By IANS,
Mumbai : The newly-elected Democratic Front government is targeting investments of Rs.250,000 crore in Maharashtra and create half a million jobs over the next five years, state Governor S.C. Jamir said here Wednesday.
Addressing a joint session of the Maharashtra legislature here Wednesday, Jamir said the government would promote the IT and IT-enabled services sector in cities like Aurangabad, Nashik and Nagpur, besides the backward regions.
Additionally, the government would focus on developing Mumbai as a global city within a time frame by improving mass transportation infrastructure through projects such as the Metro rail, monorail and the proposed Harbour Link that will connect the island city with the mainland.
“The new international airport in Navi Mumbai will be completed speedily. Similarly, the Rajiv Gandhi Sea-Link will be extended up to Haji Ali and then Nariman Point in south Mumbai and to Andheri in northwest Mumbai,” Jamir assured the people.
The government is also planning a new international airport for Pune, the state’s IT and education capital.
Apart from this, airports will be developed at Solapur, Shirdi and Sindhudurg, while Amravati, Nashik and Jalgaon airports will be upgraded. An airstrip in Gadchiroli will also be developed, he said.
He added that the government would improve infrastructure in all cities under the aegis of the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission and Urban Infrastructure Development Scheme.
“The state government is also launching a new state level scheme to improve the basic infrastructure and services in all important cities,” Jamir noted.
The governor said safety and security of the common citizens would remain the primary concern of the government.
He listed various measures the government has initiated, including restructuring and equipping the police force, setting up quick response teams, the Force 1, an elite force designed on the lines of the National Security Guard, and intensifying coastal security.
For tackling the Maoist menace in the eastern parts of the state, the government has created a separate Gadchiroli Range with an incentive package for the police force serving those regions — a special action plan for them with an outlay of Rs.1,386 crore over the next three years.
“The government is committed to eliminating Maoism from the State,” Jamir said.
Present on the occasion were Chief Minister Ashok Chavan, Deputy Chief Minister Chhagan Bhujbal, Speaker Dilip Walse-Patil, cabinet ministers and the newly-elected legislators of the lower house and members of the upper house.