Mumbai, Aug 15 (IANS) Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday said the state is moving forward very rapidly in the entire development system of India, and that Viksit Maharashtra is making a special contribution to realise the dream of a Viksit Bharat.

“The country is continuously progressing under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In just a decade, India has made a huge leap from the eleventh-largest economy in the world to the fourth-largest economy. Today, the state of Maharashtra is moving forward very rapidly in the entire development system of India. Viksit Maharashtra is making a special contribution to the dream of a Viksit India. This development story of the country will not stop anymore. The Prime Minister has given the slogan of Atmanirbhar Bharat, which is very important. We all have to make joint efforts to make India self-reliant,” he asserted.

After flag hoisting on the occasion of the country’s 79th Independence Day at Mantralaya, the chief minister said that today no one can stop India’s development story. India is making progress in various fields. India has also taken a firm step in the space sector. To make India self-reliant, all the products and systems that exist in the world will have to be manufactured in India with quality. “Innovation, startups, and technology will have to be established in India with the same level of capability. India is moving in that direction,” he said.

Referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call for ‘Swadeshi’, the chief minister said, wherever possible, everyone will have to work to strengthen the country to become Atmanirbhar by opting for Swadeshi.

“During Operation Sindoor, the Indian Army showed the whole world the power of the country. In Operation Sindoor, the Indian Army destroyed all the terrorist bases in a very disciplined manner. Through this, the attacks on India were repelled. Due to this, the world has also understood what the new India is. Therefore, I congratulate and thank all the Army officers and soldiers who participated in Operation Sindoor,” he added.

Pointing out Maharashtra’s preeminence in attracting the highest foreign direct investment, CM Fadnavis said the state has received 40 per cent of the total FDI at the national level. “This investment is generating a large amount of employment in the state. Maharashtra is at the top in the manufacturing, import-export and startup sectors. This is a big development race. Maharashtra has started efforts to develop human resources along with a good education system. The state will contribute to the entire development system of the country in the future through skilled and trained Human Resources,” he remarked.

CM Fadnavis said that Maharashtra has decided to provide free electricity to farmers so that they get electricity for 12 hours a day, and for this, the world’s largest distributed solar project is underway in Maharashtra under the Mukhyamantri Saur Krishi Vahini Yojana. “After this project is completed in December 2026, farmers will definitely get electricity for 12 hours a day. At that time, Maharashtra will be the first state to provide 100 per cent green electricity,” he noted.

“A large amount of work is going on in the field of irrigation, especially through river linking projects, be it the Wainganga, Nalganga scheme or bringing water flowing into the Godavari basin to make North Maharashtra and Marathwada drought-free or bringing water to the Tapi basin through various river linking projects. Due to these projects, Maharashtra will become an important state that creates abundant water reserves to provide drinking water to farmers, industries and large-scale agriculture,” said the chief minister.

In the field of agriculture, too, by using artificial intelligence, the CM said the government is making efforts to benefit the agriculture sector and protect it from climate change.

CM Fadnavis said that the security forces and police have maintained law and order in Maharashtra. Gadchiroli has almost become free from Maoists. “Gadchiroli is now being developed as the new steel hub of the country. In the next ten years, the largest steel capacity in the country will be created,” he added.

According to the chief minister, Maharashtra is a leader in infrastructure development. “Various infrastructure projects have been undertaken in Maharashtra. Along with roads and airports, the work of development of Vadhavan Port has been undertaken. This port is among the top ten ports in the world, and it will make Maharashtra and India a new maritime power. At the same time, the work of constructing new airports or modernising airports in Pune, Mumbai, Nagpur, Gadchiroli, Amravati and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar is also underway,” he said.

CM Fadnavis said that the 701 km Samruddhi Mahamarg and the proposed Rs 86,000 crore Shaktipeeth Mahamarg are creating a network of highways. Along with that, it has also been decided to take concrete roads to every village with a population of up to 1,000. He added that the development story will continue as Maharashtra will be the biggest participant in the development story of India.

–IANS

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