State did well in handling pandemic, says Governor

The Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government handled the Covid-19 crisis well, Governor BS Koshyari said in his address on Thursday

The Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government handled the Covid-19 crisis well, Governor BS Koshyari said in his address on Thursday. Issues such as the state’s tackling of the pandemic, the response to the second and third wave, ability to attract investments despite Covid-19, and the response to climate change figured in the Governor’s address to the state legislature which is considered a policy statement of the government.

Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari being welcomed on his arrival at Vidhan Bhavan on Thursday. ANI

Koshyari wound up his address abruptly due to sloganeering by members from ruling and opposition sides. The written speech was tabled in the House.

“The government was fully prepared after the first wave of infections in August and September 2020. As a result, when the next wave hit the State between March and June 2021, there were 4.50 lakh isolation beds, 40,000 ICU beds, 1.35 lakh oxygen beds, and over 15,000 ventilators in 6,500 facilitation centres. Testing facilities are accessible in over 600 laboratories,” he added.

The Governor said the shortfall in medical oxygen was overcome by augmenting the liquid oxygen storage capacity and the additional 5,000 metric tonnes that was planned, while 2,700 metric tonnes have been created. “A total of 114 new oxygen production projects are being set up in the State with an investment of ₹1,870 crore. This will increase our oxygen production capacity by 1,480 metric tonnes and make the state self-reliant.”

As per the Supreme Court’s directives, Maharashtra had paid a compensation of ₹50,000 each to the kin of those died of Covid-19 in over 1.40 lakh cases, he said. “Till date, close to 91% of adult population in Maharashtra have received at least one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine and 70% of adult population are fully vaccinated. More than 57% of those in the age group of 15-18 have received their first dose.”

Koshyari also referred to various welfare schemes for those affected by the pandemic like health workers, orphans and widows, financial assistance for artistes and rickshaw drivers, and the Shivbhojan scheme.

“My government’s financial decision-making was made more challenging due to the economic slowdown caused by Covid-19. This was further compounded as a result of non-receipt of GST compensation of ₹29,942 crore, which was payable up to February 18, 2022, by the Central government to the State,” he said. However, despite the financial crunch, the state government managed to restart economic activities, attract industrial investments, and at the same time, took initiatives to protect the environment, he said.

“Despite the slowdown in the economy during the pandemic, my government signed 98 investment agreements under ‘Magnetic Maharashtra 2.0’, involving investments of ₹1.89 lakh crore and creation of 3.30 lakh jobs,” the Governor said.

Koshyari further said that to mitigate the impact of climate change, the government had established the Maharashtra Council on Climate Change under the chairmanship of the chief minister and the co-chairmanship of the deputy chief minister. “Recognising Maharashtra’s efforts in tackling climate change, my government has won the ‘Inspiring Regional Leadership’ award as part of ‘Under 2 Coalition Leadership Awards 2021’ at COP26 in Scotland. I am proud to say that Maharashtra is the only State in India to receive this award.”

Under ‘Majhi Vasundhara Abhiyan-I,’ the government had planted 21.94 lakh trees and created 1,650 new green areas, resulting in 3.71 lakh tonnes of CO2 sequestration, he said. “To create awareness of climate change among schoolchildren, it is developing an environment curriculum from standard I to VIII. Compared to last year, there has been an increase in electric vehicle registrations by 157%.”

He expressed the resolve to stand up for the rights of Marathi-speaking people in Maharashtra’s border areas with Karnataka and strongly condemned the defacing of the statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in Bengaluru on December 16, 2021, and the throwing of ink on the president of Madhyavarti Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti in Belgaum. “The many repressive acts of the Karnataka government against Marathi-speaking people of the disputed border areas are condemnable,” the Governor said.