Conference of Governors at Rashtrapati Bhavan

Maharashtra Governor seeks Central assistance for implementing irrigation projects in farmer suicide prone districts of Maharashtra

·                        Vidyasagar Rao calls for devolution of more powers to Panchayats and Municipalities ·                        Seeks central help in improving mobile and telephone connectivity in Scheduled Areas of Gadchiroli, Amravati, Nandurbar and Nanded ·                        Demands increasing the strength of Government Railway Police ·                        Seeks Tourism Ministry help in developing Raj Bhavan Bunker

New Delhi 14 : Maharashtra Governor CH Vidyasagar Rao today urged Government of India to provide financial assistance of Rs.7180 crore for completing 114 irrigation projects in the 14 farmers’ suicide prone districts of the State.  He requested the Centre to consider this proposal ‘as a special case’ on account of the serious agrarian distress in these districts.

Participating in the discussion on improving public services, the Governor also made a fervent appeal to devolve all the powers, as are enshrined in the 73rd and 74th Amendment of the Constitution to Panchayats and Municipalities so as to achieve the developmental goals of New India 2022.

The Governor raised these issues during his intervention in the Conference of Governors that concluded at Rashtrapati Bhavan today.

Referring to the issue of safety of railway passengers, the Governor called for improving coordination between the Government Railway Police (GRP) and the Railway Protection Force (RPF).  He further requested the government to increase the strength of the Government Railway Police ‘suitably’ which according to him had remained stagnant since 1982.

Reiterating the issue of poor mobile and telephone connectivity in the remote tribal areas of Maharashtra, Vidyasagar Rao said absence of mobile connectivity was proving to be a major handicap in providing medical and emergency ambulance services to the people, especially in ensuring institutional deliveries of pregnant women. This issue, he said, was particularly acute in Nandurbar, Gadchiroli, Nanded and Amravati districts of the State.

Speaking on the issue of skill development, the Governor expressed the need for opening more Nursing colleges in the State to bridge the huge gap between the demand and supply of nursing services. He felt that opening of more nursing colleges and designing one year programmes will generate more employment opportunities for girl students.

The Governor further emphasized the need for providing skill based training in Solar charkha, bamboo artefacts-making, honey bee-keeping and other activities of the Khadi and Village Industries Board in rural areas.  In this connection he expressed the need for establishing skill development units in all universities and the affiliated colleges.

Mentioning about his initiatives in Raj Bhavans of Maharashtra, the Governor told the Conference that a 1 - Mega Watt solar power plant has been set up in Raj Bhavan, Pune which  would be the largest solar power plant among all the Raj Bhavans in the country. 

He further informed that while holding the additional charge as Governor of Tamil Nadu, he had got a 400 kw solar power plant installed in Raj Bhavan Chennai which is the second largest solar power plant among the Raj Bhavans. The Governor recommended setting up similar solar plants in all Raj Bhavans in the country.

 Referring to the World War-I Bunker discovered in Mumbai Raj Bhavan last year, the Governor said the Bunker is being conserved and developed into a modern museum that will showcase Maharashtra’s history, culture and participation in the freedom movement.  In this connection, the Governor sought the assistance of the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India in conserving the bunker and in creating the Museum.

The Conference of Governors held at Rashtrapati Bhavan on 12-13 Oct, 2017 was addressed by the President of India and the Prime Minister.

Infrastructure and Public Services for New India - 2022, Higher Education and Skill Development, Important Issues of the States and Initiatives of Raj Bhavan were among the prominent topics discussed in the Conference.