaDr. Babasaheb Ambedkar on the occasion of Mahaparinirvan Diwas at Chaityabhoomi in Dadar, Mumbai

Rich tributes were paidto Bharat RatnaDr. Babasaheb Ambedkar,

on Mahaparinirvan Diwas,on December 6, as lakhs of hisfollowers gathered at hismemorial Chaityabhoomi inDadar, Mumbai. GovernorCh. Vidyasagar Rao and ChiefMinister Devendra Fadnaviswere among those who paidhomage to the dalit iconand architect of the IndianConstitution on the day.

Paying tributes to theepitome, Chief MinisterDevendra Fadnavis said, “Mysalutation to Bharat Ratna Dr.Babasaheb Ambedkar, the

architect of the most supremeConstitution of the world.”

Trisharan Panchsheel prayerwas recited on the occasion. Thefunction also had a heli copterthat showered flowers on thestupa at Chaityabhoomi. TheMunicipal Corporation ofGreater Mumbai (MCGM) madeelaborate arrangements toavoid any untoward incidentduring the event. The civic bodymade special arrangements toprovide toilets and drinkingwater to the people who came topay homage to their belovedleader. Medical facilities, firebrigade and police were alsopresent on the spot.

About 6,000 civic officials and1,200 police constables mannedthe area of Chaityabhoomi toensure smooth movement ofpeople. Four DCPs and eightACPs kept a strict vigil on anypossible anti-social element. Thecivic body had also printed onelakh copies of an informativebooklet on Dr. BabasahebAmbedkar to be distributedamong people.

Many events were organisedthroughout the State on theoccasion of MahaparinirvanDiwas Leaders and peoplegathered to pay tribute to thesocial reformer, visionary and anational leader.Chaityabhoomi in Dadar, Mumbai

MAHARASHTRA AHEAD � JANUARY 2016 03

18NAGPUR ASSEMBLYDEVELOPMENT WITHA FOCUS ON FARMERSFor the comfort and progress ofdrought-affected farmers,Government of Maharashtraannounces a special assistanceprogramme worth `10,512 crore

20OVERVIEWTHE PLACETO DO BUSINESSWith Make in Maharashtraboosting State’s industrialprowess at home and abroad, itis the best time for localindustries and SMEs to get global

RESOLUTIONS

NEW YEAR, NEW VIGOURThe New Year is here once again. It’s time for a newbeginning and newer resolutions. In the second year ofgovernance, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis led Cabinethas laid out various objectives under their respectivedepartments to take to the next level development in theState. The Ministers share their resolutions for 2016

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D I S C L A I M E R : V I E W S A N D O P I N I O N S E X P R E S S E D I N T H E M A G A Z I N E A R E T H O S E O F W R I T E R S

38GOVERNANCEWHERE THE ACTION ISAn innovative concept launchedby the Chief Minister, theWar Room aims at bringingspeed to important,mega projects of Maharashtra

40NUMBER ONEA BLOOMINGBUSINESSPune’s APMC plans to set up atTalegaon a flower mall on thelines of Aalsmeer, in theNetherlands, the largest tradingcentre for flowers in the world

42WANDERLUSTIN THE COMPANY OF BIRDSBlessed with a picturesque lake,rich flora, fauna and avifauna,and a great climate, NavegaonNational Park can leave visitorsmesmerised and asking for more

44FESTIVALTIME TO HARVESTAND CELEBRATEThe festival of Makar Sankrantisees celebrations throughoutMaharashtra with home-madesweets, prayers and kitesof myriad hues flying high

32SWACHH MAHARASHTRANEW HEIGHTSOF CLEANLINESS Panchgani, Matheran,Vengurla and Umred undertakesanitation to perk up theirnatural beauty and take SwachhMaharashtra Abhiyan ahead

CONTENTS What’s Inside

36SMART CITIESTHE FIRST SMARTCITY IS HERE“Let the whole world knowthat the first Smart City of India islaunched by Maharashtra,” saidthe Chief Minister unveiling theSmart City project at Navi Mumbai

VOL. 5 ISSUE 1 � JANUARY 2016 � `50 � PAGES 52

EDITOR-IN-CHIEFManisha Patankar-Mhaiskar

MANAGING EDITORChandrashekhar Oak

ASSIGNMENT EDITORDevendra Bhujbal

EDITORKirti Pande

EXECUTIVE EDITORKriti Lalla

TEAM CO-ORDINATIONEDITING

Suresh Wandile(Deputy Director)

ADMINISTRATIONDigamber Palve

(Sr. Assistant Director)

SALES AND CIRCULATIONAshwini Pujari

(Sub-Editor)

MEDIA TRANSASIAASSOCIATE EDITOR

Jyoti Verma

ASSISTANT EDITORPallavi Singh

DEPUTY ART DIRECTORSachin Jain

CHAIRMANJ.S. Uberoi

PRESIDENTXavier Collaco

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FROM THE EDITOR’S DESK

January, the first month of the year always brings hope and enthusiasm. Newresolves are made in this month while reviewing the year gone. This year also,Maharashtra is committed for the betterment of its people. The State took manypath-breaking and innovative decisions with “inclusive development” as its

goal, which is being implemented in letter and spirit.

The new special assistance programme is the latest attempt by the State Governmentto improve the condition of drought-affected farmers. Chief Minister DevendraFadnavis announced a special package of `10,512 crore to help the farmers. TheChief Minister said that the calamity has placed a huge challenge beforeMaharashtra. Under the new assistance programme, a major focus has been onJalyukta Shivar Yojana, support to cotton and orange processing units, building farmponds and wells, and providing electrical connections. The move will seeconstruction of 1 lakh wells in the drought-affected areas of the State.

The State Government has takeninitiatives for the inclusivedevelopment of rural areas. Thisincludes rural cleanliness, safe andpure drinking water, construction ofroads for good connectivity and SmartGram Panchayats.

Last month, the Government broughtSouth Mumbai under CCTVsurveillance. In a time-boundprogramme, other cities of the Statewill also be brought under digitalsurveillance. It would be an importantstep for a safe and secureMaharashtra.

The State Government will alsoaccelerate Smart Cities Mission tomake its cities smart and moresustainable.

The Swachh Maharashtra Abhiyan isgaining momentum in urban areas.

Many Municipal Councils are experimenting with newer ideas to make their areasclean and green. This time, we bring you the success stories of Matheran, Panchgani,Vengurla and Umred. Panchgani has been declared as the first clean city of the State.The Government’s resolution for the forthcoming year is to make more and morecities and villages clean. We need your participation to accomplish this resolution.

It is indeed a proud moment for us that the success of Make in Maharashtraprogramme has once again made the State numero uno in foreign direct investment.This has been made possible with the many ease of doing business initiatives takenby the Government in recent months. As per the report of one of the renownedindustrial organisations, Maharashtra is a leader in 20 out of 26 sectors in India andpossesses a colossal potential for development in varied sectors due to the vitalresources spread across its region.

In our regular features, we have a feature on Chief Minister’s War Room, thefloriculture sector of Maharashtra, a visit to Navegaon National Park andcelebrations of Makar Sakranti.

With the hope that this magic spell of good tidings continue, here’s wishing youall a Happy 2016!

Manisha Patankar-MhaiskarEditor-in-Chief, Maharashtra Ahead, DGIPR

MAGNIFICENT MAHARASHTRA

NEW YEAR, NEW VIGOURThe New Year is here. It is time for a fresh start and newer resolutions. In the second yearof governance, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis led Maharashtra Cabinet has laid outobjectives under respective departments to take development in the State to the next level.In columns written for MMaahhaarraasshhttrraa AAhheeaadd,, the leaders share their resolves. Excerpts:


While bidding adieu to 2015 and welcoming2016, we have carried out an overview of theyear that was and decided upon a roadmap forthe new year with self-introspection. Our mostimportant achievement last year was JalyuktaShivar Abhiyan. The ambitious campaign has

proved to be a game changer for Maharashtra. The beginninghas been definitely assuring and provides an encouragement tobuild a drought-free Maharashtra. While taking over the reins ofthe State, our agenda was to give top-most priority to perennialagriculture and making the farmer self-reliant. The first steptaken during the first year of our Government was successful increating awareness. We have resolved that the four next stepsduring the next four years will build a drought-free, tanker-free,irrigation-empowered and prosperous Maharashtra. We areimplementing the campaign with a new vigour in more than6,000 villages during 2016. We will also be implementingAgricultural Lake on Demand with full force and a specialprogramme of `6,500 crore.

We are restless when it comes to farmer suicides. Every singlefarmer suicide saddens us. We have planned for a comprehensivestudy of agriculture and to resolve its challenges permanently. Weare looking at long-term solutions instead of people-pacifying,shallow remedial measures. We are making efforts to bring valueaddition to agricultural crops. Under this comes HonourablePrime Minister Narendra Modi’s dream of ‘farm to fashion,’ whichhas been made possible through theplanned integrated textile projects in theState. We have made a three-year planto bring sugarcane crop totally underdrip irrigation.

People-oriented and responsiblegovernance has always been an issueclose to our hearts. Under Service Guaran -tee Act, many services have been putonline. While increasing the number ofthese services, we will enhance thequality of services of local self-govern -ment bodies. We are also working for theempowerment and modernisation ofState Police. Pune has become the firstcity in India to have CCTV-based surveillance system. During 2016,the entire CCTV network for Mumbai will be activated.

Honourable Prime Minister Narendra Modi has resolved‘homes for all’ by 2022. Maharashtra is committed to themission and planning for a housing policy for homelesspeople. We have resolved that basic infrastructure facilities inthe State will be of international standards. The work on projectssuch as Mumbai–Aurangabad–Nagpur super communicationexpressway, Mumbai trans-harbour link, metro projects inNagpur, Pune and Mumbai, and the international airport at NaviMumbai are expected to start during the year.

—As told to Hemraj Bagul

“Towards a drought-free,prosperous Maharashtra”

DEVENDRA FADNAVIS, Chief Minister �� General Administration, UrbanDevelopment Home, Law & Judiciary, Ports, Tourism, Information & Public Relations,Ex-Servicemen’s Welfare, Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, and otherDepartments, or parts thereof, or subjects not specifically allocated to any Minister

“Under Make inMaharashtra, we plan toreduce the number ofpermissions required toset up business. In 2016,we will try to makeavailable employmentavenues to youth throughskill development”

Resolutions2016

ObjectivesLEADER SPEAK

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06 MAHARASHTRA AHEAD � JANUARY 2016 M

After taking oath as a Minister, we resolved to take up manyinnovative schemes so that a farmer, common people andthose from minority sections should experience a speedierand transparent administration. Reviewing the year that

was, we are proud to share our success in accomplishing most of ourobjectives. In 2016, we aim to take theseobjectives and those yet to be achieved tothe next level. The Government hassafeguarded the interests of the farmersaffected by drought.

Under agricultural area development,we have resolved to take the manywelfare schemes to the farmers directly.A total of 34 lakh farmers have registeredthrough SMS for the agricultural advisorybased on weather reports. About 1,800automatic weather stations will be set upin the State to provide farmers accurateweather information.

Maharashtra is implementing Maha -rajasva Abhiyan and efforts are being made to make the RevenueDepartment more transparent. Common man gets in touch withRevenue Department for various certificates and essentialdocuments. To reduce the troubles of visiting the department timeand again, we plan to provide certain certificates online. TheGovern ment is committed to make available employment opportu -nities for boys and girls from minority communities.

—As told to Ajay Jadhav

In our aim to further industrial development in Maharashtraand bring in economic inclusiveness, the micro, small andmedium enterprises (MSMEs) have an important role. To makeIndia an economically strong nation, it is essential that this

sector becomes competitive. I have toured the whole State tounderstand local issues. I conducted many meetings and con -ferences and met people. Industrialists, small and big, met mewith expectations and placed the issues before me. We have takensteps for amendment of certain industrial acts.

To make Maharashtra a safe investment centre, I toured manynations with Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. The tours toGermany, the US and Japan were successful in terms of investmentby global corporate houses. This could provide acceleration

to the SMEs and employmentopportunities in Maharashtra.

This is an ideal time for overalldevelopment of Maharashtra asresonant Governments exist at bothCentre and State. There are inno -vative and ambitious projects fromthe Centre, including Smart Cities,bullet train, Delhi–Mumbai Indus -trial Corridor and skill development.Maharashtra has the capacity toimplement all these. With educatedyouth, excellent communicationnetwork, robust infrastructure andattraction for Mumbai in investors,

we can soar higher on development. The ideas, courage andenterprise of Marathi youth I saw in the US and Japan havedoubled my confidence. The skills of businessmen in Maharashtraare commendable. With the Government officers filling up thevoid of a dialogue, our dream for a rich and prosperousMaharashtra is not far away.

—As told to Kashibai Thorat

EKNATH KHADSE �� Minister for Revenue, Relief and Rehabilitation, EarthquakeRehabilitation, Minorities Development and Wakf, Agriculture and Horticulture,Animal Husbandry, Dairy Development and Fisheries, State Excise

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“Building a smart and industry-friendly Maharashtra”

“Everlasting agriculture,speedy administration”

“My meetingswith industrialists,small and big, for Makein Maharashtra haveled to steps foramendment of certainindustrial acts. We aimto make the State a safeinvestment centre”

SUBHASH DESAI �� Minister for Industries

“TheGovern mentis committed to makeavailable employmentopportunities for boysand girls from minoritycommunities. In theNew Year, we aim tostrengthen the farmerin every possible way”


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A Bharat Ratna Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar had said, “If anyhuman being has to lead a life of a pauper without anymistake on his part, the responsibility of bringing him outof this situation is on the Government as a Welfare State.”

The said advice and the 1.98 crore people in Maharashtra, whocannot afford to spend more than `12 aday, have been our inspiration. There isan issue of farmer suicides. Developmentof basic infrastructure is crucial. AsState’s Finance Minister, my goals arescientific planning, accurate decisionsand comprehensive public interest.

Global warming is no longerrestricted to the dictionary. We areexperiencing its ill effects. I, therefore,consider enhancing the green cover inthe State. Through public participation,we are going to undertake programmesfor this. We also plan to generateemployment opportunities from forests.

About 52 per cent of the employment in the State still dependson agriculture and related fields. I have always given preferenceto the farmers irrespective of the fact that it may bring a hugeburden to the State treasury. My efforts are concentrated onintegration of enhancement of State income and reduction of non-productive expenditure. I am confident that we shall be successfulin stabilising the State economy within next three to four years.

—As told to Dr. Surekha M.Mulay

Transport is linked to speed. Speed is needed for fulfillingaspirations of common man and development of basicinfrastructure people expect. MSRTC has decided topurchase 500 new and fully-equipped buses. These buses

will enter the service within 2016. We have increased thecompensation payable in case of an unfortunate death in ST busaccident from `3 lakh to `10 lakh.

While reserving land spaces for ST depots, modernisation ofdepots will also be done. MSRTC has decided to establishinternational-quality bus ports at 13 locations in the State. Thiswill be realised in 2016. Apart from this, 3,500 pick-up sheds arebeing established in Maharashtra. These sheds will remove theinconvenience faced by women passengers due to lack of toilets.

The department has taken adecision to renew 1.4 lakh autorickshaw permits, sanction 1 lakhnew permits in Mumbai Metro -politan Region, and distribute 25 percent more permits than existingstrength at five other important cities.During the ensuing year, thedepartment is planning to issue25,000 taxi permits in the MMR.Through this, around 50,000 em -ploy ment opportunities will begenerated. The department is makingefforts to start special taxis apartfrom yellow-black taxis for airport

service. This will be accelerated in the New Year.Last year, the department had provided sanction for five

Railway routes with an expenditure of `5,000 crore. I am theGuardian Minister for Nanded and Parbhani districts. I would liketo take some firm steps during the ensuing year for helping thedrought affected in the Marathwada region.

—As told to Dr. SurekhaM. Mulay

SUDHIR MUNGANTIWAR �� Minister for Finance and Planning, Forests

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“Modernised transportand depot, the way forward”

“Our aim is enhancementof State income”

“Whilereservingspace for ST depots,modernisation of depotswill be done. MSRTChas decided to establishinternational-qualitybus ports at 13 locationsin the State. This willbe realised in 2016”

DIWAKAR RAOTE �� Minister for Transport

“AsFinanceMinister, my goals arescientific planning,accurate decisions andcomprehensive publicinterest. The issues offarmer suicides andbasic infrastructure arecrucial to us”

Resolutions2016

08 MAHARASHTRA AHEAD � JANUARY 2016

Education is the need of the hour and I am of the opinionthat it needs to change with changing times. Keeping thisin mind, we are going to take decisions that will beeffective in the long run. We had promised to reduce the

burden of school bag. We also appointed a committee to suggestremedial measures that could be taken.The committee has guided us, and theweight of the school bag will be reducedfrom June 2016. We have brought anordinance in respect of Fees Control andAdmission Control. Due to this, thebodies charging exorbitant fees will bebrought to control.

Availability of newer employmentopportunities is also a need. We willbe concentrating on making availablemore and more skill-oriented coursesduring the ensuing year. A number ofsportspersons from Maharashtra arereceiving accolades internationally.Efforts will be made to see that independent funds are madeavailable so that these sportspersons can prepare efficientlyfor 2020 Olympics. Those seeking to produce films ordocumentaries in Maharashtra will be given permissions within aday. Soon, the whole process will be done online. A Forts andFortresses Preservation Committee has been set up for theconservation of these monuments.

—As told to Varsha Phadke

My efforts as State’s Environment Minister will betowards empowerment of Maharashtra PollutionControl Board and spreading awareness on celebratingfestivals in an eco-friendly manner. Last year, we

prohibited manufacture and distribution of plastic bags withthickness of 50 microns and less to control the pollution due toplastic bags. In the same way, conservation of environment will beachieved through various measures with public participation.

Environment department is encouraging people to use paperor cloth bags as an option for plastic bags. The effort will continuein 2016 as well. Permission from the department can now beobtained online. All buildings and complexes eligible forenvironmental clearance will have to abide by the condition of

constructing and using effluenttreatment process.

Care is taken so as to reduce theburden on city drainage treatmentsystem and avoid water pollutionfrom new buildings. We shall displaythe pollution status of rivers on thebanks of rivers. Our objective is tobring environment-friendly develop-ment to the State.

A solid waste policy will be soondecided for proper solid wastemanagement. The problems ofdumping grounds for Mumbai citywill be solved through discussions

between Mumbai Municipal Corporation and MumbaiMetropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), holdersof the dumping grounds. Conservation of mangroves at theKonkan seashore in the MMRDA region and their scientificmanagement is on our agenda to accelerate and encouragetourism in Maharashtra.


VINOD TAWDE �� Minister for School Education, Sports and Youth Welfare, Higherand Technical Education, Medical Education, Marathi Bhasha, Cultural Affairs

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“Environment-friendlydevelopment is our objective”

“It’s important thateducation changes with time”

“Inthe New Year, thechallenge of dumpinggrounds for Mumbai citywill be solved throughdiscussions betweenMumbai MunicipalCorporation andMMRDA, the holders ofthe dumping grounds”

RAMDAS KADAM �� Minister for Environment

“Anumber ofsportspersons from theState are receivingaccolades globally. I amgoing to make efforts tosee that independentfunds are available sothat they can preparewell for 2020 Olympics”



Our aim is to make Maharashtra a slum-free State. TheGovernment is planning to integrate and streamline allhousing schemes and make available affordable homes topeople. The hutments under the Slum Rehabilitation

Authority (SRA) will be surveyed and the holders will be given aSmart Card. We have taken someimportant decisions for slum areadevelopment with housing policy.Initially, a number of proofs had to besubmitted to fix the eligibility of a directhutment dweller. People had to facedifficulties due to the excessivedocuments required. This led us to takea decision that one or two proofs needto be accepted. Instead of an affidaviton stamp paper of `100, a self affidaviton a plain paper is now being accepted.

Maharashtra has an unorganisedlabour force of 3 crore. We plan toestablish Maharashtra UnorganisedLabour Social Security Board. The Government always makesefforts to protect the rights of the labour force. Now we aredeliberating on a policy plan for a home for labour. Under Makein Maharashtra, the Government has brought amendment inLabour Acts, which will protect the rights of workers. We also planto implement Juvenile Worker Protection Act with provision foraction against defaulters.

—As told to Jayshree Kolhe

Making travel in Maharashtra comfortable, strengtheninginternal communication and developing the State in allrespects is my resolve for 2016. To change the face ofthe State and for inclusive development, Basic

Infrastructure Facilitation Committee has principally sanctionedfunds to the tune of `52,000 crore. It has been planned topresent the project reports of the key infrastructure projectsimmediately and to complete the works by 2019.

Besides Nagpur–Mumbai super communication expressway,projects such as elevated road on Thane–Ghodbundar Road,capacity expansion of Mumbai–Pune expressway, railwayoverbridge at 27 locations in Vidarbha region, and four-laning ofWakan–Pali–Khopoli road are the focus. These projects will

accelerate development in theState. Special measures have beentaken by the department to preventfrequent accidents on Mumbai–Pune expressway due to landslides.As the mesh placed here does nothave enough strength, a doublestrength alloy mesh is planned to beplaced. We will try to speed up thework on this expressway to makethe travel on this route faster andsafer in times to come.

In 2016, we have resolved toaccelerate the work on Mumbai–Nagpur communication super

expressway, push for capacity expansion of Mumbai–Puneexpressway, expediate the work of 27 railway over-bridges inVidarbha, concentrate on special remedial measures to preventlandslide accidents on Mumbai–Pune expressway and launchspecial efforts for strengthening communication network in wholeof Maharashtra.

—As told to Dr. Sambhaji Kharat

PRAKASH MEHTA �� Minister for Housing, Mining and Labour

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“Our focus is on building basicinfrastructure in the State”

“Affordable houses andlabour welfare, our resolves”

“Tochange theface of Maharashtra,Basic InfrastructureFacilitation Committeehas sanctioned funds tothe tune of ̀ 52,000 crore.Soon, reports of the keyinfrastructure projectswill be presented”

EKNATH SHINDE �� Minister for Public Works (Public Undertakings)

“Under Make inMaharashtra, we havedone amendment inLabour Acts to protectthe rights of workers. Wenow plan to implementJuvenile Worker Pro -tection Act with actionagainst defaulters”

Resolutions2016

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Effective implementation of decisions taken last year andpriority to public interest and transparency are my resolvefor the New Year. The speed of development is dependenton communication and infrastructure. The Government

initiated 1,000 new works on a single day on the occasion ofcompletion of one year in office. UnderRoad Development Plan, we haveresolved to create a network of 3.36lakh km of roads for which we arefollowing up with the Centre.

We are making efforts to expand thecooperative network across the State. Toprovide concession in license rates forfarmers so that they are able to taketheir produce directly to customers andto bring time-bound improvements inthe agent system, a committee has beenappointed. Forty-six Export FacilitationCentres have been accorded permissionby Agricultural Marketing Federation torun the centres on rental basis.

Mega textile parks are being started in cotton-producing areasof Yavatmal, Buldhana, Aurangabad, Jalna, Jalgaon, Beed,Parbhani and Nanded. Five cooperative spinning mills inbackward areas would get financial assistance. A decision hasbeen taken to shift the closed National Textile Corporation mills tothe cotton-producing centre at Nandgaonpeth in Amravati.

—As told to Vilas Bodke

Most of the resolutions we made on behalf of Departmentof Public Health last year have been implemented andon some, the work is being done on war footing. Variousinnovative schemes such as Shiv Arogya Telemedicine

Scheme and Operation Kayapalat are being implemented. In 2015,a supplementary food world conference seeking remedial measuresfor malnutrition was organised in alliance with UNICEF. Based on itsrecommendations and expert opinions, Government of Maha -rashtra is now preparing a policy for providing nutritious sup ple -mentary food to malnourished children. Maharashtra will be thefirst State in India preparing such a policy document. We arecommitted to build a malnourishment-free Maharashtra.

Although Maharashtra has received accolades for reduction inbirth of pre-mature babies, the samestill stands at 23 per cent and we areemphasising on further reduction ofthe rate. The Central schemes forreducing incidence of short heightand freedom from malnutrition willbe implemented effectively.

To protect young children fromfive types of possible fatal diseases,the State-level Pentavalent Vacci -nation Scheme was successfullylaunched on November 22, 2015 inOsmanabad. Now, a single penta -valent vaccine will cover all the fivediseases. This vaccination will be

given to babies between the ages of 0-1 year under the normalvaccination programme.

In other initiatives, to provide fast service to patients inMumbai, Shiv Arogya bike ambulance service will be launchedsoon. To begin with, ten bike ambulances will be made availableand the service will be connected to 108.

—As told to Gajanan Patil

CHANDRAKANT DADA PATIL �� Minister for Cooperation, Marketing and Textiles,Public Works (Excluding Public Undertakings)

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“We are committed to build amalnourishment-free State”

“Communication and infrastructure are crucial”

“TheGovernmentis preparing a policyfor providing healthysupplementary food tomalnourished children.Maharashtra is the firstState in India to preparesuch a document toaddress malnutrition”

DR. DEEPAK SAWANT �� Minister for Public Health and Family Welfare

“Mega textileparks are being startedin cotton-producingareas of Maharashtra.Five cooperativespinning mills in thebackward areas of theState would getfinancial assistance”


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Led by the Vaidyanath pattern implemented for mitigatingthe drought situation at Parli and Ambejogai talukas ofBeed, we launched Jalyukta Shivar Yojana. For 2015, 6,202villages were selected. The Government made a provision of

`1,000 crore for the scheme. Through the scheme, the waterconservation department resolved tohelp 25,000 villages in next five years.We are proud to share that through thescheme, a capacity of 6,88,596.85 TCMhas been created so far.

In 2016, the Rural DevelopmentDepartment plans to convert all GramPanchayats to Smart Gram Panchayats.We plan to make available 58,000guaranteed employment opportunitiesto individuals around 35 years withinnext two years. For this, the ambitiousDeen Dayal Upadhyaya GrameenKaushalya Vikas Yojana has beeninitiated. We have signed MoUs with 30renowned institutes in private sector and the training wouldnormally be for a period of three months.

An objective of the Government is to prioritise drought reliefwork and bring about a huge increase in employment generation.The Government started, ‘A day with labourers’ programme onGram Rojgar Din. I wish to be able to develop the rural areas onall counts and create a prosperous Maharashtra.

—As told to Sangita Bisandre

After taking the oath, I had resolved for the comprehensivedevelopment of the tribal community of Maharashtra. Thedepartment itself was created for the development of thecommunity. As a part of this, we have tried to bring some

fundamental changes in the department under the guidance ofChief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. We took some importantdecisions in past one year; the implementation of the decisionshas also started.

To begin with, we were successful in implementing the firstcentral kitchen in the State. Through this, the students ofAshramshala will get a nutritious and tasty diet in time. For this,an MoU has been signed between the department, Tata Trust andAkshyapatra Foundation. A kitchen has been started at

Mundhegaon in Nashik and anotherwill start at Kambalgaon in Palghar.Our efforts will be to implement theconcept of central kitchen in aphased manner all over Maha -rashtra. We are also building theGondavana Museum at Nagpur.

The Government is makingconcerted efforts to reduce theproportion of malnutrition inscheduled areas of the State. Toimprove the nutrients and proteins inthe diet of pregnant women andfeeding mothers, Dr. Abdul KalamAMRUT scheme was inaugurated in

Palghar. This will improve the number of healthy children beingborn. We have resolved for welfare of all the tribal people duringnext four years. I wish for a comprehensive educational, social andeconomical development of the tribal people. I have resolved tolaunch innovative initiatives for the tribal community and to bringthem to the mainstream of society.


SMT. PANKAJA MUNDE �� Minister for Rural Development and Water Conservation,Employment Guarantee Scheme, Women and Child Development

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“Welfare of tribal communitiesneeds innovative initiatives”

“Drought relief and job creation are priorities for us”

“Inthe New Year, ourefforts will be toimplement the concept ofcentral kitchen in aphased manner all overthe State. The kitchensprovide students ofAshramshala a nutritiousand tasty diet in time”

VISHNU SAVRA �� Minister for Tribal Development

“Anobjective of theGovernment is toprioritise drought reliefwork and bring abouta huge increase inemployment generation.I wish to develop State’svillages and make themsmart and self-reliant”

Resolutions2016


Ihave resolved to empower all my departments and make thempeople friendly. The distribution system at fair price shops willbe made self-sufficient. An important resolution is theestablishment of Food Corporation in the State. We plan to

complete this work during 2016. The other one is to implementkerosene-free area effectively. BiometricIdentification System will be imple -mented across the State. The Aadharseeding work of computerised rationcards will be completed this year. Tostrengthen the rationing system,computerised supply chain will be imple -mented all over the State. The entireFood and Drugs Administration will becomputerised and all the licenses andapplications will be made availableonline. We also plan to strengthen thelaboratories under this department.

Our priorities are preventing blackmarketing at fair price shops, starting400 medical stores to make availabile medicines at lower prices,setting up Food Corporation and effectively implementingkerosene-free area scheme. Milk strip will be prepared to preventcheating of customers. Inspection system of packed foods will bestrengthened. A special course on metrology will be started atIndustrial Training Institutes, besides computerisation of entiremetrology department and modernisation of the system.

—Astold toNandkumar Waghmare

My resolution for the New Year is to empower the WaterResources Department. We will be concentrating onacceleration of large, medium and small irrigationprojects in the State and to make their benefits

available to farmers as fast as possible.In case of delayed improved administrative sanction, powers

have been delegated to the concerned corporations to accelerateprojects in drought-affected regions of Vidarbha and Marathwada.With decentralisation of power for tender process, the work onprojects has accelerated and I will make efforts for furtheracceleration of these works.

The Water Resources Department will strive for reducing thedifference between established irrigation capacity and actual

usage. Efforts will be made towardscompleting maximum projects inminimum time. Ten essential serviceshave been notified under the ServiceGuarantee Act. Special efforts willbe made for effective imple -mentation of these services and passon their benefit to the people ofMaharashtra. As some services arebeing carried online, the departmenthas started moving towards E-waterguarantee.

Going ahead, the Government ofMaharashtra is planning a prog -ramme to create 2.19 lakh irrigation

capacities and 958 MCM water storage through work on 132projects in 14 farmer suicides affected districts of Vidarbha andMarathwada in next three years. The emphasis will be onempowering the Water Resources Department and efforts forreducing the void between established irrigation capacity in theState and its actual usage.

—As told to Sanjay D. Orke

GIRISH BAPAT �� Minister for Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Protection, Foodand Drugs Administration, Parliamentary Affairs

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“There must be coordinationbetween capacity and usage”

“Empower departments andmake them people-friendly”

“The emphasiswill be on empoweringthe Water ResourcesDepartment andreducing the voidbetween establishedirrigation capacity inMaharashtra andactual usage of water”

GIRISH MAHAJAN �� Minister for Water Resources and Khar Lands

“Ourpriorities arepreventing blackmarketing at fair priceshops, starting 400medical stores to makeavailabile medicines atlower prices and settingup Food Corporation inMaharashtra”


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We are aware that energy is essential for the developmentof the country. Considering the rising demand ofelectricity, we had taken some path-breaking decisions lastyear to generate ample electricity at lesser expense. The

Energy Department has made certain important resolutions for 2016to implement these decisions effectively.

The Non-conventional Energy SourcesPolicy of the State has been announcedand solar energy projects of 7,500 MWwill be set up through public-privatepartnership. Out of these, 2,500 MW ofsolar power generation will beimplemented through Mahanirmiti. Atotal of 14,400 MW of distribution-related projects from renewable energysources are planned for next five years.

The maximum demand of electricityin Mumbai is 3,500 MW. Certainmeasures have been taken throughMSEDCL and Tata Power so that thedemand and supply gap can be removed. Electrical systems in 254cities will be strengthened under Centre’s Integrated EnergyDevelopment Scheme. Eleven cities from Aurangabad circle havebeen included in the scheme with provision of `2,500 crore. Tocreate basic infrastructure for electrical power in villages, theGovernment has submitted a `3,000 crore proposal forimplementation of Deendayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana.

—As told to Jayshree Kolhe

Our motto is, ‘every household with water and toilet.’Under this, we are going to make available clean andpure water to every family in the State. The Governmentwill emphasise on individual toilet in each household of

Maharashtra by 2019. In 2016, we will also emphasise on takingup new wells and maintenance and repairs to the old ones. Themove is expected to enhance water resources considerably. Tocomplete the backlog of drinking water and irrigation issues inMarathwada, I have requested Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavisto establish a Water Commissioner’s office at Aurangabad.

The Centre-sponsored scheme, Atal Mission for Rejuvenationand Urban Transformation (AMRUT) will be implemented by theWater Supply and Sanitation Department in 43 cities in the State.

Building urban facilities for watersupply, drainage, transport andenhancing the living standards ofurban population is the aim of theproject. Out of the chosen 43 cities,Maharashtra Jeevan Pradhikaran willbe the implementing agency for 39cities except A+, A, and B classMunicipal Corporations.

Under Swachh MaharashtraAbhiyan, the State will not layemphasis on number of toilets, buton attaining freedom from opendefecation throughout its GramPanchayats. We have been successful

in attaining open defecation freedom in 10,000 villages ofMaharashtra so far.

Even if we aim the target of complete open defecationfreedom by October 2, 2019, in terms of individual toilets alone,we need to construct 3,500 toilets daily in the State. This is a hugechallenge, but we have accepted it.

—As told to Rahul Bhalerao

CHANDRASHEKHAR BAWANKULE �� Minister for Energy, New and Renewable Energy

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“Every householdmust have water and toilet”

“Ample electricitygeneration at lesser expense”

“UnderSwachhMaharashtra Abhiyan,the State will notemphasis on numberof toilets, but onattaining freedom fromopen defecationthroughout itsGram Panchayats”

BABANRAO LONIKAR �� Minister for Water Supply and Sanitation

“Tocreate basicinfrastructure forelectrical power invillages, the Governmenthas submitted a ̀ 3,000crore proposal forimplementation ofDeendayal UpadhyayaGram Jyoti Yojana”

Resolutions2016


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In the New Year, the departments held by me will try to takeforward the initiatives taken in 2015. Efforts have been madeover last year for preserving the values of equality, social justice,democracy and inculcation of justice in human society. We have

resolved to work for the welfare of all sections of Maharashtra societyand to bring all-round development. In 2016, we shall beconcentrating on development in an appropriate direction in social,educational, economic and cultural fields. We shall look into speedydevelopment of Indu Mills area and creation of Dr. BabasahebAmbedkar International Memorial at London.


“All-round development”

In the year 2016, we shall be concentrating on more effectiveimplementation of decisions connected to Revenue Departmenttaken in the interest of people and farmers. We expect anincrease in State’s revenue from various measures taken. These

include recovery of stamp duty and online system. We have alsodecided to bring the district of Yavatmal out of prevailing droughtsituation through water conservation scheme, Jalyukta Shivar Yojana.The flagship scheme is set to work wonders in the State.

An innovative project, Water Evolution Project has also beentaken up in the district. Through this initiative, we would like tocreate 50 large dams in Yavatmal through people participation andshramadaan. Special efforts will be made for a time-boundcompletion of the project.

—As told to Sanjay D. Orke

“Emphasis on enhancing revenue”

The Social Justice department has taken many importantdecisions during 2015. In the New Year, We have resolved toimplement some more schemes. Last year, we had resolvedto construct 50 hostels for Scheduled Caste students. The

action is being taken on it. Residential training arrangements havebeen made at Mumbai, Pune andNagpur for students preparing forcompetitive examinations. Skilldevelopment programme has beenstarted for backward class unemployedyouth. The training has started forunemployed youth from various districts.

In 2016, we plan to complete theworks left incomplete last year. We willestablish Dr. Babasaheb AmbedkarSamata Pratishthan on the lines of Dr. Babasheb Ambedkar Foundation setup by Government of India.Construction of an independent buildingfor Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Researchand Training Institute, Pune will be undertaken. This willaccelerate completion of work related to caste verification andother matters. In 2016, an international memorial will be built atthe house where Dr. Babasheb Ambedkar stayed in London.

Girl students and women from backward class are now gettingeducation and employment in cities. We are planning to constructworking women’s hostels in Mumbai, Pune and Nagpur. I shallstrive to take the welfare schemes to the downtrodden.

—As told to Nandkumar Waghmare RAJKUMAR BADOLE �� Minister for Social Justice and Special Assistance

DILIP KAMBLE �� Minister of State for Social Justice & SpecialAssistance, Relief & Rehabilitation, Earthquake Rehabilitation, MinoritiesDevelopment & Wakf, State Excise

SANJAY RATHOD �� Minister of State for Revenue

S

“A new direction forsocial justice in the State”

“In 2016, aninternational memorialwill be built at the housewhere Dr. BabasahebAmbedkar stayed inLondon. Construction ofan independent buildingfor BARTI, Pune willalso be undertaken”


N


In 2016, our efforts will be concentrated on women empowermentand competent children. Prevention of female foeticide andenhancing the participation of girls in education will be ourpriorities. Malnutrition is a complex issue. Marriage of girls at a

tender age and an immediate motherhood does not allow them todevelop and mature, resulting in birth of malnourished babies. Weshall make efforts to create awareness about the issue.

In 2016, we will emphasise on modernisation of children homes,setting up CCTV and skill development of boys and girls. Under Foodand Civil Supplies, doorstep delivery, biometric system, tracking of foodtransport, computerisation of ration cards, etc., will be done.


“Focus on women and child issues”

My efforts are aimed at maintaining law and order in theState and providing a safe environment to local andforeign tourists. Maharashtra Tourism DevelopmentCorporation has developed an app called Maha Explorer.

We have also submitted the detailed project report (DP) ofSindhudurg Coastal Circuit Development to Government of India,which has selected the circuit under Swadesh Darshan. I aim at thesafety of citizens, police health, agricultural schemes, marketing ofagricultural produce and affordable rates. We are looking at tourismexpansion projects like agro tourism and converting Deekshabhoomiand Dragon Palace as national monuments. We will organisetourism festivals to propagate the rich culture of Maharashtra.


“A safe environment for tourists”

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In 2016, we will make efforts for development of cooperativesector. We are committed to an all-round development. We hadissued resolutions on not recovering interest more than theprincipal amount, providing concession by Land Development

Bank on balance loan amount of farmers, and freeing around 2.23lakh farmers from Vidarbha and Marathwada from moneylenderloans, among others. We had decided on converting short-termloans to medium-term loans to give relief to farmers. This led to therepayment period of the loan revised from three years to five years.Through cooperatives, we shall strive to mitigate problems of thecommon man. Today, Maharashtra has around 2.5 lakhcooperatives of various kinds. In 2016, we are going to make effortsfor development of the sector.

—As told to Gajanan Patil

“Development of cooperative sector”

Aplanned campaign will be undertaken in the ensuing yearfor increasing irrigation capacity, rejuvenation of oldirrigation projects, river linking project, rainy seasonplanning for dams and time-bound completion of projects.

The Water Conservation Department will encourage perennialagriculture. Concentrated efforts will be made towards permanentfreedom from drought. Jalyukta Shivar Abhiyan will be accelerated.Through this scheme, efforts will be made to bring all agriculturalland in the State under irrigation. All the pending projects,especially where the investment of more than 75 per cent has beenmade, will be prioritised for completion.


“Increasing irrigation capacity”

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SMT. VIDYA THAKUR �� Minister of State for Women and ChildDevelopment, Food and Civil Supplies and Consumer Protection, Foodand Drugs Administration

DADAJI BHUSE �� Minister of State for Cooperation

PROF. RAM SHINDE �� Minister of State for Home (Rural), Marketing,Public Health, Tourism, Agriculture and Horticulture

VIJAY SHIVTARE �� Minister of State for Water Resources,Water Conservation, Parliamentary Affairs

“

Resolutions2016


During 2016, the Animal Husbandry, Dairy Development andFisheries departments will implement various schemes in theinterest of farmers. Transport and Public Works Department(Public Undertakings) will take up many schemes for the

benefit of commuters. Textiles will be given a huge lift. The StateGovernment aims at the overall development of cotton-producingbelts of Vidarbha and Marathwada. The Government has alreadyannounced Integrated Process Development Scheme under which allkinds of textile process units will be given grants.

Comprehensive efforts will be made by the Labour Departmentfor safeguarding the interests of workers.

—As told to Irshad Bagwan

“Labour welfare is our motto”

To bring tribal students from remote areas into mainstream, it isessential to improve their quality of education. The studentsmust be provided education with ultramodern facilities and skilldevelopment. Around 2 lakh students from 528 Government

Ashramshala and 50,000 students from 490 Government hostels areprovided meals by the Government. Students in the periphery of 40km are given breakfast, lunch and dinner through a central kitchen. Wehave started Swachh Bharat, Swachh School campaign. The WASHprogramme (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) has also been included inthe campaign. Swachh Bharat, Swachh Ashramshala programme isbeing implemented in all Ashramshalas run by the Tribal Departmentfrom academic year 2015-16.


“Improving quality of education”

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In 2016, we are committed to creating infrastructure foragriculture and rural development in every district so that itbenefits every member of society, from farmers to women andyouth. Constructing toilets in every village, keeping the village

clean and eradicating open defecation are the objectives. All thesewill make the villages self-sufficient.

The districts of Sindhudurg and Chandrapur are bestowed with fertile land that is best for agriculture and horticulture.Through micro planning, we plan to increase agricultural andhorticultural production in these districts. We are making adevelopment model based on available resources for industries,employment, agriculture, fisheries, animal husbandry, processingindustries and tourism.


“Our aim is inclusive development”

The prices of homes in Mumbai and some major districts of theState have skyrocketed. The common man cannot purchasehis rightful home. As a Minister of State for Housing, I havedecided to take the responsibility of bringing people close to

their homes. SRA projects will be given impetus by removinghurdles. Construction of model college building at Ambadve will becompleted as early as possible. Hindu Hriday Samrat Shiv SenaPramukh Balasaheb Thackerey was a leader who inculcated hugeinspiration in the youth. We shall try to give priority to startingBalasaheb Thackrey Chair at Mumbai University. Skill-basedcurriculum is under consideration.

—As told to Sachin Nimkar

“Affordable housing is the need”

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VIJAY DESHMUKH �� Minister of State for Public Works (Public Undertakings),Transport, Labour, Textiles, Animal Husbandry, Dairy Development and Fisheries

DEEPAK KESARKAR ��Minister of State for Finance, Rural Development, Planning

RAJE AMBRISHRAO ATRAM �� Minister of State for Tribal Development

RAVINDRA WAYKAR ��Minister of State for Housing, Higher and Technical Education

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To maintain law and order situation in Maharashtra, all thePolice Stations and offices have been connected by CCTNsystem. CCTV cameras have been placed at Pune and Pimpri–Chinchwad. By November 2016, the whole of Mumbai will be

brought under CCTV surveillance with installation of 6,020 cameras.The Government is ensuring that 365 cities under MunicipalCorporations/Municipal Councils and Nagar Panchayats go opendefecation free by October 2016. Under Pramod Mahajan SkillDevelop ment programme, the Government plans to make available25 lakh skilled manpower within five years.

—As told to Vilas Bodke

“A safe and secure Maharashtra”

People of Maharashtra meet State administration on a day-to-day basis. We are making all efforts to connect them to ourservices with the help of technology and, in the process, bringacceleration and transparency in the system. Special efforts are

necessary for carrying people-oriented schemes to the downtrodden.Lokshahi Din was recently brought online so that citizens fromvarious parts of Maharashtra are not required to visit Mantralaya forpetty work. The online Lokshahi Din is held every month. The StateGovernment has already made online 43 services under ServiceGuarantee Act. In 2016, we plan to put maximum services online. Iaim to encourage senior officers to meet people for an hour daily,implement new ideas to resolve citizen’s issues and invite agriuniversities to help resolve problems like farmer suicides.

—As told to Ajay Jadhav

“Technology-led administration”

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We have committed ourselves to the success of State’smega manufacturing programme, Make in Maharashtra.Continued efforts are being made for ease of doingbusiness and we shall concentrate on bringing easy and

accelerated process for development of industries. For accelerationof industrialisation, we have brought down the permissions forsetting up new industry from 76 to 37 and are working to bring thenumber further down to 25. We will achieve this in 2016.

We will also try to attract foreign investments for the programme.We are striving for expansion of industries in backward areas of theState. The same will be accelerated during the New Year.

—As told to Jayashree Kolhe

“Industries for backward areas”

As a response to SwachhBharat Abhiyan, the Stateis implementing SwachhMaharashtra Abhiyan

with full vigour. Various initiativesare being organised in urban andrural areas. In order to makesanitation a public movement,the programme must haveparticipation of all constituents ofsociety. Chief Minister DevendraFadnavis is personally lookinginto the Swachh MaharashtraAbhiyan. Now, it is our turn to bepart of the revolution. Let usmake sanitation our resolution for2016. The mission requiressaying no to open defecation,using a public toilet in case anindividual home toilet is notavailable, and taking initiativefor individual toilets.

The Chief Minister insists thatenvironment-friendly develop -ment can alone bring totaldevelopment. A multi-faceted phenomenon, sanitation nourishesnature. It is directly related to the lifestyle of human beings. Arealisation of this must generate among citizens, who must inculcatea change in their basic habits.

Let’s take the oath: I shall not throw waste in the open, I shallnot make uncontrolled use of plastic, I will segregate wet and drywaste and I will not spit in public places.

A resolution for everyone

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DR. RANJIT PATIL �� Minister of State for Home (Urban), Urban Develop -ment, General Administration, Law and Judiciary, Parliamentary Affairs, SkillDevelopment and Entrepreneurship, Ports and Ex-Servicemen’s Welfare

PRAVIN POTE PATIL �� Minister of State for Industries and Mining,Environment, Public Works (excluding Public Undertakings)

SWADHEEN KSHATRIYA �� Chief Secretary

Resolutions2016

that the State Government brand, NOGA will bemaintained. Efforts are being made to strengthenthe market systems for the benefit of farmers. Milk-processing industry will be started at Gondia withNestle. The project will also work for improvementin the quality of milk.

A crash programme has been undertaken forproviding water and electricity to the farmers. Tillnow, 52,000 electrical connections have beenprovided in the 14 farmer suicide affected districts.The pending connections will be completed byJune 2016. The Government has targeted 65,000new electrical connections during this period. Thework on 49,000 wells has been completed in thesedistricts. Considering that a farmer is benefittedwith electricity and water from the well, theGovernment has taken up a crash programme forconstruction of wells. Planning has been done toconstruct 25,000 more wells. Under MGNREGA,one lakh wells will be constructed in drought-affected areas. The works have been started inthese areas on a large scale and 417 lakh man-dayshave been created so far.

Jalyukta Shivar Yojana is found to be useful forcreation of decentralised water storages. Till now, 24

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis an -nounced a special programme worth`10,512 crore during the recent StateAssembly Session in Nagpur to help

drought-affected farmers of Maharashtra. The ChiefMinister also appealed for making efforts to improvethe conditions of farmers in drought-affected areas.

The Chief Minister said that the calamity hasplaced a huge challenge before Maharashtra.Under the new programme, a major focus hasbeen on Jalyukta Shivar Yojana, support to cottonand orange processing units, building farmponds, wells and providing electrical connections.The move will see construction of 1 lakh wells inthe drought-affected areas. The Governmenthas decided to provide `1,000 crore to cottonand soybean farmers, `2,500 crore for buildingfarm ponds on demand, ̀ 750 crore for completionof work on 33,000 wells and `1,000 crore forpower connections.

Raymond Group is setting up a project with aninvestment of ̀ 1,500 crore at the Integrated TextilePark at Amravati. The venture will provideemployment to 10,000 persons. Cotton-processingunits will also be started at 11 districts of the State.

To encourage orange-processing industry, acomprehensive programme has been undertakenwith Orange Unnati Project. Through public- pri -vate participation, an orange-processing industrywill be started at Morshi with cooperation of JainIrrigation and Coca Cola Company. Oranges will begrown on 1,000 acres of land. The Chief Minister said

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For the comfort and progress of drought-affected farmers, the StateGovernment announces a special programme worth ̀ 10, 512 crore

DEVELOPMENT WITH AFOCUS ON FARMERS

FFOOCCUUSS AARREEAASS• Government hasdecided to provide`̀1,000 crore to cottonand soybean farmers,`̀2,500 crore forbuilding farm pondson demand, ̀̀ 750crore for completionof work on 33,000wells and ̀̀ 1,000 crorefor powerconnections.• Raymond Group issetting up a projectwith an investment of`̀1,500 crore at theIntegrated TextilePark at Amravati.The venture willprovide employmentto 10,000 persons.• About 62 lakhfarmers from the 14suicide-affecteddistricts of the Stateare being given rice at`̀3 per kg and wheatat `̀2 per kg. • Under Rajiv GandhiJeevandayee ArogyaYojana, farmers arebeing supported withsurgery and medicaltreatment. UnderGopinath MundeFarmer AccidentInsurance Scheme,the compensation `̀2 lakh.

NAGPUR ASSEMBLY Announcement

�

million cubic feet of water storage has been createdat 6,200 villages with the scheme. To control theworks done, a taluka-level committee under thechairmanship of the MLA will be constituted. TheChief Minister also announced that the fundsallotted through MLA funds will be matched equallyby State Government funds. Rejuvenation of riversis being taken up under the scheme from this year.

On the lines of Madhya Pradesh, a scheme ofagricultural lake on demand in drought-proneareas will be launched to create decentralised waterstorages. A farmer will be provided with a grantdirectly. The Government has adopted remedialmeasures for freedom of farmers from the clutchesof money lenders. The money lender loans to 19,719farmers have been waived off. Efforts are beingmade so that the lands and papers are returned tothese farmers. The Government has made availableloans to the tune of `3,504 crore for conversion ofcrop loans. The number of account holder farmers inthe State is 40-42 per cent and they avail loansfrom various banks.

However, a major percentage of the farmersremain deprived from the institutional loannetwork. Efforts are being made to bring such 6.5

t lakh farmers to the network. Nine per cent of thefarmers from 14 suicide-affected districts have beenbrought under the network.

About 62 lakh farmers from the suicide-affected districts are being given rice at `3 per kgand wheat at `2 per kg. Under Rajiv GandhiJeevandayee Arogya Yojana, farmers are beingsupported with surgery and medical treatment.Under Gopinath Munde Farmer AccidentInsurance Scheme, the compensation has beendoubled to ̀ 2 lakh. The Chief Minister said that noapplication will be necessary for the accidentinsurance scheme.

This year, 82 lakh farmers of Maharashtraparticipated in State’s crop insurance scheme.Ninety per cent farmers from Jalna, Osmanabad,Beed and Parbhani have taken up the scheme.Seventy per cent of soybean crop has been broughtunder crop insurance. To provide comfort to thefarmers from drought-affected areas, a concessionof 33.5 per cent has been provided in the currentelectricity bill for agricultural pumps. This hasbenefited 19,45,183 farmers. At the same time,the Government waived off the examination feesfor 9.5 lakh students from farmer families.


Chief Minister DevendraFadnavis makes anannouncement onproviding assistance todrought-affected farmersof the State in Nagpur

To providesuccor to thefarmers fromdrought-affectedareas, aconcessionof 33.5 per centhas beenprovided inthe currentelectricity billfor agriculturalpumps. Thishas benefited19,45,183 farmers

� A company will be set up to completeGosikhurd project, for which ̀ 10,000 crore will beraised through public issue of tax-free bonds. � A rail connectivity parallel to Super ExpressHighway will be developed. The first phase of theroute will be completed by 2019.� Funds to be made available for special schemesand measures for availing adequate infrastructurefacilities in agriculture and industrial sectors. � To strengthen road network in Vidarbha andMarathwada, ̀ 500 crore will be provided for con-struction of 19 districts roads in next two years. � Facilities of education and medical tourism willbe made available through Eco-Tourism Board.� Shri Siddhivinayak Scholarship scheme for thechildren of the farmers who committed suicide. � A time-bound programme will be made forclearing backlog in Vidarbha; action has beentaken to fulfil the backlog in Government services. � Funds will be made available in the forthcom-ing budget to clear the backlog of `239.36 crorein health sector in Marathwada and Vidarbha. � Issues related to airports of Akola, Amravati,Yavatmal, Latur, Gondia, Chandrapur, Osmanabadto be cleared in alliance with Union Government; acompany for Wardha–Yavatmal–Nanded railwayline, Orange Dehydration Project at Warud and alogistic park and hub at MIHAN to be set up. � The Government endeavours to complete 39irrigation projects from Vidarbha and Marathwadaby March 2016 and updated irrigation projectshas been given approval.� A Government dental college to start at Washim � Compensation of `4,800 per tree to farmers forthe damage of orange; it was `500 earlier. � A committee to be set up to address issuesrelated to industrial sector and power to be sup-plied to industries at lower tariff rates shortly.

SALIENT POINTS

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n the era of competitive federalism, Maharashtraoutsmarts other States while keeping its pre-eminence in attracting both domestic and foreigndirect investments. The world’s largest contractmanufacturer Foxconn zeroed in on Maharashtra forits proposed investment of $5 billion. Foxconn’sFounder–Chairman Terry Gou, who was lured byother competing States such as Gujarat, Andhra

Pradesh and Telangana, at the outset declared Maharashtra tobe an obvious choice, as it has many R&D (research anddevelopment) units and several multinationals. Besides, theState has a strong leadership, incentives and implementationskills. He noted, ‘If Maha rashtra changes, India changes.’

Further eyebrows were raised when auto major GeneralMotors decided to shut production at its Halol plant in Gujaratand consolidate its operations at Talegaon, Maharashtra withan investment of $1 billion. During her meeting with ChiefMinister Devendra Fadnavis, CEO, General Motors, MaryBarra said Talegaon is a far bigger plant and has scope for


With Make in Maharashtra boostingState’s image at home andabroad, it is the best time for localindustries and enterprises to getinto global value chains and prosper.A report by SSaannjjaayy JJoogg

THE PLACE TO DO

BUSINESS I

OVERVIEW Make in Maharashtra


expansion. “We have almost 70 per cent of oursuppliers in and around that plant. Between thetwo plants, Talegaon (Maharashtra) is a naturalchoice for us,” she said, while extending hercompany’s support to Make in Maharashtra.

The global IT giant, Microsoft, which has two ofits three data centres situated in Maharashtra,decided to work with the State Government on thedevelopment of State’s first smart village at Harisal in Amravati,Vidarbha. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella assured the ChiefMinister his support to State’s ‘digital village’ scheme and todevelop Smart MIDC (industrial estates).

Moreover, the leading finance and investment consultant,Blackstone Group decided to invest `5,000 crore in the State.The group has plans to set up a `1,200 crore facility in an ITpark at Hinjewadi in Pune and invest another `1,500 crore inan IT park in central Mumbai. The group has also proposed`1,050 investment in other IT parks across Mumbai, andaround ̀ 750 crore projects in the special economic zone.

The above-mentioned investments are among`1 lakh crore investment proposals received byMaharashtra in last 14 months. Investors havereaffirmed their faith in State’s ability to retainits number one slot as the most favoureddestination to do business in India. Maharashtrais well positioned and strategically located with along coastline and abundance of natural and

human resources, making it one of country’s most importanthubs for transportation, labour, logistics and informationtechnology. Its location accompanied with economic and socialdemographic factors places it ahead of its peers. Presence ofbig names from the world of business such as Tata, Birla,Reliance, Mahindra & Mahindra, Hindustan Unilever,Godrej, Infosys, Wipro and others makes it country’s financialand trade capital.

Maharashtra is a leader in 20 out of 26 sectors in Indiaand possesses a colossal potential for development in variedsectors due to widespread vital resources. As a result, the

(From facing page top)Maharashtra signs anMoU with GeneralMotors and PrimeMinister Narendra Modiduring his visit tothe new GE facility inthe State


AMONG THE MAJORMIDC PARKS ARE:� MILLENNIUM BUSINESSPARK, NAVI MUMBAI: It is one ofthe largest software parkdeveloped in the State, spreadover a planned and land-scaped area of 48 acres, with35 buildings on 23,000,00 sq.ft.total built-up area. It hasinternet connectivity, a dedi-cated sub-station (22/11 KV)and comprehensivefacilities and amenities. Thesuccess of the park can beestimated from the names—Aptech, CMC, Hexaware,Mastek, Rolta, TCS, IntelenetGlobal, PCS, Medicure Ltd,Exult Ltd., E-Sobs ltd., MLGroups, MTNL, VSNL andSTPL— it has.

� SAMRUDDHI VENTURE PARK,MUMBAI: A one-of-its-kindventure established to facili-tate and encourage entrepre-neurship in the IT sector inMaharashtra, the SamruddhiVenture Park is an ideal loca-tion for venture capital firms,incubator firms, angelinvestors (several angelinvestor firms from the SiliconValley are associated with theproject), international lawyers

and accounting firms andoffices of NASSCOM and TiE.

� IT PARKS: With the aim ofproviding all-round growthof the IT industry and tap thepotential of the abundantand varied IT skill-setsavailable throughout thestate, MIDC has developedseveral IT parks in Mumbai,Pune, Nagpur, Aurangabad,Kolhapur, Nashik, Amravati,Satara, Sangli, Latur, Ahmed-nagar and Solapur. Amongthese, the most prominent isRajiv Gandhi Infotech Park atHinjewadi in Pune. Maha-rashtra’s largest IT park—spread over 238 acresof exquisitely developedland—is already a resound-ing success with names likeInfosys, Wipro, Cognizant,Geometric, Tata Technolo-gies and Veritas based here.

� BIOTECHNOLOGY PARKS:The State offers tremendousopportunities for growth ofbiotech industries based onits intrinsic strengths such asmost international andnational pharmaceuticalcompanies located in theState, internationallyrenowned R&D institutions

a

NAME OF THE AREA AREA (in acres)

Phase 1 Phase 2

Mahad, Raigad 250 1882.45

Butibori, Nagpur 675 4428.15

Additional Sinnar, Nashik 250 17367.50

Indapur, Pune 250 781.20

Hatkanangale, Kolhapur 250 2482.85

Shendre, Aurangabad 250 1900.30

Waluj, Aurangabad 250 2317.50

Kushnur, Nanded 250 1364.52

Nandgaonpeth, Amravati 250 6772.50

DEDICATED TO INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT

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Maharashtra Industrial Development Corpora-tion (MIDC) was established in 1962 under M.I.D.Act 1961 as the premier industrial infrastruc-

ture development agency of Government of Maharash-tra. Its objectives are to set up industrial areas forplanned and systematic industrial development, tofunction as a special planning authority in developmentof industrial areas, and bringing prosperity to allthrough industrialisation. The State-run body has built225 industrial complexes with 1,30,000 acres of land,developed specialised parks for different industrialsectors, including IT, biotechnology, wine (grape pro-cessing), gems and jewellery, textiles, leather, chemical,electronics, food processing and floriculture, amongothers. It has an elaborate network of industrial anddomestic water supply, with total quantity of watersupplied at 1285 MLD.

MIDC FIVE-STAR INDUSTRIAL AREAS

The State is strategicallytaking the opportunityof Centre’s new policies ofMake in India, DigitalIndia, Clean India and SkillIndia by actively developingits various sectorssuch as IT, biotech, foodprocessing and others


State houses several investment regions. It has been thebiggest contributor to India’s economy. In 2014, Maharashtragross state domestic product (GSDP) reached `9 lakh crore,which represents 15.6 per cent of India’s gross domesticproduct (GDP). State’s GSDP has been the largest among allthe States for several years. The State contributes over 25 percent to nation’s total industrial output.

According to State’s Economic Survey 2014-15, from August1991 to March 2012, 4,246 FDI projects (out of the 20,643 at thenational level), amounting to `97,799 crore (as against`4,25,811 crore at the national level) were approved. Of these,only 45 per cent were commissioned and 10 per cent are stillunder execution, with a share of investment of 51 per cent and8 per cent, respectively.

Maharashtra is strategically taking the opportunity ofUnion Government’s new policies of Make in India, DigitalIndia, Clean India and Skill India by actively developingelectronics systems design and manufacturing in the State.Both Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Minister forIndustries Subhash Desai say the Government is taking a slew

2 MAHARASHTRA AHEAD � JANUARY 2016 23

and availability of a large poolof highly trained scientistsand engineers. An interna-tional biotech park is beingbuilt at Hinjewadi Phase-II,Pune. The park will promotebio-informatics to a largeextent and the thrustwill be on pharmaceuticalbiotechnology.

� FOOD PARK, BUTIBORI,NAGPUR: The park spreadover 60 acres is being set upjointly by MIDC and Maha-rashtra Agro IndustriesDevelopment Corporation.The project is jointly spon-sored by Government ofIndia’s Department of FoodProcessing Industry andGovernment ofMaharashtra. Its locationis ideal for processing oforanges, mangoes, lemon,sweet lime, pineapples andtomatoes. The park will pro-vide various common facili-ties such as cold storage andwarehousing, advancedpackaging including tetrapackaging, and compositefood-testing laboratory.

� SILVER ZONE, HUPRI: Thefirst specialised silver zoneis being set up at Hupri

within Kagal-HatkanangleFive Star Industrial Area.Located 20 km from Kolhapurcity, the park will cover 200acres. Its prominent fea-tures are a centralised facil-ity for recycling and purifyingof effluent, industrial plotswith residential facilityenabling artisans to live andwork at the same premises,various amenities such as apost office, banks, schoolsand a separatepolice station.

� GRAPE-PROCESSING PARKS:Maharashtra also hasgrape-processing parkssuch as Godavari Wine Park,Vinchur, Nashik and KrishnaWine Park, Palus, Sangli. TheState Government hasannounced a visionary GrapePolicy incorporating drasticreduction in excise duty onwines for encouraging valueaddition on grapes throughwine making. Grape Boardhas been established forquality control and certifica-tion and to promote exports.A wine institute will be set upto maintain international-level quality and providetrained manpower to thesector.

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Today, the nature ofglobal trade and business isundergoing a rapid change.Global value chains is the nameof the game. It is a challengeas well an opportunity forindustries and SMEs inMaharashtra to get into thesevalue chains and prosper

as many other countries like China and Malaysiahave done. Today, MNCs hunt for the cheapestand most competitive parts and components.Maharashtra’s traditional strengths inengineering, machinery, auto componentscan have bright prospects. —C.S. Deshpande, Economist

The Industrial policyof the State has beenrobust and attractive,

ensuring that major foreigninvestments come to the State.Maharashtra has excellenthuman resource in terms ofeducational institutions, fromprimary to University level. TheState has been progressive in allowing industriesto have 24-hour working, no restrictions onwomen working late hours, relaxation on labourlaws, permission for units in IT parks to beindependent power producers and setting upof several industrial townships.—Arvind Pradhan, DG, Indian Merchants’ Chamber

WHAT THEY SAY...

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of initiatives to ensure ease of doing business. TheGovernment has reduced the number of permis -sions required for starting new businesses to 37from 76 and relaxed river zone regulations.

This apart, Maharashtra is perhaps one of themost premier States in the country to launch aservice that permits both online submission andapproval system through a dynamic interactiveportal. These services are according to sectors and industrywith the categories distinctly put under different Central andState departments for the benefit of its existing customers andplot holders along with prospective investors.

Director General of Indian Merchants’ Chamber, ArvindPradhan admits that Maharashtra is the leading industrialState of India, ranking first among States in terms of GSDPand accounting for 15 per cent of the national income. Theper capita income of the State is significantly higher thanthe national average. The growth rate of State’s GDP in

industrial sector is at 8.65 per cent as against theaverage 6.87 per cent.

“Maharashtra’s industrial policy has beenrobust and attractive, ensuring that majorforeign investments come to the State. It hasexcellent human resource. The State has beenprogressive in allowing industries to have 24-hour working, no restrictions on women working

late hours, relaxation on labour laws, permission for units inIT parks to be independent power producers and setting upof several industrial townships. The Delhi–Mumbai Indus -trial Corridor, which is being developed with the help ofJapan, is a stellar project which will usher in a hugeindustrial growth,” he notes.

Leading economist C.S. Deshpande shares ArvindPradhan’s views, suggesting Maharashtra to be the economicand industrial powerhouse of India for a very long time.However, he cautions that these are not the days to rest on past

l(From left) Chief MinisterDevendra Fadnavis andChief SecretarySwadheen Kshatriyaduring an MoU signingceremony with DutchPrime Minister MarkRutte and the varioussectors of the State



laurels and be complacent. The economist recommends thatMaharashtra must continuously benchmark all its policies,procedures and practices with the global best and not aim atbeing topmost in India. In the recent inter-state ranking aboutease of doing business in India, Maharashtra ranks as low aseighth! This should make the industries and other departmentssit up and take unbiased view of the present procedures,especially the processes governing the MSMEs for whom thereal “acche din” are not yet in sight. He observes that thesuccess of Make in Maharashtra depends on the ease of doingbusiness, whether for domestic investment or for FDI.

Arvind Pradhan argues that there are still a few actions,which need to be taken by the State Government to ensurebetter growth, and these must begin with education, especiallyskill development, so as to supply requisite trained manpowerto the industry, and general infrastructure. “Although actionhas been taken in these areas, more progress is certainlyrequired. Agriculture and allied activities have also shown a

negative growth and need to be strengthened,” he adds.The Chief Minister, in a bid to send a positive signal,

reiterates Government’s resolve to make sweeping policyreforms to attract further investors and safeguard intereststhrough ease of doing business. This resolve needs to besupported by State taking a proactive role for increasingMaharashtra’s ranking in the global value chains (GVCs).

C.S. Deshpande concludes, “Today, the nature of global tradeand business is undergoing a rapid change. Global value chainsis the name of the game. It is a challenge as well an opportunityfor industries and SMEs in Maharashtra to get into these valuechains and prosper as many other countries like China andMalaysia have done. Today, MNCs hunt for the cheapest and mostcompetitive parts and components. Maha rashtra’s traditionalstrengths in engineering, machinery, auto com ponents can havebright prospects. However, the policy makers need to recognisethe critical importance of GVCs and their growing role ininternational trade and investment.”


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hen Foxconn, a Taiwan-based electronics major,announced an investment of over `30,000 crorein Maharashtra, it was the zenith of investor-friendly atmosphere in the State. It alsounderlined State’s position as the numero uno

destination for foreign direct investment in India. Theannouncement was also the beginning of a new era of industrialdevelopment under the leadership of Chief Minister DevendraFadnavis. His dream project, Make in Maharashtra has beendesigned to bring in investments into Maharashtra and createemployment opportunities in both urban and rural areas.

As per an ASSOCHAM report, Maharashtra has overtakenGujarat in terms of business. Maharashtra is also India’s mostindustrialised State with the highest contribution to India’sGDP, which is around 14.61 per cent of India’s GDP. Make inMaharashtra focuses on creating opportunities for global busi -nesses, encouraging them to investin the State, while ensuring higherstandards of business-friendly poli -cies and approval processes.

According to India State Com -pe titive Report, Maharashtrascores high on supplier and so -phisti cation conditions and diver -sity of firms and innovation. TheState’s focus on development of industrial centres in Tier-II andTier-III cities is making it the preferred choice of investments,especially for the Indian and global service sector industries,the report adds.

To improve business friendliness of the State, theGovernment has moved towards reducing the number ofapprovals to start a business and is giving a special thrust ontime-bound approvals. It has also shifted the entire approvalprocess to the online platform. The Government has also broughtin reforms in labour laws. “We have given priority to ease of doingbusiness by drastically reducing the number of clearances to setup an industry,” says Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.

The Government is looking for the most qualified investorsand its focus areas include building infrastructure such asmetro rails across multiple cities and coastal roads. The otherthrust areas include manufacturing throughout the diversesectors of automotive, industrial, pharma and defence, theIT/ITeS sector in and around Navi Mumbai and Pune, ESDM-Fab units, upstream and downstream components, R&D labs,a logistical hub at Nagpur that has strategic and geographicaladvantage, smart cities as a part of the DMIC corridor atShendra near Aurangabad and Dighi in Raigad.

“The Government has taken a number of reforms, includingamendments to the Factories Act, reduction in the number of

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While Maharashtra maintainsits number one positionin industrial growth, it takesstrong steps to welcome morebusinesses, says MMuurrttuuzzaa MMeerrcchhaanntt

A HAPPY PLACE FOR YOUR

VENTURE

(From top) Chief MinisterDevendra Fadnavis andMinister for IndustriesSubhash Desai at theMoU signing withFoxconn and at thelaunch of aviation hub atMIHAN in Maharashtra



approvals from 76 to 37, doing away with inspector raj andrelaxation in River Regulatory Zone Regulations,” saidMinister for Industries, Subhash Desai, on the State rankingeighth in the ‘ease of doing business’ index of World Bank.“Maharashtra has attracted ‘investment intention’ of over`60,000 crore since October 31 when the Government tookover. Some more reforms are in the pipeline, which, onceimplemented, will see Maharashtra ranked at first positionnext year,” he added.

Confederation of Indian Industry’s State Council ChairmanArup Basu said, “Although Maharashtra ranked eighth amongall States, it ranked topmost in ‘Obtaining infrastructure-

related utilities’, with defined timelines for electricity, waterand sewage connections, and a reformed electricity connectionapplication process and also in ‘enforcing contracts’.”

A State industry department official said that investingmore than `100 crore will enjoy ‘one-window clearance’ underMaitri (Maharashtra Industry, Trade & Investment Facili tationCell) scheme, a set-up of an empowered group of secre taries ofvarious key departments to give approvals needed for newbusinesses within 30 days. Further, industrial units will nolonger require separate permission from any local body to set upa unit in an existing industrial zone, if they have the nod fromMaharashtra Industrial Development Corporation.

The Government hadissued about 40 circularsto reduce red tape

for investors. Maharashtra hasattracted ‘investmentintention’ of over ̀ 60,000 croresince October 31 when theGovernment took over. After the(World) Bank takes into accountthe recent initiatives, Maharashtra willbe ranked third. Some more reformsare in the pipeline, which, once implemented,will see Maharashtra ranked at firstposition next year.—Subhash Desai, Minister for Industries

WHAT THEY SAY...

Although Maharashtraranked eighth among allIndian States, it ranked topmostin ‘Obtaining infrastructure-related utilities’, with clearlydefined timelines for electricity,water and sewage connections,and a reformed electricityconnection application process

and also in ‘enforcing contracts’. —Arup Basu, State Council Chairman, CII

The Ease of Doing Business index is a concept createdby the World Bank. The principle is based on the studyof laws and regulations, with the input and verification

by more than 9,600 Government officials, lawyers, busi-ness consultants, accountants and other professionals in185 economies who routinely advise on or administer legaland regulatory requirements. Higher rankings (a lownumerical value) indicate better, usually simpler, regula-tions for businesses and stronger protections of propertyrights. The parameter studies cities across the globe andsuggests the best place for one to run a business.

EASE OF DOING BUSINESS INDEX

Over the years, Maharashtra has maintained itsleading position in industrial sector in India andmade State’s economy strong. The growth in thesector has also enhanced employment opportunities

in the State. Since it came to power in October 2014, theGovernment has been successful in removing many hurdles inthe way of industrial development in Maharashtra and hascreated a positive environment for the rapid growth of theindustry. With our concrete efforts and positive decisions,Maharashtra is set to become a fully developed and smartState, not only in India but in the entire world.

The Make in Maharashtra initiative will take the State tonew pinnacles of success. Under this, the Government hastaken many decisions for creating a conducive and business-friendly atmosphere in the State. The State Government aimsat `5 lakh crore ($75 billion) of industrial investment by 2019which will generate around 2 million jobs. Efforts are beingmade to reduce the regional imbalance of industrial growthbetween the eastern and western parts of the State. With thisvision, Amravati textile corridor and Mumbai–Nagpur supercommunication expressway have been announced.

Government of Maharashtra has been implementing Make inMaharashtra in letter and spirit with ease of doing business,attracting new investments, and making changes in theadministration for growth of micro, small and mediumenterprises (MSMEs). The number of permissions required to setup an industry has been reduced. The Government hasintroduced Integrated IT townships to promote the ‘walk to work’

concept. It is now working on dedicated policies for aerospace anddefence, ESDM, retail, start-ups and MSMEs. The foreign visitsto Germany, the US and Japan have been successful inattracting foreign invest ments. The investments in varioussectors will boost MSMEs and employment opportunities.

Maharashtra has retained its unique attraction amongglobal investors for investing in Mumbai and other big cities ofthe State. A young State with half of its population below 35years, Maharashtra has the onus of providing work to everyhand. Skill development has, thus, become crucial. Today, anew-age industry looks for skills besides qualification in acandidate. Hence, the new policy opts for skill developmentapart from routine education. The education system must alsoaim at making every young man and woman employable.

We aim to make Maharashtra a global centre of economicpower with everyone’s cooperation. Auto sector is the fastestgrowing sector in the State. It accounts for about 38 per cent ofcountry’s output of automobiles by value. Maharashtra has 21per cent share of India’s auto market. Pune, Nashik,Aurangabad, Mumbai and Nagpur are major auto centres.Pune is the largest auto hub of the country. Tata Motors,Mahindra & Mahindra, Bajaj Auto, General Motors,Volkswagen and Mercedes have their plants in Pune. Skoda,Bajaj Auto, Goodyear Tyres, Varroc Engineering, BalkrishnaTyres and Durovalves have set up their plants in Aurangabad.

Maharashtra also has a strong IT sector, which accounts formore than 20 per cent of India’s software exports. Mumbai–Pune Knowledge Corridor has been created. Pune and Mumbai

FOR A STRONG, EMPOWEREDAND PROGRESSIVE STATERealising the dream of Make in Maharashtra is my vision.In next few years, Maharashtra will no longer compete with otherIndian States, but with nations across the globe

SUBHASH DESAIMinister for Industries


COLUMN Make in Maharashtra

together have a lion’s share in IT export of more than $8 billion.Nagpur has TCS, Wipro, HCL and Persistent Technologies.Auranagabad, Nashik and Kolhapur are also emergingsoftware export hubs. Other fast-growing sectors in the Stateare pharma and telecom.

It is equally important to note that the MSMEs are givenequal opportunity in the State. For the growth of the MSMEsector, we are taking active steps. Providing basic infrastructuresuch as land, raising sufficient capital, resolving grievances and

guiding entrepreneurs are only afew of these steps. Focus on thewelfare, potential and growth ofthe MSMEs will help in realisingthe dream of Make inMaharashtra. The State Gover -nment is committed to support thedevelopment of manufacturingsector and everyone part of it.

The food processing sector isone of the fastest growing sectorsof the economy; it is growing at therate of 8.4 per cent. It is also onethe most labour-intensive seg -ments constituting 13.04 per centof jobs in all registered factories.The sector has the ability to bridgethe gap between farmers andconsumers. Maharashtra, being

the most agriculturally developed State in India, provides a vastopportunity to investors keen to invest in the sector.

The second capital of Maharashtra, Nagpur is home to manymultinational companies coming from diverse sectors liketextile, food processing, IT, defence, steel, etc. Apart fromNagpur, districts such as Wardha, Bhandara, Gondia, Chandra -pur and Gadchiroli are also gaining industrial grounds.

Realising the dream of Make in Maharashtra is my vision.We are trying to develop industrial estates into clusterindustries that are sector specific. For instance, in Amravati, wehave developed a textile park. We have also encouragedfactories that are into processing maize to expand their productrange by making different products. If this is established, thecustomer base, which would include farmers, will be set aroundthe factory. This will bring better price and assured supply tofarmers and an easy supply of raw material to the factory. Inthis way, clusters can be encouraged.

Going forward, the Supa Industrial Area near Pune is goingto be a big industrial estate. For Delhi–Mumbai IndustrialCorridor, we have already acquired land at Shendra nearAurangabad. In the near future, you will see greattransformation in State’s infrastructure. Crucial projects,including Navi Mumbai airport, coastal road and trans-harbour link will take off. With these in place, Maharashtrawill no longer be competing with other Indian States, butnations across the globe.

(Clockwise from facing page) Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Governor Ch.Vidyasagar Rao, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Minister for IndustriesSubhash Desai at the inauguration of GE’s facility. Union Minister forEnvironment Prakash Javdekar, Chief Minister and Minister for Industries at theplants of Mercedes Benz, CEAT Tyres and a textile company in Maharashtra

INVESTMENTS UNDER MAKE IN MAHARASHTRA

Reliance Aerospace $1 billion

General Motors $1 billion

Foxconn $5 billion

Fiat Chrysler `1,800 crore

Haier (Additional) `355 crore

Panchshil Blackstone JV `4,500 crore

Hyosung group `150 crore

Coca Cola `500 crore

Cognizant `500 crore

The StateGovernment hasbeen workingon Make inMaharashtra inletter and spiritwith ease ofdoing business,attracting newinvestments,and makingchanges in theadministrationfor growthof micro, smalland mediumenterprises


Mumbai, Sindhudurg, Kolhapur, Aurangabad(Ellora), Chandrapur (Tadoba Wildlife Sanctuary),Wardha (Sevagram), Jalgaon (Ajanta) and Nashik.

AN OPPORTUNITY IN WAITINGMeetings, incentives, conferences and events(MICE) is the fastest growing element of globaltourism market. Maharashtra has already taken alead here with four of its big cities, Mumbai, Pune,Aurangabad and Nagpur attracting a lot of MICEactivities. “Maharashtra has a great potential,especially Mumbai being the commercial capital,and Pune, which is fast overtaking Mumbai as thenumber one MICE venue in the State. This islargely due to the higher room price in Mumbai andthe fast connectivity between the two cities. Also,Pune’s weather is much better,” said S.P. Jain,CMD, Pride Group of Hotels.

Mumbai has the best of five-star hotels such asthe Taj, Oberoi, ITC, Leela and Hyatt for MICE.The best, however, is the Renaissance MumbaiHotel and Convention Centre located at Powaiwith more space. With 2.3 lakh sq. ft. of indoor andoutdoor spaces, this hotel is one of the largestMICE facilities in India. Pune has quite a fewhotels with MICE facilities. Aurangabad’sproximity to the world heritage sites of Ajanta andEllora makes it a MICE venue. Lemon Tree Hotels

Tourism is an important economic activityfor nations across the world due to itssignificant direct and indirect impacts. Incase of India and States like Maharashtra

as well, the potential of the sector is huge. Hostingboth international and domestic tourists round theyear, Maharashtra—with its amazing beaches,forts, wildlife, hill stations, shrines, nature andeco-tourism—has been developing its tourismsector to serve visitors better and help its economy.

Maharashtra can be one’s vacation point forreasons as diverse as heritage and adventure. Forhistory buffs, there are majestic forts and worldheritage sites such as Ajanta, Ellora andElephanta Caves and Chhatrapati ShivajiTerminus. The believers have temples—a fewsculpted into and out of basalt rock—and otherreligious shrines. The nature lovers have scenichill stations, while science admirers can visitLonar, a crater created by the impact of a meteorabout 50,000 years ago.

Maharashtra Tourism DevelopmentCorporation (MTDC) in alliance with other bodies,has taken various initiatives to bolster the State’stourism industry. One such initiative is the DeccanOdyssey. If luxury is your top priority, then thebest way to relish Maharashtra and its history of5,000 years is to take a week’s ride on this royalluxury train launched by the MTDC in associationwith Indian Railways and Ministry of Tourism.Benchmarked against the best luxury trains in theworld such as Blue Train of South Africa, OrientExpress of Europe and Eastern and OrientalExpress of South East Asia, Deccan Odyssey is asight to behold. The royal journey takes onethrough some of the best places in Maharashtra—

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TTHHEE KKEEYY PPOOIINNTTSS� If luxury is your toppriority, then the bestway to relishMaharashtra and itshistory of 5,000 years isto take a week’s ride onDeccan Odyssey, theroyal luxury train. � Maharashtra hasalready taken a lead inthe MICE sector withfour of its big cities,Mumbai, Pune,Aurangabad andNagpur attracting a lotof MICE activities.� Mumbai has the bestof five-star hotels suchas the Taj, Oberoi, ITC,Leela and Hyatt tocater to MICE sector. � For a steady growthof its tourism industry,Maharashtra plans tocome out with a newtourism policy. � For a traveller whowould like to enjoyIndian hospitality at areasonable price, thereis the option of bed andbreakfast (B&B)launched by the MTDC.

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With its diverse and historical landscape and risingbusiness opportunities, Maharashtra is a preferredchoice for travellers. Now, the Govern ment wantsto bring a policy to make it a sustainable tourismlocation, says CChhaannddrraagguuppttaa AAmmrriittkkaarr

A DESTINATIONFOR EVERYONE

(Clockwise from top left)Lonar crater lake, Bibi kaMakbara at Aurangabad,Sindhudurg Fort, CST,Ganpatipule beach, a MICEvenue and B&B stay, AjantaCaves, Tadoba and ChiefMinister Devendra Fadnavispromoting tourism in Japan

INDUSTRY Tourism

offers state-of-the-art conference facilities withWiFi, surround sound system, large screen TV,DVD player, white board, etc. For a decade,Nagpur had just Pride Nagpur as the five-starhotel hosting conventions. Now it has multipleproperties serving the MICE market.

BED AND BREAKFASTThe bed & breakfast (B&B) programme launchedby the MTDC provides clean and affordableaccommodation and food to tourists. Currently,more than 1,100 houses/bungalows acrossMaharashtra are registered under the scheme.One can find all types of rooms, from basic toluxury, under the programme. Many B&B unitsalso provide tourism-based activities such asworking on farms, trekking, local games, cuisine,etc. Places where the concept is active includeAmravati, Alibaug, Aurangabad, Kolhapur,

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Matheran, Mumbai, Mahabaleshwar, Murud–Janjira, Pune, Pandharpur, Ratnagiri, Sindhu -durg, Thane, Nashik and Shrivardhan.

A NEW TOURISM POLICYThe Tourism Policy 2016 aims to developMaharashtra as a popular and sustainable touristdestination, promote its vast experiences onglobal, regional and local levels with best practicesand standards in place, and provide an inclusiveopportunity and access to all socio-economicdemographics. It aims at making the State aleading tourist destination in the world by 2025,attract investments to the tune of `30,000 crore,double the number of tourism projects in five yearsand triple in ten years, double the tourist arrivalsin five years and triple in ten years, and createone million skilled and semi-skilled humanresource in the sector.


Maharashtrahas a greatpotential, especiallyMumbai beingthe commercialcapital, and Pune,which is fastovertaking Mumbaias the number oneMICE venue in theState. This islargely due to thehigher roomprice in Mumbaiand thefast connectivitybetween thetwo cities.—S.P. Jain, CMD,Pride Group of Hotels

For hill station admirers, Panchgani is the next bestchoice after Mahabaleshwar. Its Table Land, ParsiPoint and Sydney Point are the most frequentedplaces. To value add to the beauty of the region,

Panchgani Municipal Council decided to convert city’s wastecentre into Swachh Bharat Point.

The thought led the Municipal Council, established in1910, to begin work on the 1.25 acre plot where city’s wastewas dumped to make it a solid waste processing centre.Through the same centre, the civic body also began thebeautification of Panchgani. Today, the waste stored at theground is being converted into quality fertiliser, which theMunicipal Corporation sells. The cleanliness drive has also ledto a beautiful garden for people to visit.

Today, the 5 tonne waste collected from Panchgani is

classified and brought to the processing centre. The waste isput into a waste-processing machine, which converts it into anorganic fertiliser. The machine is basically used for wet anddry waste and dry leaves, etc. The mixture is then taken outand placed in a tank. The mixture becomes an organicfertiliser within eight days. This fertiliser is sold mainly tostrawberry manufacturers. Currently, 3 tonne waste collected

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NEW HEIGHTS OF CLEANLINESS

(From top) The waste-processing centre being developed by PanchganiMunicipal Council and Urban Development Secretary Manisha Patankar-Mhaiskar on a visit to the centre in the hilly town

SWACHH MAHARASHTRA Success Stories

Locations of Panchgani, Matheran, Vengurla and Umred undertake sanitation to perkup their natural beauty and take Swachh Maharashtra Abhiyan ahead

First Swachh town ofMaharashtra

PANCHGANI

A waste-processing centre developedby Panchgani Municipal Council is the latestlandmark of the hill station

between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. is being processed at the centre. Themetal and glass objects in the waste are sold to waste recyclers,while the plastic is sent to Khandala and Koregaon for furnaceoil manufacturing companies.

The waste-processing centre developed by PanchganiMunicipal Council was recently inaugurated by Urban Develop -ment Secretary Manisha Patankar-Mhaiskar. The beautifiedpoint has been named Swachh Bharat Point–Swachh Maha -rashtra Point. The Urban Development Secretary expects thepoint to be treated equivalent to other landmarks of the hillstation such as Parsi Point and Sydney Point. District Collector

Ashwin Mudgal, Additional District Collector Pramod Yadav,President of Municipal Council Laxmi Karhadkar, Chief OfficerVidya Pol, Vice President Municipal Council Laxman Parte andothers were present at the inauguration ceremony.

With Swachh Bharat Point, Panchgani Municipal Councilhas created an ideal for waste management, a new landmarkfor the hill station and a success story for Swachh BharatAbhiyan. The Swachh Bharat Point today stands in Panchganito impart the lessons of cleanliness, beauty and wastemanagement to others.

—Prashant Satpute

Touched and blessed by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharajand Bharat Ratna Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar, thehistorical district of Raigad has also been bestowedby natural beauty. On one hand, the district has the

awe-inspiring Raigad Fort, on the other hand, are the

expansive shores of Shrivardhan, Murud and Alibaug. One ofthe most visited places here is Matheran. A famous hillstation, Matheran is now garnering accolades for itsimpressive work done under Swachh Maharashtra Abhiyan.The work led to an award to its Municipal Council by ChiefMinister Devendra Fadnavis recently.

Matheran’s cleanliness journey began when its peopledecided to participate in the sanitation movementconceptualised by Prime Minister Narendra Modi as SwachhBharat Abhiyan, launched on the birth anniversary ofMahatma Gandhi in 2014. Within ten days–from October 21to 30, 2014–the cleanliness drive spread to every lane, street,habitat, square and public toilet. The citizens were advised

not to throw waste in the open,but to hand it over to the SolidWaste Management Depart -ment. At main locations in thecity, banners and hoardingsabout cleanliness and SwachhMaharashtra Abhiyan wereput up. The drive was furtheremphasised by cleanlinessambassador of the State andsenior mentor Dr. AppasahebDharmadhikari. Around 1,400disciples of his Revdandainitiative, Dr. Shri NanasahebDharmadhikari Pratishthanspent the whole of November16, 2014 at Matheran andcleaned almost every area,providing an unusual strengthto the movement.

CHANGES ON GROUNDMatheran city had stopped manual scavenging, especiallycarrying human waste on head or through carts around 25years ago. According to a survey dated July 4, 2014, theresidential area of the city had 885 toilets, while 1,253 toiletswere available at hotels, etc. The Municipal Council owned 138


N

Swachh Maharashtra Abhiyan envelops thehill station of Matheran with the participationof both administrators and citizens

Clean is the new beautifulMATHERAN

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SWACHH MATHERANABHIYANGautam Gaikwad,President, MunicipalCouncil, Matheran, saysthat Matheran not onlybelongs to its citizens,but also to the people ofMaharashtra and India.“Matheran is one of themost beautiful naturaltourist destinations ofthe State. Hence, the cit-izens and tourists shouldcome forward to main-tain its beauty andcleanliness. As the city isalso an eco-sensitivearea, everyone shouldtake care of the plasticand other pollutants andenhance the naturalbeauty of the hillstation,” he adds.

(Above and below) Nisarguna Biogas project developed on a technique fromBARC at Matheran and sanitation workers clean tourist spots at Matheran

public toilets. Out of hill station’s 965 families, 779 familieshad individual toilets while 186 families used public toilets.The Municipal Council implemented waste disposal planningunder Swachh Maharashtra Abhiyan. In case of waste frommarkets, slaughter houses, restaurants and animal sheds, therole of Nisargruna Biogas Project, developed on a techniquefrom BARC, was noteworthy. This project has the certification ofISO-9001-2008. The gas produced by the project is used as a fuelat Municipal Council residential complexes, dispen saries andoffices and powers street lights. The plant, built at `36 lakh, isnow saving `60,000 to `70,000 per month of the civic body.Under urban solid waste management, the Municipal Councilhas appointed a contractor on an outsource basis for cleaningthe city daily. The work has provided employment to citizens.

Apt disposal of bio and solid wastes, wet and dry waste, andconstruction debris, emphasis on awareness and publicparticipation are responsible for the success of MatheranMunicipal Council in raising the cleanliness flag.

—Dr. Raju Patodkar

RECOGNITION BRINGS RESPONSIBILITYChief Officer of Matheran, Prashant Thombare says that theresponsibility on Matheran has increased after winning the sanita-tion award from the Chief Minister. “Cleanliness is not a day’s affair;it needs to be maintained constantly. The feat has been possibledue to the cooperation of people and will power of elected represen-tatives,” he elaborates, appealing to the tourists to cooperatewith Matheran Municipal Council in keeping up the good work.

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Management of solid wastes is most importantwhile implementing Swachh MaharashtraAbhiyan. Understanding this, Umred MunicipalCouncil in Nagpur started scientific management

of solid waste and soon, the lanes and squares in the citystarted to breathe free.

The solid waste management at Umred, a city with apopulation of 54,000, had become totally dilapidated. The civicbody began by building a proper dumping ground, wherecollection of waste ensued. The waste was stored without anyclassification or processing. Rag pickers lifted the plasticsfrom the ground. Instead of a Ghantagadi, the collection ofwaste was done by ten three-wheeler rickshaws. Today, thecollection is made from 11,880 homes in the city. Each vehiclehas a GPS system and separate containers for dry and wetwaste. The importance of sanitation was communicated toschool children, who then carried the message to every home.Support was taken from social institutions for wastemanagement. Today, waste collection and segregation arebeing carried out at 530 homes of Gangapur Slum area.

Participation of sanitation workers is of utmost importancein solid waste management. These workers are given handgloves, masks and uniforms while their health check-ups arecarried out at NUHM sanctioned hospital. Collection centres

have been created at 80 locations in the city. One worker isallocated two to three spots. The person collects the wastethrough hand cart or plastic bag and segregates the same on adaily basis. For collection of waste from these locations, fourtractors have been placed in service on a contract basis.

A meeting of businessmen from the city was held forprohibition of plastic bags of less than 50 micron thickness.The traders were encouraged to follow the rules. About 140 kgof plastic bags have been confiscated from dealers so far.Places used for open defecation were identified. People wereencouraged to use public toilets. A processing centre from D.Watts Company has been started for processing waste fromchicken, mutton and fish markets in the city.

—Pravin Kulkarni

Umred Municipal Council adopted scientificmanagement of solid waste, which soonled to clean lanes and squares in the city

A strategy that workedUMRED


SWACHH MAHARASHTRA Success Stories

Umred Municipal Council conducts scientific management of solid waste aftercollecting and classifying different types of waste from the city

When the people and administration join hands fora constructive project, the mission reaches comp -letion despite being difficult. More importantly,the project becomes impeccable and a path-

breaking socially constructive initiative. However, the visionneeds innovative ideas to accomplish such projects. Anexample of the same is active in Vengurla, where initiativessuch as ban on plastics, freedom from open defecation andwaste collection undertaken by Municipal Council has madeSwachh Maharashtra Abhiyan possible. Classification andprocessing of city waste through a four-principle system is notjust innovative, but also taken up as an idealistic concept byChief Officer Ramdas Kokre, supported by President PrasannaKubal and the corporators, staff and citizens of the city.

Today, Vengurla Municipal Council is free of plastic. Madepossible by public participation, it has also become the firstwaste-free Municipal Council and an ideal in the field of wastemanagement in India.

The waste management project at Vengurla has beendeveloped on an area of 6 acres. Electricity generation, biogasand compost fertiliser have been achieved from the wastecollected daily from the city. Chief Officer Ramdas Kokre saidthat the project receives about 2 tonnes of wet waste, around 5tonnes of dry waste and 50 kg of plastic waste. The wet waste isconverted into electricity, while biogas and dry waste are usedfor making compost and briquette for cashew factories andpellets for stove. The plastic waste is crushed, mixed with tarand used for building roads. Soon, glass and metal bottles willbe provided for recycling and the funds available from it will beutilised for essential elements of the project.

Vengurla Municipal Council is perhaps the first such bodythat has used the dry, wet, plastic, glass and metal waste

classified by the citizens. Thepeople have respondedpositively to the initiative andmade separate bins for eachtype of waste at their own cost.The citizens dump the waste inthese bins every day. Thecollection vehicles of theMunicipal Council have beengiven GPS system and officersknow the exact location of eachvehicle. Each vehicle has ateam that ensures that thecollection is done properly. TheChief Officer himself takes around with officers and otherstaff to supervise the activity.Along with a toll free number18002332099, facilities such asa website and Whatsapp havebeen made available for publicgrievances.Vengurla Municipal Councilhas been immensely successfulin the cleanliness initiative.The citizens have beenproactive. People are usingcloth and paper bags instead of

plastic ones, and visiting tourists have been prohibited to useplastic bags. Soon, CCTV cameras will be installed at severallocations and citizens throwing waste in the city will be fined.

Due to the excellent micro-planning of the MunicipalCouncil, role of officers like Ramdas Kokre and publicparticipation, Swachh Maharashtra Abhiyan has taken off inVengurla. The people are now aware of city’s cleanliness andhygiene. Union Bank of India, Bank of Maharashtra andBank of India have extended financial support to the projectand without spending even a single rupee, the programmehas become a benchmark.

—Archana Mane

Through public participation,Vengurla Municipal Council has set an idealfor Swachh Maharashtra Abhiyan

VENGURLA

(From left) Classification and processing of city waste and Vengurla becoming the first waste-free Municipal Council of India

Simply ban the plastic


Today,VengurlaMunicipalCouncil is free ofplastic. It has alsobecome thefirst waste-freeMunicipalCouncil and anideal in the fieldof wastemanagement inthe country

Maharashtra has taken a lead in theimplementation of Prime MinisterNarendra Modi’s dream project ofSmart Cities by starting work in Navi

Mumbai. The ten cities picked from the Stateunder the mission are Amravati, Aurangabad,Mumbai, Kalyan–Dombivli, Nagpur, Nashik, NaviMumbai, Pune, Solapur and Thane. The project isexpected to be completed in coming five years at anestimated cost of ̀ 50,000 crore. The responsibilityof developing Navi Mumbai into a smart city hasbeen assigned to City and Industrial DevelopmentCorporation of Maharashtra (CIDCO), a Govern -ment of Maharashtra undertaking.

Set up in 1970, CIDCO has vast experiencein development of cities and industrial areas.The development of Navi Mumbai, which willdecongest Mumbai, will comprise two projects:CIDCO Navi Mumbai (South), a brownfieldproject, and Pushpak Park, a greenfield project.Brownfield is an area that has already beendeveloped, usually as an urban area, whilegreenfield is an open land yet to be developed.Therefore, in a brownfield area, the emphasis is onimprovement of infrastructure or provision of newinfrastructure.

The brownfield area of Navi Mumbai coversseven towns, spread over an area of 12,000hectares. Ten projects, with 22 sub-projects, wouldbe taken up in the area at a cost of `32,744 crore.These projects are expected to be completed in four

c


THE FIRST SMART CITY IS HERE“Let the whole world know that the first Smart City of India is launched by Maharashtra,”said the Chief Minister unveiling the Smart City project at Navi Mumbai, says AAbbhhaayy MMookkaasshhii

SMART CITIES Maharashtra

years. The major projects CIDCO will take up inthe area include development of Navi MumbaiInternational Airport, expansion of JawaharlalNehru Port Trust (JNPT), construction of afford -able housing for those belonging to low-incomegroup and economically weaker sections, NaviMumbai Airport Influence Notified Area (NAINA)pilot project, CIDCO’s railway and metro projects,and infrastructure development projects.

A new township, Pushpak Nagar, covering anarea of 230 hectares, will be constructed as part ofthe project and the township is expected to comeup in five years.

The major economic drivers of the project atNavi Mumbai include spending ̀ 7,000 crore of theproject cost of ̀ 16,000 crore in Phase I of the NaviMumbai International Airport. The JNPTexpansion would cost `8,000 crore, while theexpansion of the national highway would be at acost of `3,000 crore. The construction of 55,000tenements as part of the affordable housing projectfor members of economically backward class andlow-income group would be at a cost of `10,700crore. The NAINA project would cost ̀ 4,000 crore.

The Navi Mumbai Airport Influence NotifiedArea pilot is an experiment in land pooling inwhich villagers retain 60 per cent of the land while40 per cent comes to CIDCO. Of the 40 per centland given to CIDCO, 25 per cent will be used fordeveloping infrastructure, open spaces and socialwelfare amenities like schools, provision of sportfacilities and construction of markets. CIDCOwould sell the remaining 15 per cent land to raisefunds for the project.

With emphasis laid on environmental issues,the project at Navi Mumbai will have LED streetlights at the cost of `34 crore, provision of aseparate pipeline for grey water at a cost of `220

crore, a nature park and a mangrove park. Therewill be regular monitoring of air and noisepollution, and a proper water leakage preventionsystem would be in place. Annually, environ mentalassessment reports would be published.

The smart city will also have improved publictransport system, with a transit-oriented develop -ment approach. There will be a mix of residentialand commercial areas, which will have anexcellent public transport facility, often requiringminimum travel.

A railway terminus would be constructed atPanvel. The Belapur–Panvel railway corridor wouldbe doubled and the Panvel–Karjat railway routewould be constructed, cutting down the travel timefrom Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus to Karjat byabout 27 minutes, as compared to the present routevia Kalyan. All local trains, EMUs (electric multipleunits) would be converted to 12 coach. Nerul,Belapur, Seawoods and Uran would be connected byrail route. A ropeway would be constructedconnecting Vashi Railway Station to Vashi sector 28,making travel easy and time saving.

The smart city is expected to generate 8.7 lakhjobs. There would be transparency and ease ofbusiness through e-governance. The use ofgeographic information system (GIS) will helpmap, model and query, and analyse largequantities of data within a single databaseaccording to location. Information technologywould be used in a big way to enable the residentsof the smart city get quick information and relief incase of grievances.

Three apps—My CIDCO, Smart Grievanceand Citizen Connect—are being developed to helpresidents. There would also be a wide network ofCCTV cameras as part of the security measurestaken under the project.


(Clockwise from left) ChiefMInister Devendra Fadnavisspeaking at the launch ofCIDCO Navi Mumbai SmartCity project, launching theproject, a representationof the project, and officialsbriefing the Chief Minsteron the project

AA NNEEWW DDIIRREECCTTIIOONN� The brownfield areaof the smart cityproject at Navi Mumbaicovers seven towns,spread over an area of12,000 hectares. Tenprojects, with 22 sub-projects, would betaken up in the area ata cost of ̀ 32,744 crore. � A new township,Pushpak Nagar,covering an area of 230hectares, will beconstructed under theproject in five years � The smart city isexpected to generate8.7 lakh jobs. Therewould be transparencyand ease of businessthrough e-governance.� All local trains, EMUswould be converted to12 coach. Nerul, BelapurSeawoods and Uranwould be connectedby rail route. � Three apps—MyCIDCO, SmartGrievance and CitizenConnect—are beingdeveloped to helpresidents.

people unless it is well executed in a given time.To begin with, an NGO, Bombay First and global

consultancy firm McKinsey helped the State to setup the War Room. Senior IAS officials PraveenPardeshi, Principal Secretary, and Milind Mhaiskar,Secretary to the Chief Minister’s office, along withtwo officers on special duty and a small team ofassociates make the basic team of the War Room.The Chief Minister, whose major emphasis has beenon better management to bring maximum results,shortlisted 30 mega projects from diverse sectorsthat are integral for the development of Maha -rashtra. In the very second meeting, he drew the listof 30 such projects along with the time frame.

The list included Navi Mumbai InternationalAirport (2019), Metro 3 (2020), Coastal Road (2019),Jalyukta Shivar Abhiyan Phase 2 (October 2016),

Almost a year ago when Chief MinisterDevendra Fadnavis took over the reins ofMaharashtra, he laid down simple rulesof governance. The foremost principle

spelled out at the meetings addressed to topbureaucrats was the significance of execution ofpolicies to facilitate their transformation frompaper to ground to reach people in time.

It was at one such meeting, the Chief Ministeremphasised that the State administration will haveto tackle development projects on war footing. Inless than 30 seconds he came out with the concept ofsetting up a “war room,” which would relentlesslymonitor and pursue the policies and projectsperiodically to take these to their logical end. Themessage was loud and clear—a policy no matterhow outstanding will not make any difference to

F


Chief MinisterDevendra Fadnavis

presides over amonthly meeting of

the War Roomin Mumbai

An innovative concept launched by the Chief Minister, the War Room aims at bringing speedto important, mega projects of Maharashtra, says SShhuubbhhaannggii KKhhaapprree

WHERE THE ACTION IST

GOVERNANCE CM War Room

Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (2019), Mumbai–Nagpur Super Expressway (2019), irrigationprojects (2018-19), solar energy pilot project (2016)and affordable housing (2022). The list runs long andcaters both rural and urban Maharashtra.

The coastal road between Nariman Point andKandivali or Navi Mumbai International Airport,which required consent from Union Ministry ofEnvironment and Forests, was cleared in less thanone month. Similarly, the `30,000 crore Mumbai–Nagpur communication super expressway thatrequires State–Centre coordination has been able tokeep pace with its time line. The case is same withthe most challenging affordable housing projectwith slum redevelopment. The project has also beenexpedited keeping in mind the deadline of 2022.

The most intriguing aspect of the War Room liesin its operations. While a small team of dedicatedassociates work from a small office set up on theseventh floor of Mantralaya at Mumbai, it’s the 24×7monitoring that has been repeatedly stressed toensure that every project undertaken in phasesmakes the expected progress to meet its finaldeadline. Every month, Chief Minister Devendra

p

Fadnavis convenes a meeting of the War Room. Atthe two-hour meeting, he reviews all the 30 megaprojects. However, for all the 30 days of the month,he has a way to keep a tab on the status of theprojects. At the meeting, the Chief Minister ensurespresentation on each project with the action takento know the progress. Any unexplained delay orinaction is never acceptable. The Chief Ministerfirmly believes that once the project is wellplanned and logistics is provided, it has to beon fast track.

An officer in the War Room team shares,“Details of each project with time frame devised inan apparatus have been installed in the mobilephone of the Chief Minister. The information isjust a click away. Even if he is in a remote village,he can monitor the progress of each project.”

Interestingly, a red mark against a projectshows that there are some problems and theproject has failed to keep up with progress. Thegreen mark indicates that the project is on track.It also notifies the tenure of each aspect of theproject, which had failed to move ahead.

In the War Room, every team member hasbeen assigned a specific task. Every project,which requires coordination among multipleagencies has a backup team. At every stage, theindividual takes up the issue with the concernedauthorities. For every mega project, there is adifferent structural set-up. For example, in caseof coastal road, at least three nodal agencies—Ministry of Environment and Forests,Maharashtra Urban Development and Brihan -mumbai Municipal Corporation have a pointperson from the War Room team who ensurescoordination at regular intervals. Similarly, atthe end of every meeting, the progress chart islaid down along with the target.

Says Officer on Special Duty Kaustub Dhavse,“Our effort is to tackle the bottleneck that resultsin delaying the projects. Say, if a Mumbai infraproject has been on hold because it requires tobe taken up with the Railways, the War Roomteam immediately flags the issue to ChiefMinister’s notice. He then intervenes and resolvesthe matter.”

Several officials admit that the War Room hasinculcated high degree of managerial discipline aseverybody’s task is clearly specified. The fact thatDevendra Fadnavis monitors the projects dailyalso makes the team pursue their set assignmentsproactively. The stress on coordination has alsofacilitated greater interaction among the officialsfrom Centre and State.


C

TTHHEE WWAARR RROOOOMM� War Room is a jointeffort of NGO BombayFirst, consultancyfirm McKinseyand Government ofMaharashtra. � To begin with, the Warroom has shortlisted30 mega projects fromdiverse sectors thatare integral forthe development ofMaharashtra.� Every month, ChiefMinister DevendraFadnavis convenes ameeting to review themega projects. Anyunexplained delay orinaction is neveracceptable.

Details of eachproject with timeframe devised in anapparatus have beeninstalled in themobile phone of theChief Minister. Theinformation is just aclick away. Even ifhe is in a remotevillage, he canclosely monitor theprogress of each andevery project.—An officer in theWar Room team

Our effort isto tackle thebottleneck thatresults in delayingthe projects.Say, if a Mumbaiinfra project hasbeen on holdbecause it requiresto be taken up withthe Railways, theWar Room teamimmediately flagsthe issue to ChiefMinister’s notice. Hethen intervenes andresolves the matter.—Kaustub DhavseOfficer on Special Duty

floriculture, which today stands as a `100-croreindustry. It was way back in 1992 when the firstfloriculture unit of Tata Group came up in Talegaon,Maval taluka near Pune. The launch of the unit ledto the entry of many corporate houses in the sector,making it an organised business. Slowly, CenturyInternational, Essar Group, Birla Group andseveral others came to Talegaon to establish hi-tech industries. European technology, especiallyDutch came in to show Indians how to grow flowers,more importantly roses. As the industry grew, anagriculture college came up in Pune to offer coursesand create awareness among farmers.

Over the years, Talegaon has grown as a majorfloriculture hub. According to Shivajirao Bhegade,President, Pune District Flower GrowersAssociation, Talegaon’s soil and cool climes havebeen ideal for the sector. Anticipating good returns,farmers have come in hordes after 1998-99 to bepart of the business. Today, Talegoan exports nearly60 per cent of its total flower production. Theremaining is sold in the domestic market, primarilyPune, Mumbai, Nagpur, Delhi, Lucknow andKolkata. Around 80 per cent floriculturists prefergrowing Dutch roses, 18 per cent grow gerbera andabout two per cent grow carnations, shares Bhegde.Varieties of roses such as Top Secret, Bordeaux,Grand Gala, Yellow Gold, Avalanche, AmazonOrange, White Tropical, Revival and others growhere. The peak export season is from September toMarch. From April to June, there is a demand fromdomestic market due to wedding season.

Looking at the potential for floriculture in the

Flowers have always been a special part ofIndian life. They have lent that extratouch to every happy occasion, be it awedding, festival or family celebration.

Even western festivals such as Valentine’s Dayand Friendship’s Day that have become a part ofour lives today have given a boost to floricultureindustry in the country.

Interestingly, the cool climate in some areas ofMaharashtra such as Pune has been good for

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Pune’s Agriculture Produce Market Committeeplans to set up a flower mall on the lines of Aalsmeer,the Netherlands, the largest trading centre forflowers in the world, says SSaammeeeerr KK

(Clockwise from top)Various flowers grown in

the farms and polyhouses of Maharashtra

A BLOOMING BUSINESS A

NUMBER ONE Floriculture

area, Maharashtra Industrial DevelopmentCorporation (MIDC) has developed a 300-acrefloriculture park at Talegaon. The park has grownto 600 acres with the establishment of ahorticulture training centre. The centre offerstraining on soil plantation, harvesting, post-harvesting technology, pruning and weeding,besides marketing. Apart from the 600-acre park,around 1,500-1,600 acres in the region are underfloriculture with more farmers entering thebusiness. Another 300 acres belong to localfarmers who cultivate roses with traditional crops.

India’s floriculture business is worth `9 billion.With rich and varied climatic conditions andabundance of cheap labour, the country is mostsuitable for cultivation of flowers. Organisedfloriculture in India is 15 years old. Of the 1,10,000hectares under floriculture in India, only 500hectares come under the organised sector. Hugeprojects came up in the 1990s, but not many of theolder units survived. The industry comprises theflorist trade, nursery plants, potted plants, bulb andseed production, micro propagation material andextraction of essential oils from flowers. Karnataka,Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal,Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi andHaryana are showing interest in floriculture.

Exports drive the business at Maharashtra’sfloriculture sector. The biggest market for Indianroses remains Europe, where nearly 1 crore rosestems are exported annually. The United Kingdomand Japan are other major markets.

Of late, the domestic market has also picked

f up. Small farmers, who do not have the marketingmuscle for export, sell their produce in India.Demand has been growing by 10 per cent annuallyand about 80 growers operating from thefloriculture park do a daily business of about `20lakh and above. Pune has about 45 poly houses,which primarily target the export market. Inaddition, there are over 1,000 farmers withsmaller poly houses, spread over 5-10,000 sq. ft.,who cater mainly to the domestic market. Puneaccounts for 70 per cent of the total floricultureoutput in the country, and the cut flower market inPune has been growing at a 25 per cent per annumfor the past few years.

A flower mall has been planned for Pune on thelines of Aalsmeer, the Netherlands, the largesttrading centre for flowers in the world. UnlikeAalsmeer, growing flowers in Pune will be done atthe farmer’s farm and only the auction, grading,packing and dispatching the produce to theairport, retail market or cold storages will be doneat the mall. The mall will not only house exoticflowers, but also traditional flowers such asmarigold and mogra.

Today, Talegaon has about 2,000 hectaresunder floriculture and does business of crores ofrupees on a daily basis. The Agriculture ProduceMarket Committee at Pune has planned for onlineauctions of flowers. A training programme has beenplanned for traders and farmers. If the auction hallcomes up in Talegaon, it will be helpful for not justfarmers and traders, but also for the industry, as itwill save on logistics, says Bhegade.


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The MIDCdevelopedfloriculture parkat Talegaon hasgrown to 600acres. It has ahorticulturetraining centre,which offerstraining oneverythingrelated to theindustry

(

ALL THINGS FLORAL� Talegaon has about2,000 hectares underfloriculture and doesbusiness of crores ofrupees on a daily basis. � A variety of flowerssuch as Dutch roses,gerbera and carnationsgrow in Talegaon. Theseare sent to major Indiancities and global marketslike the UK and Japan � The industrycomprises florist trade,nursery and pottedplants, bulb and seedproduction, micropropagation materialand extraction ofessential oils fromflowers

Navegaon National Park, a popularwildlife park in Vidarbha, has been onour radar for long. A serene getawayfrom Nagpur, the area in Gondia district

becomes the temporary abode of many migratorybirds looking for warmer climes every year.Considering the park—built in 18th century—isblessed with a beautiful lake and rich flora andfauna, it has something for everyone in the family.

Locally known as Navegaon Bandh (bandhmeans dam), Navegaon gets its name from thebeautiful, crystal clear Navegaon Lake that flowsthrough it. A series of cascading trails leads oneto the lake, which stretches over an area ofaround 11 sq. km. There is also a watchtowerinside the park, from where you can get a bird’seye view of the forest and marvel at the bustlingwildlife that lives here. Sprawled over an area ofalmost 135 sq. km, the wildlife park comprises ofa deer park, an aviary, Dr. Salim Ali Bird

Sanctuary, and three landscaped gardens. Themost unique experiences here include going on ajungle safari, staying in a tree top house andriding a sailboat in the lake.

The name Navegaon comes from the wordsnave (new in Marathi) and gaon (village inMarathi). Going back in times to around 1300 CE,the area was under the rule of Gond tribal kings.King Dalpatshah and his visionary queenDurgavati saw the importance of agriculture insupporting the livelihood of local communities.However, they realised that they couldn’t dependon the erratic rainfall alone for irrigation. Theythen started the process of building innumerablewater bodies and lakes all around. Navegaon Lakeis one such water body that witnessed a longhistory of Gond tribal rule and eventual Britishand post independence India. What we see today isa district that can easily be called the lake districtof India. Large number of birds have always been

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Blessed with a picturesque lake, rich flora, faunaand avifauna, and a great climate, NavegaonNational Park can leave visitors mesmerised andasking for more, says PPaallllaavvii SSiinngghh

NavigatorGGEETTTTIINNGG TTHHEERREE

By Air: Nagpur (150 km) By Railway: Deulgaon on

Chandrapur–GondiaRailway line is the

nearest railwaystation (2 km)

By Road: Navegaon (2km) is the closest town.

Nearest bus stand:Navegaon (10 km)

Nearby attractions:Nagzira Wildlife

Sanctuary (60 km),Itiadoh Dam (15 km),

Tibetan Camp atGothangaon (15 km) and

Pratapgad (15 km)

D

IN THE COMPANY OF

BIRDS

WANDERLUST Navegaon

flocking to the area ever since. Today, the lake isa part of the National Park and Tiger Reserve,supporting not only the avian population, but alsorich wildlife from adjoining forest.

Dr. Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary at Navegaon ishome to almost 60 per cent of the bird speciesfound in entire Maharashtra. Every winter, flocksof beautiful migratory birds visit the lake,presenting a rare treat to eyes. Huge flocks ofmigrating ducks will wake you up with their loudcalls. You can expect to see scarlet minivets,paradise flycatchers and kingfishers. The mostprominent of the birds here is the elegant Sarus,the biggest member of the crane family.

Visitors to Navegaon can also spot a number ofwild animals such as tiger, leopard, panther,bison, sambar, nilgai, gaur, chital, wild boar, slothbear, wild dog and langur. The vegetation rangesfrom dry mixed forest to moist forest, but is mainlyof the southern mixed dry deciduous type,

Ncomprising teak, haldu, jamun, kawat, mahua,ain, bhel and bhor trees.

Staying in the lakeside kutir (abode) with roomsthat are perched on a tree, you actually becomepart of the dense forest, far from the maddeningcrowd. You could walk to the youth hostel, a coupleof kilometres away watching the birds by thelakeside or a mammal that has come to quench itsthirst at the lake. At night as you drive, you can spothundreds of shining eyes of spotted deer staring atyou. Memorable sight indeed!

The rich animal diversity of Navegaon is sureto enthrall any nature lover. Capturing butterfliesand birds in photographs can be an enrichingexperience. Butterflies of various hues mark theregion. While the sights and sounds of animals aresure to reverberate, there is more to this greenpatch. Remember to pick up the famed oranges,mangoes, orange burfis of Nagpur and the khoyajalebi on your way back.


B

Dr. Salim AliBird Sanctuaryat Navegaon ishome to almost60 per cent ofthe bird speciesfound in entireMaharashtra.Flocks ofbeautifulmigratory birdsvisit NavegaonLake in winters

I

(Clockwise from top left) Acaptivating view of the lake,the elegant Sarus cranes, abeautiful bird takes a flight,and beaver birds at work inNavegaon, Maharashtra

PHO

TOG

RAPH

S:RAVIG

OLAN

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Makar Sankranti is an unusual day ofthe unfeeling winter in India. It is aday when everyone in the family hasto take bath early and touch the rice

mixed with tilgul (a sweet made with sesame seedsand jaggery) and coins to be donated. One will begiven food only after the custom is followed. Thefood too is different this day with curd and chidwato be followed by khichdi in the afternoon.

One of the auspicious occasions for Hindus,the harvest festival of Makar Sankranti iscelebrated with many such interesting, localcustoms throughout the country with greatdevotion, fervour and gaiety. The day marks thecommencement of Sun’s journey to the northernhemisphere (zodiac Capricorn or Makara inSanskrit). On this day, celebrated mid-Januaryevery year, devotees take a dip in the holy waterand offer prayers to the sun. Almost all States ofIndia celebrate the day with varied festivities,including singing and dancing in north to prayersin the south. In the villages, courtyards are swept,


IT’S TIME TOHARVEST ANDCELEBRATEThe festival of Makar Sankrantisees celebrations throughoutMaharashtra with home-madesweets, prayers and kites of myriad hues flying high

(Clockwise from above)Makar Sankranti festivitiesin Maharashtra: Marriedwomen celebratinghaldi–kumkum ceremony,children flying kites, tilgul,ornaments to be gifted,home-made sweets andhaldi and kumkum

FESTIVAL Makar Sankranti

sprinkled with a mixture of water and cow dung,and beautiful designs made in the centre. Thecourtyards are further decorated with small lumpsof cow dung with bright yellow pumpkin flowersstuck in them.

THE MAHARASHTRA CONNECTIn Maharashtra, Makar Sankranti is marked byflying colourful kites of various shapes, sizes andhues against the backdrop of an azure sky. On thisday, people exchange home-made delicacies liketilgul and wish each other the sweetness of speech,throughout the year. Flat bread stuffed with amixture of jaggery and til are offered for lunch.While exchang ing tilgul, people greet each otherwith the words, til gul ghya, aani god god bola thatmean, accept these tilguls and speak sweet words.The underlying thought in the exchange of sweets isto forget any previous ill feelings and hostilities andresolve to speak sweetly and remain friends.

For many, the day is marked by offering prayersto deities and visiting temples. Considering MakarSankranti is the day of the first sugarcane harvestin the State, on this day sugarcanes are cut to makefresh jaggery. The practice reflects in the sweetsmade during the period. Each region in Maha -rashtra has a specific custom associated with MakarSankranti and its roots can be traced to farming andthe harvest season.

Makar Sankranti holds special significance fora young bride in Maharashtra. A newly wedwoman gives away oil, cotton and sesame seeds tomark the auspicious day. This is believed to bestowupon her and her family long life and prosperity.The women wear new clothes and glass banglesand relatives are invited to attend the haldikumkum (literally meaning turmeric andvermillion) celebration to welcome the new bride

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into their family. It is said that performing theceremony is a way to invoke the waves of dormantadi-shakti in the universe. This helps in creatingimpression of sagun (materia lised) devotion on themind of an individual and enhances his bhav(spiritual emotion) unto God.

The festival of Sankranti requires small mudpots called sugad. Vermillion and turmeric powderis applied to the pots and a thread is tied to them.The pots are then filled with carrots, jujube fruits,pieces of sugarcane, pods, cotton, chickpeas, sesameseeds with jaggery, vermillion and turmeric, amongothers. Five pots are placed on a wooden seat,rangoli is drawn around the seat and worshipped.Of these, three are gifted to married women, one isoffered to the basil plant and one is retained.

Makar Sankranti holdsspecial significance for a youngbride in Maharashtra. The womenwear new clothes and glassbangles, and relatives are invitedto attend the haldi–kumkumceremony to welcome the newbride into their family

RREECCIIPPEE:: TTIILLGGUULLIn Maharashtra, tilgulis the major attractionof Makar Sakranti.Tilguls are made ofsesame seeds andjaggery. Relatives andneighbours exchangetilguls on the day andcommit to forget bittermoments in the pastand be sweet to eachother in future.

IINNGGRREEDDIIEENNTTSS� 2 cups sesameseeds (til)� 1 1/2 cup chikkijaggery (gul)� 1 cup groundnutsand chana dal (splitbengal gram)� 1 tbsp cardamompowder� 1 tbsp ghee

MMEETTHHOODDRoast sesame seeds ina pan till brown colourand keep it aside. Dryroast the groundnutsand chana dal. Crushthem coarsely. Inanother pan, boil thejaggery. Add 1 tbspghee to the meltedjaggery. Add roastedsesame seeds,groundnuts, chana daland cardamompowder to the jaggery.Mix all the ingredientswell and shape it intosmall balls. Tilguls areready to be served andexchanged.

Various eminent personalities visited Dilkhulas studiorecently. October 15, the birth anniversary of FormerPresident of India, Bharat Ratna Dr. A. P. J. Abdul

Kalam, was celebrated as Vachan Prerna Diwas or ReadingInspiration Day in Maharashtra. Speaking about theinitiative, Minister for School Education Vinod Tawde saidthat reading holds significance in one’s personal and sociallife. Realising the need of building a knowledge-based societyand to develop students’ language and personality, the StateGovernment took a decision to observe the day. Theliterature and speeches by Dr. A.P.J. Kalam have beenencouraging, but due to newer ways of communication andsocial media, the new generation is moving away from

reading. This must be corrected, said Vinod Tawde.On the ten glorious years of Right to Information (RTI) Act,

Information Commissioner of Mumbai, Ajit Kumar Jainshared with the listeners the implementation of the Act inMaharashtra. He said that the State is at an apex position indrafting its own Acts. It created the RTI, and the role played bysocial activist Anna Hazare was important. Over the pastdecade, the Government has trained officers in implementingthe Act and carried out awareness campaign. RTI is a rightunder freedom of expression. If an applicant fails to receive theinformation sought, he can make an appeal to the InformationCommission, which then instructs the Government to give thereply. About 48 lakh applications were submitted byMaharashtra citizens under the Act in past ten years and 96per cent of these were answered by the Information Officers.

Water Conservation and EGS Department Secretary

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DILKHULASA channel for everyone

AUTHENTIC, ACCURATE AND UP-TO-DATEThe channels of Directorate General of Information and Public Relations work round the clock to bring to people the information that can empower them and the State

(From left) Education Minister Vinod Tawde, Ajit Kumar Jain, Prabhakar Deshmukh, Dr Naresh Chandra Kathole and Dr. Vasudha Kamat

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Senior theatre personality and king of Malvani drama,Gangaram Gavankar has been unanimously elected asPresident of the 96th Akhil Bharatiya Marathi Natya

Sammelan. In an interview to Jai Maharashtra, the writer saidthat he was happy to be bestowed with the honour whilecompleting 75 years of age. Theatre has three stages, namelychildrens’ theatre, experimental theatre and professional theatre.He mentioned that the foundation of children’s theatre needs tobe strengthened. Theatre has not at all slowed down and moreand more dramas are hitting the stage, he added.

In another interview, Kanchan Sontakke, President, AkhilBharatiya Marathi Bal Natya Sammelan talked about the firstever Marathi Bal Natya Sammelan organised at Solapur recently.A senior drama artist and personality, who has brought self-confidence in the blind, deaf, mute and differently-abled

JAI MAHARASHTRASeven decades of popularity

(Clockwise from top left) Gangaram Gavankar, Kanchan Sontakke,Dr. Deepak Apte and Shashikant Savle

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INFORMATION Exchange


Prabhakar Deshmukh said, “Jalyukta Shivar Yojana wassuccessful, as it was implemented on a large scale. The schemewas implemented on ground through coordination ofagriculture, water conservation and rural developmentdepartments. The Government integrated 14 schemes to createJalyukta Shivar Yojana to ensure that water is available foragriculture throughout. With the scheme, revolutionarychanges have been observed in water level of the State. Theuniqueness of the scheme is that it has rectified shortcomings

of earlier watershed and waterconservation schemes.”

In his talk, the director of Dr.Panjabrao Deshmukh Mission IASAcademy, Dr Naresh ChandraKathole informed that the work ofthe mission will be implementedall over Maharashtra. He said thatthe academy has organised 4,000competitive examinations for theMarathi youth aspiring to get intoadministrative services. Theacademy has performed well inguiding the poorest of thepoor and tribal youth. He alsoprovided information aboutthe opportunities and services

of the academy and admission schedule. On the occasion of the golden jubilee year of S. N. D. T.

Women’s University, Chancellor Dr. Vasudha Kamat providedinformation about the courses run by the university, changesin education system, information about the new coursesstarted for women and the transparency brought by theuniversity in administration.

—Meera Dhas

children, Kanchan Sontakke was elected as the President of theSammelan. She said that school is a place for inculcation ofdrama culture and it should be seeded early in children. Sheadded that children drama competition has been held underState Drama Competitions for past 15 years and has beenextremely useful for children theatre movement. She provided

information about various initiatives, competitionsand programmes conducted by the Natyashala.

Talking about the work and structure ofCharity Commissioner’s office, ShashikantSavle said that its prime responsibility is

controlling all the Trusts in the State. This bringsto the Charity Commissioner the opportunity to

work for society and people, he added. Director, Bombay Natural History Society, Dr. Deepak Apte

shared the work done by the organisation and measures peoplemust undertake as their responsibility towards environment.

—Atul Pande

JalyuktaShivar Yojana wassuccessful, as itwas implementedon a large scale.The scheme wasimplementedthrough coordinationbetween agriculture,water conservationand ruraldevelopmentdepartments —Prabhakar Deshmukh

Various departments and offices of the DirectorateGeneral of Public Relations (DGIPR) are striving so thatLokrajya, which is the link between Government of

Maharashtra and people, reaches everyone in the State. Withthis objective, Nagpur–Amravati division arranged anexhibition of Lokrajya during the winter session of the StateAssembly at Nagpur. On the occasion of MahaparinirvanDiwas (December 6), another exhibition was held atChaityabhoomi by the Publications Division.Both the exhibitionsreceived excellent responsefrom the citizens.

The exhibition organised byDGIPR attracted one and allalike. It displayed Lokrajyaissues right from 1964. Theshowcase, visited by many eminent personalities, wasimplemented on the occasion of winter session of the StateAssembly by Nagpur–Amravati division of the DGIPR. Someof the rare Lokrajya issues displayed were Pandit JawaharlalNehru (1964), Balgandharva (1987), DyaneshwariSaptashatabadi (1997), Sudhakarrao Naik (1991), SavitribaiPhule Special (1996) and others.

LOKRAJYA IN EVERY HOMELokrajya, the Marathi monthlypublication of the DGIPR, reached anoutstanding sales figure of 4.4 lakhduring the last decade. This is theonly Government magazine in thecountry that is distributed fromchanda to banda. The magazine hascreated an indelible mark onschool students, candidatesappearing for MPSC and UPSC

examinations, and every constituent of society. During the ensuing year, the Lokrajya team has made a

resolve to reach every home in Maharashtra. The team hasalso resolved to publish a Special Issue on the occasion of125th birth anniversary year of the architect of Constitutionof India, Bharat Ratna Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar.Additionally, it has been resolved to hold exhibitions ofLokrajya at variousplaces in the State to reach maximumnumber of people.

LOKRAJYA Exhibition of rare issues


The Maharashtra StateLegislature—LegislativeAssembly and Legislative

Council—has become the firstlegislative body in the countryto invite online queries fromits members on public-relatedissues, taking a step forwardin digitalisation.

Speaking to the media,Maharashtra LegislativeAssembly Speaker Ramraje

Nimbalkar-Naik and Legisla-tive Council Chairman Harib-hau Bagade said that theonline queries system hasreplaced the age-old, writtenquestions and answer systemand become successful to theextent of 40 per cent as ofnow, including call attentionmotions, resolutions, etc., onexperiment. Thus MaharashtraLegislature has become first inthe country to go digital.

Dr Anant Kalse, PrincipalSecretary, State Legislaturesaid, the online invitation ofqueries has received a goodresponse from people.

Legendary cinema artistDilip Kumar was pre-sented Padma Vibhushan

by Union Minister for Home,Rajnath Singh on behalf of

Government of India at thethespian’s residence in Bandra.The 93-year-old legend waspresented a medal, a certifi-cate and a shawl in the pres-ence of Governor Ch.Vidyasagar Rao, Chief MinisterDevendra Fadnavis, MLAAshish Shelar, actor’s wifeSaira Bano and other family

members. Speaking on theoccasion, Rajnath Singh under-lined Dilip Kumar’s excep-tional contribution to theIndian film industry. “He hasleft an indelible mark on theminds of people,” he added.

Chief Minister Devendra

Fadnavis said, it is a momentof pride that the senior actorhas been awarded Padma Vib-hushan. He gave a direction tothe Indian film industry.

Due to his ill health, DilipKumar could not attend theaward distribution ceremonyheld at Rashtrapati Bhavan inNew Delhi in April.

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MAHARASHTRASTATE ASSEMBLYFIRST TO INVITE

QUESTIONS ONLINE

On the occasion of Mahaparinir-van Diwas, Chief MinisterDevendra Fadnavis launched

the web portal, www.sjsa.maharash-tra.gov.in and Facebook page ofDepartment of Social Justice and Special Assistance at Chaityabhoomiin Mumbai. Speaking on the occasion,the Chief Minister said that the plat-forms will give information about vari-ous schemes of the department. Manyprojects have been taken up by thedepartment for the 125th birthanniversary year of Bharat Ratna Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar.

Mayor Snehal Ambekar, Ministerfor School Education Vinod Tawde,Minister for Social Justice RajkumarBadole, MLA Bhai Girkar, DeputyMayor Alka Kerkar, Mumbai Munici-pal Commissioner Ajoy Mehta, Principal Secretary, Social Justice,Ujjwal Uke and others were presenton the occasion.

The Government ofMaharashtra conferred LataMangeshkar Award for

Lifetime Achievement 2015 onIndian violinist and music com-poser Prabhakar Jog. The awardwas recently given by senior vo-calist Sulochana Chavan in thepresence of Minister for CulturalAffairs Vinod Tawde. The awardcarries a cash reward of `5 lakh,a citation, a trophy and a shawl.

Speaking on the occasionVinod Tawde said, for more thanten decades Prabhakar Jog hasbeen a musician, music coordi-nator and violinist working withmany renowned music directorsof yester years. His contribution

to Hindi and Marathi musicindustry, including devotionalsongs, has been outstanding.He started his career as aviolinist in Pune with a mere`1.25 and a coconut.

Prabhakar Jog also workedunder Sudhir Phadke as an assis-tant and played an integral partin the creation of Geet Ramayanaseries. The series was a presti-gious milestone for AkashwaniPune. Prabhakar Jog’s first songas a music director, Lapvilpas TuHirva Chafa, broadcasted onAakashwani Pune, is one of themost popular Marathi songs. Hisfirst film as a music composerwas Jawai Maza Bhala.

LATA MANGESHKAR LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD TO PRABHAKAR JOG

MAHARASHTRA Recent Moves

PADMA VIBHUSHANPRESENTED

TO DILIP KUMAR

An acclaimedactor of Hindicinema, DilipKumar made greatcontribution to themedium and left anindelible mark onthe minds of people

A PORTAL FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE DEPARTMENT

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Chief Minister DevendraFandavis inauguratedthe memorial Gopinath

Gad on the occasion of thebirth anniversary of senior

BJP leader, Late GopinathMunde in the precincts ofVaidnath CooperativeSugar Mill. On the occasion,the Chief Minister also

unveiled and dedicatedto people a life-sizestatue of the leader. BJPNational Chairman AmitShah was the chief guest onthe occasion.

Addressing the gathering,Chief Minister said that Former Union RuralDevelopment Minister and agreat State leader, GopinathMunde struggled to solvecommon man’s problem. Hisdaughter, Smt. PankajaMunde now works towardssolving people’s problem.

Set up with the funds offamily members of theformer leader, the gad willinspire society to work onsocial causes and bettermentof the deprived, saidDevendra Fadnavis. AmitShah lauded the efforts madeby Late Gopinath Munde forthe people of Maharashtra.

The Smart Cities missionof Government of India hasbeen launched for the

development of urban centres.Under the scheme, better infra-structure, social and financial ser-vices and living standards will beprovided to the cities. A proposal

of `29,647 crore has beensubmitted by Government ofMaharashtra to the Centre forthe ten cities chosen in the Statefor the mission.

The first phase of the missionwill be implemented by State’shigh-level committee at NaviMumbai, Pune, Nashik, Mumbai,Thane, Nagpur, Amravati, Sola-pur, Kalyan–Dombivli andAurangabad. The project cost ofthe work in Mumbai is `1,118crore, Pune `2,932, Thane`6,630, Nashik `1,945, Kalyan–Dombivli `2,057, Solapur`2,921, Amravati `5,305, Nag-pur `3,409, Navi Mumbai`1,734.95 and Auranagabad`1,595. The Centre will give ̀ 100crore for each city every year forfive years. The State Governmentand local self- government bodieseach will have to share ̀ 50 croretowards the mission.

FIRST PHASE OFSMART CITY WILL BE

IMPLEMENTEDIN 10 CITIES

CENTRE APPROVES ̀̀ 2,077CRORE PLAN OUTLAY

UNDER AMRUT SCHEME

The Atal Mission for Rejuvenationand Urban Transformation (AM-RUT) aims at transforming 500

cities and towns into efficient urbanliving spaces with special focus onhealthy and green environment. FromMaharashtra, 43 cities with popula-tion of over one lakh are under thescheme. The Union Government’sApex Committee has given approval

to an annual plan outlay of`2,077.96 crore. Under the mission,infrastructure services such as cleandrinking water supply, optimisedpower distribution, efficient solidwaste management, affordablehousing, efficient public transport andactive use of IT infrastructure toimprove service delivery and manage-ment have been emphasised upon.The cities will incorporate all aspectsof urban infrastructure and ensuregreen and sustainable living.

Chief Minister DevendraFadnavis handed overletter of intent allocating

500 acres of land to RaymondGroup for setting up a`1,500 crore textile unit atNandgaonpeth in Amravati.The letter was given toRaymond Group Chairmanand Managing Director

Gautam Singhania. The up-coming unit will generateabout 7,500 employment op-portunities in Vidarbha. TheChief Minister shared that theGovernment has decided toset up textile parks in the cot-ton belt of Vidarbha, besidesin Marathwada and northMaharashtra.

RAYMOND GROUP TO SET UP TEXTILEUNIT IN VIDARBHA

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O GOPINATH GAD DEDICATED TO PEOPLE

The Union Minister of Statefor Petroleum and NaturalGas (Independent Charge),Dharmendra Pradhan lights

the lamp during thededication ceremony of

Crude Distillation Unit tothe Nation in Mumbai.

Chief Minister DevendraFadnavis, Secretary,

Ministry of Petroleum andNatural Gas, K.D. Tripathi

and other dignitaries werepresent on the occasion.


DELHI DIARYFROM THE CENTRE

Three districts from Maharashtra, Jalna, Nanded and Raigadreceived Digital India Award at the hands of Union Minister forCommunication and Information Technology Ravi Shankar

Prasad at the celebration of Good Governance Week in New Delhi. Thefirst award was received by Jalna, second by Nanded and third byRaigad district for excellent performance in digital field.

DDIIGGIITTAALL IINNDDIIAA AAWWAARRDD TTOO TTHHRREEEE DDIISSTTRRIICCTTSSOOFF MMAAHHAARRAASSHHTTRRAA

TTHHRREEEE OOFFFFIICCEERRSS FFRROOMM MMAAHHAARRAASSHHTTRRAARREECCEEIIVVEE GG FFIILLEESS AAWWAARRDD

Three officers from Maharashtra were felicitated withGfiles Governance Awards, given to recognise excellencein governance by an independent jury mainly comprising

of former bureaucrats. Senior scientist Dr Anil Kakodkar wasawarded the LifetimeAchievement for DistinguishedServices in the field of nuclearscience. Prabhakar Deshmukh,Secretary, Water Conservationand EGS, was presented theExcellent Contribution Awardfor development of agricultureand e-governance for cropsurveillance. Meera Borwankar,DG, Legal and Technical,Maharashtra Police receivedExcellent Contribution Award.

The awards were presented by Union Minister of Mines andSteel, Narendra Singh Tomar. Union Minister for RailwaysSuresh Prabhu and Finance Minister of Haryana CaptainAbhimanyu were present on the occasion.

Prime Minister NarendraModi attended the 75thbirthday celebrations of

Former Union Minister andFormer Chief Minister ofMaharashtra, Sharad Pawar atVigyan Bhawan in New Delhirecently. He also released abook, On My Terms written bythe political leader. Speaking onthe occasion, the Prime Ministerdescribed Sharad Pawar’spolitical career as one born outof productive pursuits. Hepraised the senior leader’smodern and scientific approachto agriculture and hiscontribution to the growth

of the sector in India. The celebrations at Vigyan

Bhawan took on the dimension ofa State ceremony as PresidentPranab Mukherjee, VicePresident Hamid Ansari, PrimeMinister Narendra Modi and LokSabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajanjoined Congress President SoniaGandhi and Vice President RahulGandhi, Chief Minister ofMaharashtra Devendra Fadnavisand Chief Ministers of Bihar,Punjab and Rajasthan, FormerPrime Minister Dr. ManmohanSingh, Samajwadi Party supremoMulayam Singh Yadav andRashtriya Janata Dal leader LaluPrasad Yadav, CPM GeneralSecretary Sitaram Yechury,Union Ministers and MPs of all

parties came together toapplaud Sharad Pawar for hiseventful political career.

Speaking on the occasion,President Pranab Mukherjeedescribed Sharad Pawar as oneof the outstanding politicalleaders of our time. “During histenure as Minister forAgriculture, the countrywitnessed record levels ofagricultural production. Thepolicies he initiated played asignificant role with Indiabecoming one of the largestproducers of wheat and rice andturning from a net importer toexporter,” said the President.

Born in 1940 to Govindrao andShardabai Pawar of Baramati,Sharad Pawar was one of 11

children. Attracted to Gandhiand Nehru since his childhood,Sharad Pawar was greatlyinfluenced by his mother. Pawarentered the MaharashtraLegislative Assembly for thefirst time in 1967 representingBaramati and became theChief Minister of Maharashtraat the age of 37.

In his address, PrimeMinister Narendra Modiunderlined the connection theseasoned leader has withagriculture. “Sharad Rao is a bitlike our farmers, who can sensethe weather conditions a bit inadvance. If someone wants toknow which way the wind isblowing, he should just sit withSharad Rao,” he said.

FFEELLIICCIITTAATTIIOONNSSFFOORR TTHHEE LLEEAADDEERR

Dr Anil Kakodkar

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Printed at KALA JYOTHI PROCESS PVT. LTD., Plot No. W-17 & W-18, MIDC, Taloja Industrial Area, Taloja-410 208, Navi Mumbai.Published by Directorate General of Infromation & Public Relations Mantralaya Mumbai 400 032 on behalf of Government of Maharashtra.Managing Editor CHANDRASHEKHAR OAK, Director General of Information and Public Relations.

O.I.G.S. Presented byThe Government of India

Digamber W. PalveSenior Assistant Director

Directorate General of Information and Public RelationsMaharashtra Government

Barrack No. 19, Free Press Journal MargMumbai 400 021.

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