Maha govt trying to make farmers stress-free & debt-free: Guv

Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari on Sunday said that since agriculture is the foundation of the state's economy, the government is trying to make farmers "stress-free and debt-free".

Giving his Republic Day speech in Marathi at Shivaji Park in Mumbai, he said that Maharashtra is an industrially advanced state and the government will give priority to solving the problems faced by the industry.

Koshyari also said that the state has made remarkable progress in agriculture, education and employment in the past 60 years, and the government intends to bring about a radical change in all these fields through the contribution of entrepreneurs.

He lauded the Marathi theatre movement for completing 175 years and announced that a museum would be set up in Mumbai to commemorate its glorious history.

The museum will allow the world to see a united spectacle of the theatre movement, he said.

"Maharashtra is an industrially advanced state. In the coming time, the government will give priority to quickly resolve the problems faced by the industry," he said.

"Agriculture is the foundation of the state's economy and progress would only happen if farmers are happy and competent," the governor said.

"The government is trying to make them stress-free and debt-free. Effective implementation of crop insurance schemes in the state is necessary. The state has already formed a cabinet sub-committee on this," he said.

The Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government headed by Uddhav Thackeray has brought Mahatma Jyotirao Phule loan waiver scheme of upto Rs two lakh for farmers, with a cut off date of September 30, 2019.

Koshyari said the state government is committed to speeding up work on the memorials of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, off the coast of Mumbai, and Babasaheb Ambedkar in Dadar's Indu Mill compound.

The Ambedkar memorial will inspire the world to fight against injustice and inequality, he said.

"The Rs 10 per meal Shivbhojan Yojana of the state government, which was launched on Sunday, was an innovative initiative to provide affordable food and will be of great help to the poor," he said.

Though available only at district headquarters and cities currently, it will be implemented in other parts of the state in a phased manner, Koshyari added.

The governor said there are 8 lakh self help groups (SHGs) in the state and the government is committed to strengthening them.

He said a statewide integrated plan was being prepared to rid cities of solid waste, and ensure complete segregation of garbage.

The Maharashtra government will provide affordable medical care to the people, the governor said.

He said a joint committee of the Tourism Development Corporation and Forest Development Corporation has been formed for promotion of forest tourism in the state, which in turn will create jobs in the sector.

Importance will be given to increasing forest cover in the state, and protection of mangroves, Koshyari added.

Sports academies will be set up in phases in tribal areas of Nashik, Thane, Amravati and Nagpur, he said.

The Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (MTHL) will speed up public transport in the region, he said.