Maha set to be become 1 trillion dollar economy: Governor Koshyari

Mumbai: Maharashtra is all set to become one trillion-dollar economy and it will be the first state in the country to do so, Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari said here on Sunday on the occasion of the 62nd anniversary of the state’s formation.

Koshyari addressed an event held at the Shivaji Park in Mumbai’s Dadar area where he unfurled the national flag.

Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray was also present on the occasion and the two, who have in the past criticized each other on various issues, were seen exchanging greetings. Koshyari said Maharashtra has set an example before the nation while combating the three waves of COVID-19 in a well-planned manner. More than 92 percent of the state’s adult population has been administered at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, he said. “Though we were passing through the COVID-19 pandemic, the state did not allow any impediment to affect its progress and development. Maharashtra is all set to become a one trillion dollar economy and it will be the first state in the country to do so,” he said.

Koshyari said he felt happy to note that Maharashtra stands second in the country in the export preparedness index, released by the Niti Aayog. Maharashtra also ranks second in the Centre’s ‘Good Governance Index report – 2021’, he added.

“The policy regarding the electric vehicles made by my government is comprehensive and its implementation has also started in the state. As compared to the previous year, the registration of EVs in Maharashtra has increased by 157 percent,” the governor said.

The state government has also decided to give rebates in property tax to citizens and housing societies which will start EV charging stations, he said.

The VAT on CNG has been reduced from 13.5 percent to 3 percent to give a boost to the use of environment-friendly natural gas. “This will provide relief to the citizens,” the governor said.

He said the government has planned a bulk drug park in Raigad district along the Delhi-Mumbai corridor and it will be erected over an area of 2,500 acres. Besides, a medical equipment park has also been planned at the Auric Smart City in Aurangabad over 350 acres of land, he said.

The government is promoting waterways for passengers to reduce stress on roads and railway lines, he said, adding that a water taxi service has been started from Belapur in Navi Mumbai to Mumbai, Elephanta, and JNPT. “My government has taken various decisions for promoting the air services. Flights are taking off from the airports of Sindhudurg (Chipi), Nanded, Gondia, Jalgaon, Kolhapur, and Nashik. More than 10 lakh passengers had traveled by air from Shirdi airport till the end of December 2021,” he said.

The government is fast-tracking construction of Metro projects to strengthen the public transportation system in Mumbai, Koshyari said. “The phases of Mumbai Metro lines 2A and 7 had been pressed into service and the work of 14 other Metro projects is going on with greater pace,” he said.

Koshyari also noted that key projects, like the re-development of BDD Chawls and coastal roads in Mumbai, capacity building of the Mumbai-Pune express highway, and others, have gained momentum. “The construction of Hindu Hriday Samrat Balasaheb Thackeray Maharashtra Samruddhi Mahamarg is near completion and will soon be partially opened for transportation,” he said.

To date, 4.75 lakh houses have been provided in rural areas under the Maha Aawas scheme, he informed. The Maharashtra State Power Generation Company will set up 187 and 390 MW solar power projects to boost non-conventional power generation, he said.

Also, 99,852 solar agriculture pumps have been installed out of the target of one lakh under the Chief Minister Solar Agriculture Pump scheme, he said.

The governor also said 43 Amrit cities from the state have participated in the ‘race to zero’ to make them carbon neutral.

The state government is following up with the Centre on the issue of giving a classical language tag to Marathi “at the earliest”, he said.

The preservation of forts and fortresses and ancient temples have been taken up in the state and the government recently decided to give land in Navi Mumbai for the construction of Venkateshwara temple to Tirumala Tirupati Devsthanam, he said.

“Along with the work of conservation of tigers in the state, my government has also given priority to the creation of new conservation reserves and biodiversity heritage sites in Maharashtra. It has been observed that besides the green cover of the state, the mangrove forests have also increased,” he added.