Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday said that the state government has chalked out a comprehensive roadmap for the power sector for the next 25 years and promised a reduction in the power tariff in the next two years. “The government’s focus will be on transformation of Maharashtra through balanced development and growth of agriculture, industrial, infrastructure and social sectors,” Fadnavis said at a ‘Meet the Press’ event held at Nagpur. From Opposition politics and alliance workings to Vidarbha development and cybercrime challenges, Fadnavis spoke on various issues and also weighed on the “lessons learned from past mistakes”. Responding to a question on being targeted by his opponents, Fadnavis said, “I am sure they will do some introspection as they would have realised that they have not gained anything by mindless targeting. To the contrary, people reposed trust in us with the huge mandate (in the Assembly elections).” “I am not used to the politics of manipulation,” he added. “I believe in constructive politics. My approach has always been to focus on progress and positivity,” he said. “I will never allow power to get to my head…not in the past, nor the future. My grooming has been in an organisation where we were taught power is for service,” Fadnavis further said. In a candid admission, Fadnavis also spoke about learning from “mistakes made in the past”. “I will move forward. Wherever I feel I have made a wrong decision, I will admit and rectify it. I have done it in the past too,” he said. Reiterating his government’s resolve to tackle regional imbalance by expediting development in the Vidarbha and Marathwada regions along with the rest of Maharashtra, Fadnavis said, “We will ensure justice to the entire state. When I became CM for the first time in 2014, opponents from western Maharashtra were apprehensive as they feared Vidarbha would get greater priority and their region would be ignored. But in my five-year tenure from 2014 to 2019, it was proved that all long pending issues across Vidarbha, Marathwada, western and northern Maharashtra, and the Konkan were taken up on equal priority and fast-tracked.” The river-linking projects will bring 10 lakh hectares of land under irrigation in Vidarbha, Fadnavis said, adding that it would benefit seven districts of the region. “Gadchiroli will become the country’s next steel city. The Naxal menace will be dealt with firmly,” Fadnavis promised, indicating that he would like to retain the guardian ministership of Gadchiroli. “With greater mandate come responsibilities…we promise transparency and accountability,” Fadnavis said. Fadnavis also spoke about the challenge of tackling cybercrimes. “With bold reforms, Maharashtra will ensure that miscreants’ motives to misuse advanced technology to carry out frauds are tackled effectively. With the use of artificial intelligence and technology, we will address these problems along with awareness campaigns,” Fadnavis said. “With the Centre sanctioning 20 lakh houses under PMAY [Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana], Maharashtra is the state with the largest package. So far, there are 26 lakh total registrations,” he said, adding that shelter for all the poor, the farmers, and the homeless will soon become a reality. Fadnavis also spoke about how all three Mahayuti alliance partners were working as a team. “All decisions are taken collectively,” he said.
